HB0535 Lograsso, Don

P R E F I L E D

HB 535 -- Kansas City School Desegregation

This bill establishes the Population Equalizing Program within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer grants of as much as $40,000 to as many as 3,000 minority families who wish to purchase homes outside of the Kansas City School District.

Eligible families must have resided in the district during the 1993-94 school year, have at least one child enrolled in the district, and belong to a racial minority group. The entire grant must be applied toward the purchase of a house that the family will continue to occupy until all dependent children graduate from high school or reach age 21. Homes financed through the program may not be located in any of the 21 counties composing the metropolitan statistical areas of the state and may not be in any school district that has a minority enrollment in excess of 40%.

The program is to be funded by the Population Equalizing Grant Fund established by this bill. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is authorized to issue bonds to capitalize the fund. Any savings from court-ordered desegregation payments up to $200 million will be used to retire such bonds. Savings in excess of $200 million will be credited to the General Revenue Fund.

The bill directs the State Board of Education to design a plan for dividing the Kansas City School District into 4 new school districts that each have a ratio of minority to nonminority students within 2% of the ratio of the current school district. Each new district will be governed by a board of 7 elected directors, who will serve 3 year terms of office. The plan will also include provisions for dividing the assets of the current school district among the 4 new districts.

The department is directed to submit the grant program and the plan for dividing the district to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri and is prohibited from implementing either initiative until receiving court approval.