Kansas budget director Duane Goossen said last week that most of the 295 school districts in the state will not receive their full December aid allotment until early January due to lower-than-expected state revenue.
Goossen told the Board of Education that the state was scheduled to make a $196 million payment to districts on Dec. 1, but delayed about $98 million until the end of the month. A $75 million allocation for special education programs, which was due today, will be delayed at least three weeks, he said.
Deputy education commissioner Dale Dennis told the board that Kansas will make full December payments to at least seven cash-strapped districts so they can make their December payrolls. Dennis said he expects the state also will have to delay school payments in January and February.
Kansas sent out the first half of the November payment to districts on Nov. 6, which was five days later than scheduled, and the remaining half on Dec. 2.
Local school districts have lost a total of more than $200 million in state aid for the current school year in five rounds of state budget cuts.
