By SAM ZEFF

When Kansas lawmakers started this legislative session in January, most agreed that comity was back, partnerships would be forged and work would get done.

That was then and this is now.

A trio of challenges remain as the Legislature on Sunday passed the 90-day mark in its session: a budget, a tax plan and a school funding formula.

But school funding is a special problem because anything the Legislature comes up with must pass muster with the Kansas Supreme Court. Educators and many lawmakers hoped most of the work on a new school funding plan would be done by now or even before first adjournment a month ago.

“I think I was optimistic at first adjournment,” says Democratic Rep. Brett Parker, a freshman legislator from Overland Park who teaches in the Olathe school district. “The last week was a little disheartening.”

Disheartening because the K-12 Budget Committee, which has been working all session on a plan, has yet to kick out a bill. Chairman Larry Campbell, a Republican from Olathe, promised a bill before the Legislature’s three-week break in April.

The committee twice has failed to pass out a bill since lawmakers returned May 1, with its latest attempt failing Friday. Campbell again promises a completed bill and vote Monday.

But school funding has a long, hard road ahead.

In its current form, the plan would add $750 million in new money over five years. Many, but not all, members of the committee think that would be enough to satisfy the high court.

The measure also restores much of the old formula that was scrapped for the block grant scheme that the courts found unconstitutional.

After the bill leaves committee, it will head to the House floor where a long and perhaps contentious debate awaits it. Some members are expected to try to get more money to school districts sooner.

For example, while many educators and lawmakers seem mostly content with an additional $750 million, they think the state Supreme Court would have trouble with the five-year time frame. Debate may focus on providing that extra money over two or three years.

The House as a whole generally is seen as a bit more progressive than the K-12 Committee.

“If we get it on the floor, there’s a strong coalition to get a bill that’s acceptable” to moderates and Democrats, says Parker.

Indeed, Jeff King, a lawyer and former senator from Independence hired to advise the Legislature, has said the justices will see more money as better.

King also has stressed that whatever amount the Legislature provides, it might be more important to make sure it’s backed by a reliable funding stream.

“Funding that occurs today, next year, two years is more certain by definition than funding that occurs in five or six years,” King told the K-12 Committee in early May.

That’s something he also has said to state Senators who are writing a funding plan. So far they’ve made little progress and seem to be waiting for a final House bill to come over.

However, Senate leaders have suggested that the Legislature could put a lot less money into the formula and still have it gain the court’s approval.

Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning from Overland Park floated an idea Friday that would add more than $150 million in the first year and then increase every year according to the Midwest Consumer Price Index.

Denning also has suggested a surcharge on utility bills that would raise about $150 million a year.

But that reliable source of funding King has talked so much about has so far been elusive.

“I have not seen a tax plan, or heard of a tax plan, that is that robust,” Sen. John Skubal, a Republican from Overland Park, said on the Statehouse Blend Kansas podcast. “We have to have a source to make these payments.”

A couple of other sources also have been suggested, including tax increases on tobacco and alcohol.

That doesn’t sit well with many senators, including Republican Sen. John Doll from Garden City.

“Any time you take a subset of people and put the burden of them funding education, I can’t support that,” he said on Statehouse Blend Kansas.

Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff. 

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect on alleged child sex crimes.

On Saturday, Salina Police arrested 32-year-old Jeremy Barr of Salina after an eyewitness called authorities regarding a possible sex crime with a 15-year-old boy.

Police Capt. Paul Forrester said that the eyewitness became suspicious after walking into Barr’s residence and seeing the two together. They alerted authorities who made contact with the alleged victim.

The boy told police of nine sexual encounters with Barr since the end of March, according to Forrester.

Barr was taken into custody and faces three counts of criminal sodomy, nine counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of promoting obscenity to a minor and one count of electronic solicitation.

SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal motorcycle accident.

Just after 7p.m. Saturday, a Sedgwick County Deputy Sheriff attempted to make a traffic stop on a man driving a reported stolen 2005 Yamaha motorcycle near the intersection of Lincoln and Market in Wichita, according to Wichita Police Department Sgt. Nikki Woodrow.

