“School block grants are a direct result of the state’s financial crisis. With revenue dropping as a consequence of unaffordable tax cuts, the switch to block grants provided a way to shut off increases for schools. Yes, as the chart shows, the amount for KPERS, capital improvement aid (buildings), capital outlay aid, and local option budget aid (mostly property tax relief) has grown. But the remaining state aid–the money that is used for classrooms–has declined. “If Kansas lawmakers want more money to go to classrooms, they should put more money there. The current block grant setup does not...
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
Reading between the lines of school board member survey
“KASB is encouraging board members to take the time to fill out and return this survey. As you answer the questions, please take the time to ask why these questions are being asked. “Does the fact that your brother drives a school bus in Leoti affect your ability to make decisions in the best interest of the students of Lawrence? The legislation that was introduced last year would have restricted anyone who has a relative who works for KSDE or ANY Kansas school district from serving on their local school board.” Read more here: http://heimkasb.blogspot.com/2015/09/do-we-trust-kansas-voters-reading.html...
Read more
Leave a Comment Johnson and Douglas County suspended voters
Here are the lists of suspended voters from the League of Women Voters in Johnson County and Douglas County. Please see if you recognize names on the list; there are a lot of high school and college age people who may not know their registrations were unsuccessful. These lists are being purged per an order from Secretary of State Kris Kobach. http://lwvjoco.org/voter-info-2/voter-suspense-list/ http://lawrenceleague.com/files/Suspense_list_Douglas_County_8-28-15_by_city.pdf...
Read more
Leave a Comment Schools forced to absorb student increases
“[T]he 49,498 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade represent the largest enrollment in more than 10 years. Area districts including Goddard, Maize, Andover, Haysville, Derby and Valley Center reported their own increases. “Higher enrollment used to lead to more funding from Topeka, but the 2015 Legislature repealed the long-standing school-finance formula and kept funding at 2014-15 levels. And a state panel set a threshold of a 2 percent enrollment increase to qualify for help from a new ‘extraordinary needs’ fund. It also deferred USD 259’s request for $980,000 more aid related to the influx of refugee families placed...
Read more
Leave a Comment