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FRIDAY • MARCH 27 • 2015
Plaintiffs seek to block new school funding plan By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Topeka — Plaintiffs in an ongoing school finance case asked a three-judge panel in Topeka on Thursday to block implementation of a new school funding plan that Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law Wednesday. That law repeals the formula established in 1992 that distributes money among the state’s 286 school districts and replaces it for two years with a system of block grants.
The motion in Ganthe status quo and non v. Kansas, filed enjoin the State from around 11 a.m. Thursimplanting and enday, calls that bill “a forcing” the new law model of poor lawmakuntil the court can ing” and alleges that take evidence during it is “unconstitutional COURTS that May 7 hearing. both in design and in its That language intended implementation.” mirrors the wording of a The panel is scheduled March 17 order from the to hold a hearing May 7 on panel indicating that it an earlier motion by the might, either on a motion plaintiffs to reopen one part by one of the parties or the of the lawsuit alleging that court’s own motion, issue state funding is distributed future orders “to preserve inequitably. the status quo.” The motion filed Monday They also ask that, after asks the court to “maintain hearing, the court declare
the new law “unconstitutional and permanently enjoin the state from enforcing it.” Brownback declined to comment directly on the motion and referred questions to Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office. “They’re the ones who are handling all the litigation piece of it,” Brownback said following a public appearance at the Statehouse. Kansas Office of the Governor/Contributed Photo “I’ve signed the bill and we will move forward with it KANSAS GOV. SAM BROWNBACK, CENTER, signs Senate Bill 7, the education block grant bill, on Please see SCHOOL, page 2A Wednesday at the Capitol in Topeka.
Students at public institutions may lose aid
Supersonic solo session
Board of Regents says students at private colleges may be entitled to 84% of need-based grants By Peter Hancock Twitter: @LJWpqhancock
Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo
DRUMMER AND SUPERSONIC MUSIC EMPLOYEE ALEX THIESSEN hammers away on the drums before a wall of cymbals at work Thursday. When asked whether he has a lot of time to play during work hours, Thiessen replied, “Well, you know, you gotta make sure they sound good.”
Topeka — Students enrolled at independent private colleges and universities in Kansas next year may be entitled to as much as 84 percent of all the need-based grants that are funded by the state, according to the Kansas Board of Regents. If so, that would mean only $2.4 million would be available to students attending public four-year institutions such as Kansas University, while $13.3 million would be reserved for students at private schools, such as Baker University in Baldwin City, who make up only 17 percent of all the enrollment at four-year institutions in Kansas. Please see PUBLIC, page 2A
Report: State’s per capita income increases State moves but lags behind national peers in growth closer to issuing
T
here’s a new report out that shows how Kansans did in 2014 when it comes to incomes. Not as well as many, is the short answer. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis has released its per capita income numbers for each state in 2014. Per capita income grew in the state — as it did in every state — but Kansas’ growth rate was in the bottom quintile. Kansas’ per capita income — which includes everything from wages to investment income — grew by 2.9 percent in 2014. That’s compared to the national average of 3.9 percent. But a lot of Kansas’ neighbors are keeping us company in
The report notes that states that depend a lot on agriculture suffered some in 2014, especially if they didn’t have large amounts of oil and gas revenues to help their economies.
By John Hanna
Town Talk
Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
terms of lower-than-average income growth. The report notes that states that depend
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a lot on agriculture suffered some in 2014, especially if they didn’t have large amounts of oil and gas revenues to help their economies. Here’s a look at the per capita incomes and growth rates for the seven states that make up the Plains Region: Iowa: $45,115, up 1.3 percent Kansas: $45,546, up 2.9 percent Minnesota: $48,711, up 3.2 percent Missouri: $41,613, up 2.7 percent Nebraska: $47,073, up 0.5
percent North Dakota: $54,951, up 5.6 percent South Dakota: $46,345, up 1.7 percent As for our two neighboring states that aren’t included in that list: Colorado has per capita income of $48,730, which grew by 5.6 percent in 2014; Oklahoma checks in at $43,138, and grew at 3.8 percent last year. The fastest growing incomes were: 1. Alaska; 2. Oregon; 3. Colorado; 4. North Dakota; 5. Texas.
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Topeka — Kansas is moving closer to issuing $1 billion or more in bonds to bolster its pension system for teachers and government workers, even though many lawmakers see it as financially risky LEGISLATURE and Gov. Sam Brownback acknowledged Thursday, “I’d rather we weren’t doing this.” The Republican governor is pushing the GOP-dominated Legislature to approve the borrowing as part of a larger plan to reduce annual pension costs and help balance the
Looking ahead: LHS A spring sports preview for Lawrence High School with coverage of swimming, golf, soccer, track, tennis, softball and baseball. Page 1C
Please see PENSION, page 8A
Vol.157/No.86 24 pages