The new report’s wording is less inflammatory than the original but the content is still largely the same and still reflects a lack of understanding of the needs of Kansas school children. “A special legislative committee voted Tuesday, largely along party lines, to issue a final report that calls for revamping the way Kansas funds public schools, focusing more on student outcomes and tightening state controls over how districts can issue bonds.” Read more here: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/jan/19/report-calls-overhauling-school-finance/...
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
Diverting children’s programs funds into General Fund dangerous
“A special endowment designed to provide stable long-term support for the Children’s Initiative Fund has already been raided frequently. From 2001 through 2015, about $180 million was used from the endowment to address budget shortfalls as funds were funneled into the general fund… “The prudent move is to keep the CIF intact, along with the Children’s Cabinet, which is cognizant of funding and has stipulated strong standards for CIF-funded programs. “Consider too the recipients of this funding. They represent the future of Kansas. They are our children. “Too much uncertainty arises when programs designed for the well-being of...
Read more
Leave a Comment House committee holds hearing on merit pay
Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy at KASB, said he wasn’t aware of research-based consensus that pay for performance improved overall academic results in the classroom. It is a topic best left to locally elected school boards, he said… “K-NEA lobbyist Mark Desetti said state legislatures wading into the incentive pay “fail to understand the essential nature of teaching… “Desetti said research had established links between the study of music and success in math but merit systems wouldn’t recognize the contribution of a fifth-grade band teacher when evaluating effectiveness of a high school calculus instructor. “Brian Koon,...
Read more
Leave a Comment The Unique Insanity of Teacher Merit Pay
Thank you for this well-done piece, Marcel Harmon. Merit pay was up for discussion in the House Education Committee recently. “Falling back on another trite saying, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” With such a long, unproductive and repeated history, it would seem that teacher merit pay is its own special brand of insanity. The evidence suggests that if you want to positively impact student success, across a wide range of measures, start by providing teachers and staff with a competitive base pay and benefits package, with starting salaries and...
Read more
Leave a Comment