Did John Vratil make the following comment? No, it was Dave Trabert, fellow performance and efficiency panel member who is not being targeted for removal.
“As shown in Table 8, small districts typically cost more per-pupil to operate than larger ones, and some of Kansas’ smaller districts are losing enrollment. In FY 2005 there were only four districts with fewer than 100 students; by FY 2008 there were seven and in FY 2009 there were eight. The cost of operating the smallest districts, which are likely to continue losing enrollment, will grow exponentially unless something is done.
“Consolidation of extremely small districts is not a popular topic for discussion, but one that should occur…
“A new report from the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit examines school consolidation, concluding that ‘…reorganizing the system so there are fewer school districts has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of the system overall.’ They recommend that the Legislature take steps to encourage consolidation at the local level and to remove potential disincentives. The authors cite three other studies that examined options for school consolidation in Kansas.
Legislative Division of Post Audit (1992) – Our audit found that Kansas had more school districts, smaller districts, smaller schools, and smaller average class sizes than most other states. Additionally, the report found if significant savings are to be realized in consolidating school districts, schools must be closed, average class sizes need to increase, and teaching staff must be reduced.
Augenblick & Myers (2001) – Augenblick & Myers identified a number of districts for consolidation where spending was high but performance was low, or where the district was either too small or too large based on enrollment relative to the number of high schools. Based on these identified districts, the authors created a plan that would reduce the number of school districts from 304 to between 255 and 284. Additionally, they recommended that State statute give the Board of Education more authority in re- drawing district boundaries.
Little & Kennedy (2003) – The authors recommended the State be divided into 40 regional education districts. These districts would have governing boards, attendance centers determined by geographical needs, and curriculum necessary to provide a suitable education. The report described a multi-year plan for implementing the districts and possible financial incentives for affected communities.” From KPI’s A Kansas Primer on Education Funding Volume III by Dave Trabert.