Senate advances K-12 funding bill to rival House plan; Denning apologies. The Kansas Senate on Thursday approved a K-12 funding bill that would inject around $275 million per year in additional funding into K-12 schools. That’s about $250 million less than the approximately $525 million in increased funding in the plan approved by the House earlier this week. Sen. Majority Leader Jim Denning of Overland Park issued a mea culpa during the proceedings, saying he took the blame for the idea of delaying a vote on a bill until the chambers had approved a constitutional amendment stripping the judiciary of K-12 funding oversight. “I know I lost a lot of credibility,” Denning said. “I’ll try to get that back.” [Kansas Senate GOP produces votes to pass a school funding bill to rival larger House package — Topeka Capital Journal]