Kansas state Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, discusses education funding issues while Rep. Charles Macheers, R-Shawnee, watches during a joint meeting of the House and Senate judiciary committees, Friday, June 17, 2016, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers are debating responses to a recent state Supreme Court ruling that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts (AP Photo/John Hanna)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature’s attempt to build bipartisan support for a court-mandated increase in state aid to poor school districts stalled Friday as lawmakers from affluent Kansas City suburbs demanded assurances that their schools won’t lose money.
A joint meeting of the state House and Senate judiciary committees previewed a potentially intense sectional fight over education funding during a special legislative session that begins next week. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback summoned the GOP-dominated Legislature back to the Statehouse to address a state Supreme Court order last month.
Lawmakers also wrestled with whether to pursue a constitutional amendment that would bar the Supreme Court from ever closing schools. Any constitutional change faces a high bar — both the House and Senate need two-thirds votes to advance any amendment, which would then go before voters in November.
Only the Senate panel voted to recommend that it introduce a constitutional amendment to restrict the court. The House committee opted not to move forward with any recommendation. Some members expressed flat-out opposition to a constitutional change, while others worried about acting too hastily.
“What effective remedy to enforce the requirements of the constitution of the state of Kansas — what remains?” Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said of a constitutional amendment. “It seems to me if that’s the circumstance, there is no effective remedy left, and we now have a Supreme Court that has been neutered and can only issue advisory opinions.”
Original plans to take that $13 million from schools general aid was a concern for some when it came to constitutionality.
“This is a good fix, because number one it makes it clearer that we are not reducing funding to public education,” Rep. John Carmichael said. “The original proposal would have reduced by a half of a percent funding for education and there was a concern the court could have found that to be unconstitutional on the basis of adequacy.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators were discussing a short-term education funding fix Thursday to satisfy a state Supreme Court order while also debating longer-term proposals for curbing the court’s power to force school finance changes.
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State Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, said his plan would be to fully comply with the court’s most recent order, rather than pursue constitutional changes.
TOPEKA — The House GOP’s campaign operation wants Kansans to call the state Supreme Court ahead of a special legislative session on school finance — an unusual attempt to exhort the public to lobby justices.
In a message released Wednesday, the Kansas House Republican Campaign Committee implies the Supreme Court is about to close schools. Citizens are urged to call the court and ask it “to put our kids first.”
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Rep. John Carmichael, a lawyer and the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said whoever designed the ad needs to take a civics class. The court, he said, should not be influenced by public opinion, telephone calls or political advertising.
“It’s entirely appropriate to call elected officials to try to influence their decisions in making legislation,” Carmichael said, adding the governor also is regularly approached by citizens. “When we talk about the courts, it’s an entirely different set of rules, and that’s because the courts’ allegiance is to the law.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Lawmakers in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will begin discussion Thursday to fix the state’s school funding formula.
Representative John Carmichael, D-Wichita, is on the House Judiciary Committee and says they will have two days of hearings, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Statehouse.
He says one of the proposals is to remove the Supreme Court’s power to enforce its orders with respect to school finance.
“I expect there’s going to be some fireworks,” said Rep. Carmichael.
The hearing is in response to a Supreme Court decision that the state school funding formula is unconstitutional and inequitable. Lawmakers will have to come up with $38M to make funding constitutional, and put more money into poor districts.
“What the Kansas Supreme Court has done is in line with what virtually every other court presented in the nation with this type of a problem has done, so I’m not at all surprised by the court’s ruling,” said Rep. Carmichael.
Last week, Gov. Brownback signed a proclamation for a Special Session that will begin on June 23; That gives lawmakers seven days to come up with a solution before the Supreme Court shuts down schools on July 1.
“Some of us are going to be vocal about this tomorrow,” said Rep. Carmichael.
Democratic Representative John Carmichael of Wichita said it would be irresponsible of legislators to delay an education funding solution with a dispute over bathrooms.
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he was pleased to hear that Republicans “are not intending to delay compliance with the court’s order” in order to have a discussion about bathrooms.
“It would be irresponsible for us to close schools in Kansas because the Legislature is in a fight over who uses what bathroom,” Carmichael said.
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he had been concerned Brownback might advocate that lawmakers defy the court. But he said he was gratified Brownback is encouraging the Legislature to comply with the ruling.
“I will give the governor credit for having stepped up to the plate and explaining, indeed, we need to follow the law as determined by the Supreme Court and that we need to restore an equitably funding plan for public education,” Carmichael said.
Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, said he had been concerned that Brownback might advocate that lawmakers defy the court. But he said he was gratified Brownback is encouraging the Legislature to comply with the ruling.
“I will give the governor credit for having stepped up to the plate and explaining, indeed, we need to follow the law as determined by the Supreme Court and that we need to restore an equitably funding plan for public education,” Carmichael said.
