This is a very informative podcast about school finance in Kansas. As we listened to the broadcast, we thought there was a question raised about whether anything could harm the big 3 districts in Johnson County. We would like to offer that while districts throughout the state are feeling budget constraints differently, JOCO districts are also feeling the pressures of insufficient funding to fully meet the educational needs of northeast Kansans. JOCO districts have made difficult budget decisions while facing increasing numbers of students, increasing percentages of English Language Learners and students receiving free and reduced lunch and...
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
Rep. Ryckman, Jr. questions district funding needs
Rep. Ryckman, Jr. doesn’t seem to think the funding our school districts seek is necessary. “Rep. Ron Ryckman Jr., head of the House’s budget panel, said Kansans should ask questions of their local school boards to understand whether tax increases are justified. “’I think that’s where a lot of the scrutiny needs to come — at the local level and how the school boards are spending the money,’ said Ryckman, R-Olathe. “We can’t control that. We allocate money to a school board, and they decide how much goes to administration, how much goes to the teacher, how much...
Read more
Leave a Comment Supt. Allison explains “instruction” spending
Thank you, Supt. Allison! We have been disappointed to see the Kansas Policy Institute, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, multiple legislators and our governor repeatedly argue that our schools aren’t abiding by the 65% policy, which was first proposed by the CEO of Overstock.com and has been rejected multiple times by experts and state efficiency commissions, largely because it excludes many types of spending that are deemed essential. “I’ve taken this conversation to business groups and parents over the past several months. They’ve heard the comment that schools are not getting enough money into classrooms. And they are...
Read more
Leave a Comment KCUR covers Gannon equity hearing November 6th
“’If we determine that SB 7 (senate bill 7, the block grant legislation) really doesn’t do anything more than carry forward the constitutional infirmaries that were already found, are you saying that we should allow an unconstitutional statue to continue for a couple of years to let people work on it?’ Justice Dan Biles asked the attorney for the state… “Several justices questioned whether the state, has indeed, tried to fix the constitutional issues. Justice Eric Rosen suggested the state essentially says what the court wants to hear and then doesn’t deliver on the promises… Read more/listen here: http://kcur.org/post/block-grants-are-front-and-center-kansas-supreme-court-school-funding-hearing#stream/0...
Read more
Leave a Comment