Legislature Looks At Overseeing Local School Bond Projects

A new report from Republican legislators in Kansas says the state needs to provide greater oversight over local school construction projects.

The report approved Tuesday recommends creating a legislative committee. It would review proposals from school districts to issue bonds for construction projects when a district will receive state aid to help with the cost. It also suggests that lawmakers limit the projects eligible for state aid.

The state helps poor districts with bond payments. The cost of that aid has jumped.

The report is from a House-Senate committee that studied school funding issues last fall. The committee is recommending that Kansas overhaul how it distributes more than $4 billion in aid to its public schools.

Democrats opposed the report and said the bonding proposals insult local school boards.