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Private Schools, Public Money: School Leaders Are Pushing Parents to Exploit Voucher Programs

Vouchers are sold as a way of subsidizing private education for poor kids but they’re increasingly becoming welfare for the wealthy and a windfall for private schools without any corresponding obligations. “For years the program, EdChoice, targeted mostly lower-income students in struggling school districts. Now it is an entitlement available to all, with its value decreasing for families with higher incomes but still providing more than $7,000 annually for high school students in solidly middle-class families and close to $1,000 for ones in the wealthiest families. Demand for EdChoice vouchers has nearly doubled this year, at a cost...
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Johnson and Wyandotte county schools transfer millions to cover state special education shortfall

The Legislature’s own research department said that in the current fiscal year, schools are being shorted $173 million from covering the 92% of statewide excess costs as the law calls for. SPED services are mandatory, and the federal government and Kansas legislature need to fund it. Underfunding SPED hurts all students. -Blue Valley districts spent $57 million last year on special education; they had to transfer $15 million dollars to cover the state shortfall -Shawnee Mission district spent $53 million last year on special education; they had to transfer $19 million to cover the state short fall -De...
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Southeast Kansas schools transfer more than $1 million to cover state special education shortfall

The Legislature’s own research department said that in the current fiscal year, schools are being shorted $173 million from covering the 92% of statewide excess costs as the law calls for. SPED services are mandatory, and the federal government and Kansas legislature need to fund it. Underfunding SPED hurts all students. -USD 447 spent $1.34 million dollars last year on special education; they had to transfer $441,000 to cover the state shortfall for special education. -Paola school district spent $3.1 million on on special education; they had to transfer $1.1 million to cover the state shortfall for special...
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Central Kansas schools transfer millions to cover state special education shortfall

The Legislature’s own research department said that in the current fiscal year, schools are being shorted $173 million from covering the 92% of statewide excess costs as the law calls for. SPED services are mandatory, and the federal government and Kansas legislature need to fund it. Underfunding SPED hurts all students. -Chase County school district spent $657,000 last year on special education; they had to transfer $220,000 to cover the state shortfall for special education. -McPherson school district spent $5.2 million last year on special education; they had to transfer $2.4 million to cover the state shortfall for...
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