Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is proposing to backpedal on a much-ballyhooed increase in state spending on public schools after seeking to slow down aggressive tax-cutting to close budget shortfalls.
Brownback won a name in conservative circles by successfully pushing lawmakers to slash personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 to boost the state’s economy.
He narrowly won re-election in November after noting that at the end of his first term the state committed to boosting aid to poor school districts.
The governor and top aides contend he’s trying to stabilize aid to schools while lawmakers rewrite an antiquated and confusing funding formula. But his own budget numbers show a slight drop in overall aid for the next fiscal year and, when teacher-pension payments are excluded, a 3 percent decrease.