![Jim Freeman, the retired chief financial officer of the Wichita school district, answers questions about a new school funding plan after a forum for educators at which the plan was presented, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, in Topeka, Kan. The plan would strip local school districts of their power to impose local taxes to ensure that education funding doesn't favor wealthy areas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)](https://1350kman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/AP_16244819541675-1024x768.jpg)
TOPEKA — A new funding plan from a group of Kansas school administrators is reviving longstanding regional tensions and spotlighting questions about whether the state spends enough on public education.
One part of the plan was similar to a complex formula to dole out nearly $4.1 billion yearly that legislators junked last year. Instead, legislators went for predictable “block grants” for districts that allow the state to better control its spending.
But other provisions represent a radical departure from past policy, such as stripping local districts of their power to tax. The state would instead raise property taxes statewide as a way to prevent poorer schools from falling too far behind wealthier ones.