The rider refused to stop and continued westbound and crashed in the 800 Block of West Lincoln.

The man on the motorcycle identified as Bryce Reed, 27, Wichita, was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is the 11th fatal traffic accident in Wichita this year, according to Woodrow.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an arson fire has killed a dog and caused an estimated $18,000 in damage to a Topeka house.

Fire officials said a passerby notified an officer about the fire late Saturday while police were investigating a report of a shooting in which a vehicle was struck by shotgun pellets.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that besides the dog that was killed, another was treated for smoke inhalation. The fire was contained to the house where it started.

A preliminary investigation indicates the blaze was intentionally set. The fire started in the first-floor living area in the southwest area of the home. It wasn’t immediately known if the fire was related to the shooting.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature’s annual session has reached its 91st day with leaders having budgeted for 100 days.

The session’s 90th day was Sunday. That’s considered the traditional length.

But the Kansas Constitution allows lawmakers to extend sessions past 90 days in even-numbered years and doesn’t limit them in odd-numbered years.

Session lengths have varied widely over the past decade. A 73-day session last year followed a record 114-day session in 2015.

Only six sessions have lasted 100 days or longer, starting with 1990’s 100 days. Sessions were 103 days in 1991; 100 in 1992; 107 in 2002 and 100 in 2012 before 2015’s record.

The 100th day this year is May 24.

Lawmakers this year must close budget shortfalls and respond to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling on education funding.

WILSON COUNTY – Two people died in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Sunday in Wilson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Honda Accord driven by Bryan Mitchell
Adkins, 34, Dearing, was eastbound on U.S. 400 five miles west of Kansas 47.

The vehicle went left of center and struck a 2004 Honda CR-V driven by Heather Roxanne Weigert, 41, Fall River, head-on.

Adkins and Weigert were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to First Call.

Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

ANDOVER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say it appears that a man was run over in rural Kansas and his body dumped six miles away.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet says two people delivering newspapers early Saturday found the Butler man’s body in the middle of a road. It had no socks, shoes or pants.

Detectives later found the missing clothing items and a cell phone in a ditch near the Andover YMCA. Herzet says the man was last seen alive walking away from a nearby Arby’s restaurant just after midnight Friday.

The victim was in his late 30s but his name wasn’t immediately released. The coroner says his injuries were consistent with being hit by a car.

Investigators have no suspects and are asking the public for help.

 

BURLINGTON, Kan. (AP) -A fired eastern Kansas sheriff’s deputy has been ordered to stand trial on sexual misconduct charges involving a teenager.

Twenty-eight year-old Matthew Vander Linden last week was ordered to be tried on a Coffey County count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. A criminal complaint accuses Vander Linden of having sex with a 15-year-old.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has said that its agents began investigating Vander Linden late last year at the request of the sheriff’s office.

Until being fired, he had worked for the sheriff’s office since March 2014.

Vander Linden’s arraignment is scheduled for July 17.

NEOSHO RAPIDS, Kan. (AP) — The sheriff in east-central Kansas’ Lyon County says that while it may take months to identify a human skull and other remains found last month near Neosho Rapids, he believes the remains are those of an older adult man.

Sheriff Jeff Cope tells KVOE that identifying the remains found April 29 and what caused that person’s death has been a slow effort.

Cope says his department continues investigating the matter with the county’s coroner.

The specific location of where the remains were found has not been disclosed.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 15-month-old girl is in the hospital after being seriously hurt at a carnival.

The girl was injured Friday night while standing outside a bounce house with her dad while her mom and big sister were inside.

Lynn Bartonek says her granddaughter was swinging back and forth on a wire in front of the bouncy house when she was hurt.

Officer Charley Davidson said it possible the girl was hurt by an electric shock.

The girl’s parents flagged down off-duty police officers nearby who called for help. Paramedics tried to revive her for an hour before taking her to the hospital.

Bartonek says doctors found burn marks on the girl’s feet.

The girl still hadn’t regained consciousness as of late Saturday.