Parents, teachers, school board members and superintendents all opposed the block grant bill, but it passed anyway.

“State leaders said it was cause for celebration, not cuts to schools. But the K-12 block-grant funding bill is showing its impact on districts around the state, and in ways that don’t square with the proponents’ assurances.

“After last week’s closed-door bill-signing ceremony, Gov. Sam Brownback released a statement touting increased funding, and “’getting money into the classroom to immediately benefit Kansas students.’

“As the bill cleared the House, Rep. Mark Hutton, R-Wichita, argued that districts will still get more money than they did last year. ‘I think it’s disingenuous for the schools to say they’re taking the cut,’ he said…

“The reality is proving much less upbeat, in part because many of the dollars counted as increased funding are actually going to the state’s pension system and not available for district operations.

“The Pratt Tribune reported that the Skyline district’s contingency reserves are gone because of an unexpected $90,000 HVAC expenditure, and the block-grant bill is a loss of $118,000 to the district this school year. ‘It will cut our state aid and hurt our school district. This is dire for us,’ Skyline superintendent Mike Sanders told his school board earlier this month…

“State leaders who refused to anticipate the impact on school districts of their block-grant reform need to pay attention to what’s unfolding, just as the state’s courts surely will.”

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/opinion/editorials/article16947053.html