Kansas legislators compromised on omnibus education bill, school issues

Sharon Hartin Iorio

On May 7, the atmosphere at the Kansas Statehouse felt like one of those unforeseen pivotal moments — where things fraught with controversy just seem to come together. It happened through a surprisingly broad collaboration on education policy and finance.

After months of argumentative debate supported by well-funded special interest groups, less well-funded teacher and administrative groups and a range of individuals, compromise descended upon legislators.

Major provisions of an omnibus education bill were negotiated. The bill’s final language has not been made public; however, because of its large size and scope, opportunities for further debate and scrutiny likely will be limited. But, it’s possible for last-minute changes to be made at the Legislature’s final session in late May.

Beyond a commitment to fund the Kansas Supreme Court ruling in the Gannon school finance case, the Legislature compromised on other controversial issues.