TOPEKA — State legislators are delaying discussions about public school funding and raising taxes to fix the state budget.
House and Senate negotiators who had planned to convene Tuesday to discuss proposals for increasing income taxes never scheduled a meeting.
Lead House negotiator Steven Johnson said he doesn’t know when the group will convene again. The Assaria Republican said it’s an indication that lawmakers remain divided on tax issues.
The House postponed a debate until at least Thursday on a plan to phase in a $280 million increase in spending on public schools over two years. Leaders want to give House members more time to review the details.
Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019, and the state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.
