Multiyear spending plans OK as long as revenue doesn’t drop

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, support a multiyear funding plan for education, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. That’s a good goal that could really help school districts with their budgeting. But multiyear spending plans can also turn into promises that are difficult to keep. That happened with the current state transportation plan and when lawmakers approved a two-year, $50-per-pupil spending increase for the 2000 and 2001 school years. When state revenues dropped unexpectedly, former Gov. Bill Graves (in photo) said that the two-year commitment for education was a big mistake because the increases became political entitlements.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee