“Topeka Unified School District 501 on Friday announced a series of actions including cuts to summer school and canceling field trips to reduce spending in response to a mid-school year budget cut ordered by Gov. Sam Brownback.
“A letter directed to USD 501 parents and staff and signed by superintendent Julie Ford was posted to the district’s Facebook page. In the notice, Ford stated Topeka schools would lose $822,933 during the next four months because of the mandated cuts…
“‘We are following Senate Bill 71, which could impose more cuts this school year,’ Ford wrote. ‘We continue to be concerned about this because of its impact on equalization and weighted funding which supports bilingual education, special education, Parent’s (sic) as Teachers, At Risk and Kansas Preschool. The bill would mean Topeka Public Schools would lose an additional $897,000.’
“Ford said USD 501 also received notification that its capital outlay payment of $2.2 million from the state would be delayed from this month perhaps until June, which she said would create further challenges in providing for maintenance and upkeep of the district’s facilities.
“’It is important to remember that the legislature has not yet begun to work on the 2015-2016 state budget, which could result in even more funding cuts for Topeka Public Schools,’ she warned.”