by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Both Kyle Hoffman and Kasha Kelley — who represent parts of Sumner County — voted “yes” on House Sub SB 7 today which is a controversial block grant bill that will radically overhaul the way schools are funded in Kansas.

Ed Trimmer of Winfield, a Democrat, voted against the bill this morning. Hoffman, a Republican, represents the 116th district encompassing western Sumner County and parts of Wellington. Kelley, a Republican, represents southeastern Sumner County and parts of Wellington. Trimmer represents the area around Belle Plaine and Oxford.

The Kansas State Senate is likely to take up the bill next week. Senate leaders must decide whether to debate their own version of the bill or merely concur with the house version. State Senator Steve Abrams, representing the 32nd District that encompassing Sumner County, is expected to cast his vote next week.

The bill barely passed by a 64-47 vote. When the initial vote was taken shortly after 8 a.m. this morning. The vote stood 62-57, one vote short of the 63 votes needed to pass legislation in the house. Five members were absent, including three Republicans who were expected to vote yes. 

According to the Lawrence Journal, representative Virgil Peck of Tyro  had to be flown back to Topeka from Coffeyville to cast his vote. The cost to fly him back to Topeka was $205 on taxpayers’ dime.

The bill, if it becomes law, will reduce funding for the current year and then keeps money for districts’ daily operations mostly flat for the next two years. It does, however, fund a $122 million pension increase that was not included in the governor’s proposed budget for the next two years.

Opponents of the bill fear that eliminating the 23-year-old formula in favor of a policy just revealed last week is a hasty decision. The bill includes a sunset so after the 2016-17 school year the state will be without a school finance formula unless lawmakers pass something different.

Details of SB 7 bill can be found here.

On roll call the vote was:

Yes – 64:

Anthimides, Barker, Barton, Bradford, Bruchman, Brunk, Campbell, Carpenter, Carpenter, Claeys, Concannon, Corbet, Couture-Lovelady, Davis, DeGraaf, Dove, Esau, Estes, Garber, Grosserode, Hawkins, Hedke, Highland, Hildabrand, Hoffman, Houser, Huebert, Hutchins, Hutton, Jones, Jones, Kahrs, Kelley, Kelly, Kiegerl, Kleeb, Lunn, Macheers, Mason, Mast, McPherson, Merrick, O’Brien, Osterman, Pauls, Peck, Powell, Proehl, Read, Rhoades, Rubin, Ryckman, Ryckman Sr., Scapa, Schwab, Schwartz, Seiwert, Smith, Suellentrop, Sutton, Thimesch, Vickrey, Whitmer, Williams

No- 57:

Alcala, Alford, Ballard, Becker, Billinger, Boldra, Bollier, Bridges, Burroughs, Carlin, Carmichael, Clark, Clayton, Curtis, Dierks, Doll, Edmonds, Ewy, Finch, Finney, Francis, Frownfelter, Gallagher, Gonzalez, Hemsley, Henderson, Henry, Hibbard, Highberger, Hill, Hineman, Houston, Jennings, Johnson, Kuether, Lane, Lusk, Lusker, Moxley, Ousley, Patton, Phillips, Rooker, Ruiz, Sawyer, Schroeder, Sloan, Swanson, Thompson, Tietze, Trimmer, Victors, Ward, Waymaster, Whipple, Wilson, Winn, Wolfe Moore
Absent and Not Voting – (2): Goico, Todd

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