Olathe is also feeling the budget crunch. Here’s an excerpt from their May newsletter.

BUDGET Q & A WITH CFO/COO JOHN HUTCHISON

Budget and finance in school districts is often a frequent topic of conversation and often an area of confusion. Chief Financial and Operations Officer John Hutchison provides insight to help answer questions surrounding the topic of school finance in Kansas.

Q: How has education funding in the last 10 years affected the Olathe Public Schools?
A: Over the past 10 years, due to reductions in classroom funding per pupil, also known as Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP) from the state, the district has been forced to cut or reallocate more than $30 million. These funding cuts have kept us from providing additional opportunities to kids, such as lower class sizes, expanding programs in the district, providing a significant increase in compensation to employees, and keeping pace with the ever-increasing cost of healthcare.

Q: What is the state of funding right now in the Olathe schools?
A: In 2014-15, we had funding reductions near the end of the school year. Because of the block grant bill recently passed by the Kansas Legislature, the district will be essentially frozen at the 2014-15 level of funding for the next two years, despite adding hundreds of students and facing increasing costs in utilities, supplies and healthcare.