Inequality in school finance?

The Kansas City Star has alleged in both news stories and editorials that Johnson Count, Kansas, taxpayers pay 30 percent of the taxes that support the new Kansas school finance plan which within Johnson County school districts will pay for only 18 percent of the state's students. The alleged inequity between tax payments and state aid for schools is reported as the reason "... all Johnson County lawmakers voted against the plan."

The state revenue collected within Johnson County comes primarily from three sources: property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes. Johnson County's property tax base probably is the highest assessed valuation per capita in the state. Aggregate income within Johnson County probably is also the highest of any county in Kansas. Sales tax collections, probably also the highest of an Kansas county are strong due to the many retail outlets in the county that, in addition to the upper income spenders who live in Johnson County, also attract shoppers from Missouri and other nearby Kansas counties. The latter shoppers boost the aggregate sales tax collections. It is no wonder given the affluence of Johnson County and its economic dominance in suburban Kansas City that it produces state revenue disproportionate to its population. However, one constant belies any claim of unfairness. The rate for state taxes paid by an individual in Johnson County is the same as that for any other Kansas taxpayer.

The reason state levied and collected taxes pay for Kansas public schools is the State Constitution. The taxes are levied and collected from individuals, not counties. Comparison of the percent of tax revenue to the percent of students is irrelevant to the education of Kansas children, an a conclusion of unfairness is a non sequiter. We have a state financed system of public education in Kanasas and Johnson County legislators need to embrace it, instead of subverting it. Last time, I checked Johnson County is part of Kansas and benefits greatly from this association.