The block grant bill was heard in the House Appropriations Committee on March 9 and will be heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee March 10. Contact House Appropriations members here: Ron.Ryckman@house.ks.gov, Sharon.Schwartz@house.ks.gov, Jerry.Henry@house.ks.gov, Barbara.Ballard@house.ks.gov, John.Barker@house.ks.gov, Sydney.Carlin@house.ks.gov, Will.Carpenter@house.ks.gov, JRClaeys@house.ks.gov, Gail.Finney@house.ks.gov, Amanda.Grosserode@house.ks.gov, Ron.Highland@house.ks.gov, Don.Hill@house.ks.gov, Kyle.Hoffman@house.ks.gov, Mark.Hutton@house.ks.gov, Mark.Kahrs@house.ks.gov, Marvin.Kleeb@house.ks.gov, Jerry.Lunn@house.ks.gov, Charles.Macheers@house.ks.gov, Virgil.Peck@house.ks.gov, Richard.Proehl@house.ks.gov, Gene.Suellentrop@house.ks.gov, Troy.Waymaster@house.ks.gov, Kathy.WolfeMoore@house.ks.gov
“‘The problem is the block grants aren’t connected to what it actually costs to educate students,’ says KCK Chief of Staff David Smith.
“The block grants also provide no extra money for districts whose students need special services, such as learning English. That’s a growing population not only in urban districts such as KCK but many suburban districts.
“The new law also provides for more flexibility in how districts spend their money. [Olathe Superintendent Marlin] Berry says he likes that provision, but Smith says more flexibility with less money is not a great deal for KCK.”
Read more here: http://kcur.org/post/kansas-educators-concerned-over-block-grant-legislation