Multiple Kansas legislators view Arizona’s ESA as a model. It is a cautionary tale. ESAs do not help poor kids. They are new tax subsidies for the well-off. “My analysis of the data from the program’s second year demonstrates a troubling pattern: the uptake of ESA vouchers is significantly higher in affluent districts, even as they also boast a high percentage of top-rated public schools. For example, in Cave Creek, an estimated 13% of children are now using vouchers, along with 12% of those in Scottsdale and 10% in Catalina Foothills. Rather than democratizing education, Arizona’s school vouchers...
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Special Ed Task Force finally meets, recommends phased-in funding increase
The Special Education and Related Services Funding Task Force voted to recommend the adoption of the Kansas State Board of Education’s plan for a phased-in increase to special education fund…The four Republican legislators on the task force all voted against increasing special education funding but were outnumbered by the rest of the members, which consisted of one Democratic legislator and people who work in various parts of the education system… “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...
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Leave a Comment Kansas special education task force to convene — finally — for quick study of funding shortfall
This article provides helpful background to the SPED task force meeting that was held today. “The goal of the task force, required by a bill approved by the 2023 Legislature, was to figure out how best to comply with an older statute mandating that state funding cover 92% of the extra cost of providing services to K-12 special education students statewide. Currently, state aid was sufficient to address 69% of school districts’ excess special education costs. The balance must be made up by local school districts… “The gathering might not have occurred had a six-person majority of task...
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Leave a Comment Two Kansas substitutes spoke out at school board meetings and got fired. Now they’re suing
“Over the past year, Daniels and Hoins addressed the board several times during the public forum portion of its regular meetings. They advocated for higher teacher salaries and building improvements and against the district’s Parents’ Bill of Rights, according to the lawsuit. “At a board meeting last August, the teachers spoke about what they said was the board’s lack of transparency, book banning, and ‘the need for the school district to help non-white students feel welcome,’ the lawsuit says. “They also urged board members to exceed the district’s so-called ‘revenue neutral’ tax rate, which would allow schools to...
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