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MERRIAM, Kan. (AP) — Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on Monday lashed out at his Democratic challenger for voting against a bill this year that provided more money for schools, but Paul Davis responded that the removal of job protections for teachers in that same measure was the reason he opposed it.
Brownback said the legislation not only boosted education spending by $129 million, it also gave Johnson County schools the ability to further raise local property taxes to fund operations.
"He voted against money going to education," Brownback said. "That is something that is wrong. It is wrong for the state. It is wrong for Johnson County. I don't think he should have voted that way."
The governor, who is in a tough re-election battle, spoke after an event in Merriam where he announced new educational goals for his second term, The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/1p9xRoN) reported.
Davis deflected Brownback's claim by saying he supported a variation of a bill that increased education funding and gave schools more taxing authority, but he couldn't back the one that was approved this year because it tied new school funding to the elimination of some job protection rights for educators.
"I didn't support the final bill because Gov. Brownback and his allies decided to take a cheap shot at 35,000 Kansas public school teachers," Davis said.
Many moderate Republican lawmakers, including a bloc from Johnson County, also opposed the school bill for the same reasons, Davis said.
Lawmakers approved more money for education this year in response to a state Supreme Court ruling that found a funding disparity between rich and poor schools in Kansas that was created by state budget cuts since 2010.
The education bill coupled more school funding with several new policies, including one that eliminated special appeals rights for teachers when they're being fired.
Brownback said local school districts are free to provide their own appeals process or tenure arrangement to replace the ones dropped by the state.
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com
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