Boston Globe links current cuts to Brown v. Board

“As part of an effort to close the gap, millions of dollars are being cut from the budgets of Kansas school districts such as the one where [Beryl] New is the principal. As critics acidly describe it, Brown v. Board of Education has been replaced by ‘Brownback v. boards of education.’

“At stake, school advocates say, is the very principle of equality. For years, the state provided extra funds to the poorest school districts — known as ‘equalization’ money — so that they would have something close to economic parity with wealthier ones. But, as part of his effort to deal with the revenue shortfall, Brownback took several steps that upset school officials.

“He pushed through a plan that cut expected state contributions to schools. He also jettisoned the ‘equalization’ formula and replaced it with fixed payments that will be mostly frozen at current levels for the next two years. As a result, some schools in poorer districts say they must close early, cancel summer school, and cut an array of programs…

“Both sides can lay claim to part of the truth. Brownback correctly notes that more state dollars will go to school districts in the coming year, partly because of pension payments and the equity lawsuit. But school districts correctly note that Brownback’s plans have forced them to reduce spending below what they thought the state would be providing.”…

“Brownback in March pushed through a law replacing the equalization formula with a fixed payment known as a block grant that essentially freezes funding to most school districts for two years.

“A number of school districts promptly sued the state, arguing before a state court that while ‘Brownback refers to this as ‘a timeout in the school finance wars,’d the schools ‘see it for what it really is: a conscious decision by the State of Kansas to sacrifice the education of Kansas schoolchildren for the foreseeable future.’”

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