“But by shelving Kansas’ school funding formula and replacing it with block grants that freeze state aid levels for the next two years, lawmakers are actually throwing schools behind, said Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy at the Kansas Association of School Boards.

“This state is not keeping up with inflation, he said, and even if it did that much, it wouldn’t be enough.

“’Not only do costs go up, but we also add to what we expect education to do,’ Tallman said. ‘We want reduced class sizes, full-day kindergarten instead of half-day, and new programs.’

“Communities want their schools competing in digital technology, advanced professional studies, and college and career prep while serving growing numbers of English language learners, poor and transient students and special education students, he said.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article28781377.html