<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617227213494.png" alt="Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, said House Bill 2119, which passed 65-58, would open the door for lower-income families dissatisfied with school board decisions to choose a better option for their children. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, said House Bill 2119, which passed 65-58, would open the door for lower-income families dissatisfied with school board decisions to choose a better option for their children. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/31/behemoth-public-education-policy-budget-measure-narrowly-approved-by-kansas-house/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A bill with 
wide-ranging impacts to education policy and the public school budget 
passed the Kansas House by a narrow margin Tuesday despite bipartisan 
concerns over several provisions.<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2119/">House Bill 2119</a>,
 the Student Empowerment Act, would take the per-pupil amount of money 
normally given to public schools and place it into education savings 
accounts for students to use toward private school tuition. The bill 
would also limit funding for remote learning options by providing a 
finance formula based on virtual school rather than in-person 
instruction.A provision added in the 
House K-12 Budget Committee would expand the state’s school choice 
efforts by reimbursing organizations that grant scholarships for private
 schools up to $8,000 in tax credits per student per year. While only 
about 600 students from low-income families in poorly performing schools
 are currently eligible, the proposed legislation would expand 
eligibility greatly.The bill was amended in 
committee to soften some enrollment eligibility concerns, but public 
education advocates remain skeptical. Critics have dubbed the measure a 
“Frankenstein bill” for the way public education policy and 
appropriations were stitched together. They argued private schools are 
not held to the same standards as public schools in many respects.Proponents, however, say 
the bill is a necessary response to growing achievement gaps since the 
onset of the pandemic. Many pointed to frustrations among parents who 
feel school districts are not listening to them or are prioritizing 
teachers over students.Of those who are upset 
with the way their school has served them, only those who have the money
 to pick up and move can exercise educational choice, said Rep. Susan 
Humphries, R-Wichita.“It is unconscionable to 
me that anyone would deny that opportunity and freedom to other students
 and families so that their children can be better served,” Humphries 
said. “This bill offers hope for the most vulnerable and those who need 
it most.”The behemoth bill held off
 scrutiny from both sides of the aisle on a 65-58 vote. Eighteen 
Republicans joined all House Democrats in opposing the legislation.Several who voted in favor
 of the bill expressed a desire to see certain kinks ironed out when the
 House and Senate come together to discuss their stances on the 
education budget.Rep. Valdenia Winn, 
D-Kansas City, Kansas, said in passing the bill, her colleagues were 
casting a blind eye to potential cost ramifications and a bevy of other 
education issues needing attention. For example, she argued teacher 
education standards were out of date.For all the discussions on
 how to best serve students and state education, Winn said curriculum 
and educational opportunity are not being considered.“There are a lot of issues
 that could help explain low achievement. We haven’t talked about them,”
 she said. “I’m not willing to give up on public schools. I’m here 
waiting to reform public education.”Instead, HB2119 would 
undermine public schools, she said. Winn argued private schools are not 
required to meet the same standards in reporting data and choosing 
students.House Minority Leader Tom 
Sawyer, D-Wichita, tacked on the argument that the bill’s policy would 
shift public tax dollars to private schools with no strings attached.Rep. Kristey Williams, 
R-Augusta, and chairwoman of the House K-12 Budget Committee, countered 
those concerns by saying the bill would fully fund public education as 
requested in the governor’s budget for 2021, 2022 and the estimate for 
2023.The bill also calls for 
$10 million in federal funds to be directed toward mental health 
programs, school safety grants and community schools, Williams said.“This bill addresses the 
issue of school finance, along with student achievement, in an effort to
 cast light on an ever-expanding achievement gap between the haves and 
the have nots,” Williams said. “It forces us to take time to consider 
accountability, transparency and student outcomes.”Public school advocates, however, pointed to the 71-52 passage of <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2397/">House Bill 2397</a>,
 as a reason to doubt the promise of fully funding public education. The
 measure,&nbsp;a budget bill dealing with appropriations from 2021 to 2024, 
calls for a 2% cut across the board, including public education.Many who voted for those 
cuts were the same lawmakers on the House education budget committee who
 touted the full funding in House Bill 2119, said Mark Desseti, of the 
Kansas National Education Association“Here they are with their 
bill that they count as fully funding the governor’s budget, and then 
they vote to cut the governor’s budget 2% across the board (which) takes
 it out of schools,” Dessert said. “So, the bill now comes out, with 
that, possibly worse than it was at the beginning of the debate.”The House and Senate will 
now have to reconcile over distinctions in their budget bills. The 
process may be an unusual one as the K-12 budget in the House resides in
 both House Bill 2119 and House Bill 2397.Meanwhile, Senate Bill 267, the proposal coming from across the rotunda, holds off on $570 million for K-12 education.As a House Bill, the 
Senate cannot simply concur, but it is subject to a conference 
committee, where legislators from both chambers can hash out their 
differences.Apart from financial 
implications, some who voted to support the mega bill hoped certain 
policy issues would be worked on during those forthcoming deliberations.
 Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, said he had already jeopardized trust 
between superintendents and others in his district by voting in favor of
 the bill, but would not continue to do so if changes were not made.“I’m putting my trust in 
our own leadership,” Samsel said. “… I have faith and trust that we’ll 
work that out as we go to conference committee and further on.”Even if the sizable bill 
should pass in its current form, the bill seems certain to be vetoed by 
Gov. Laura Kelly. Legislators appear to lack the votes to override that 
action should it occur based on the narrow vote margin in the House.

Behemoth education policy, budget narrowly approved by Kan. House