The Kansas Legislature has agreed on a school funding increase.

Legislation narrowly passed, first by the house of representatives 63-56 Saturday afternoon, getting just enough votes. It then passed by another slim margin in the senate, 21 – 19, early Sunday morning.

The legislation will increase education funding by $534 million over five years.

Now, the Kansas Supreme Court will rule on it. The court previously ruled that education funding in Kansas was not adequate. It gave the legislature until April 30th to come up with new funding that is adequate.

Governor Jeff Colyer supports the legislation. He issued the following statement after it was approved:

“When I became governor, I called for all parties to come together and work to develop a response to the Supreme Court ruling in a way that ends the school finance litigation, prioritizes outcomes for students and keeps our schools open. Tonight, after months of robust debate, the legislature voted to send a bill to my desk that funds our schools and provides a response to the Supreme Court’s ruling. I am pleased that we were able to compromise and pass a bill that ensures our schools will remain open and are funded adequately and equitably. I appreciate the work the legislature and others have put in to get this done, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to serve the people of Kansas.”

Three of the four Salina area legislators support the school funding legislation. Here is how they voted:

Senator Randall Hardy – Yes

Representative J.R. Claeys – No

Representative Diana Dierks – Yes

Representative Steven Johnson – Yes