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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TOPEKA (AP) -- Senators debated education funding issues Thursday, considering competing plans to increase aid to public schools in hopes of satisfying mandates from the Kansas Supreme Court.

On the Senate's debate calendar were a House-approved plan to phase in a $633 million increase in school funding over three years; Senate leaders' three-year, $660 million plan; and Sen. Jim Barnett's four-year, $495 million plan, part of the Emporia Republican's platform in running for governor.

Senate leaders' proposal would require school districts to raise $180 million in property tax revenues as a contribution to funding their plan.

Otherwise, none of the plans contains any provisions for raising additional state revenues to support the new spending, though Barnett structured his plan so the state could use existing sources and its cash reserves, if the economy grows. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and some legislators want to allow state-owned casinos and slot machines at dog and horse tracks, but the Senate has rejected gambling legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt said the goal was to see whether any option has the support of 21 of the 40 senators to move the school finance debate closer to conclusion. Legislators plan to take a break at the end of Friday's debate, until late April.

''It has taken a long time this session to focus minds on the choices and trade-offs we're going to have to make to get a school finance bill passed,'' said Schmidt, R-Independence. ''We're at a point where I think the only way to get additional focus is to start voting.''

Senate passage of a plan would set up negotiations between both chambers on the final version of a bill.

''If none of these plans has 21 votes, we need to know that. Because so far, people have been unwilling to talk about other options, because they are wedded to one of these three choices,'' Schmidt said.

On the House calendar was a relatively minor Senate bill dealing with education funding issues, and it could become a vehicle for a new plan, should senators fail to produce their own. But House leaders were awaiting the outcome of the Senate's debate.

Legislators face a mandate from the Supreme Court to increase school spending to fulfill a constitutional requirement to provide adequate funding. Last year, legislators increased spending 10 percent, or $290 million, to more than $3 billion.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley sees gambling and a plan to eliminate taxes on new business machinery and equipment as linked to school finance. The tax cut bill has passed the House but is stuck in a Senate committee.

''I think it remains to be seen how much support any of the (education) bills will have,'' said Hensley, D-Topeka. ''If the complaint is we don't have the revenue stream, we only have ourselves to blame.''

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House school finance in Substitute for HB 2986; Senate leadership plan in SB 584; Barnett's plan is SB 501.

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On the Net:
Kansas Legislature: http://www.kslegislature.org
Kansas Department of Education: www.ksbe.state.ks.us