TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are delaying discussions about public school funding and raising taxes to fix the state budget.

House and Senate negotiators who had planned to convene Tuesday to discuss proposals for increasing income taxes never scheduled a meeting.

Lead House negotiator Steven Johnson said he doesn’t know when the group will convene again. The Assaria Republican said it’s an indication that lawmakers remain divided on tax issues.

The House postponed a debate until at least Thursday on a plan to phase in a $280 million increase in spending on public schools over two years. Leaders want to give House members more time to review the details.

Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019, and the state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Kansas legislators are floating the most aggressive plan yet to raise income taxes to fix the state budget.

The House and Senate resumed their negotiations over taxes Monday. Three House negotiators offered a proposal to raise $1.4 billion over two years through income tax increases.

The proposal would return Kansas to the income tax laws in place in 2012 before lawmakers began cutting income taxes at Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s urging.

The negotiators planned further discussions Tuesday.

House negotiators said they were presenting another plan for lawmakers hoping to close projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019 and raising additional funds for public schools.

Their action came after the House advanced proposals on sales taxes and school funding that would allow lawmakers to avoid such large income tax hikes.

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A Kansas House committee has approved a proposal to phase in a $280 million increase in spending on public schools over two years after whittling down a larger funding plan.

The special committee on school finance’s 10-6 vote sends the education funding bill to the House for debate. It’s a response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in March that education funding is inadequate.

The state spends about $4 billion a year on aid to its 286 local school districts. The court did not say how much more the state must spend.

The committee started Monday with a plan to phase in a $783 million increase over five years.

Some members questioned whether lawmakers would boost taxes enough to pay for it. Others said the committee’s plan is inadequate.

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