We posted a story a few days ago on the Auburn-Washburn audit and its efficiency. That district is running into problems with block grant funding. “‘If things don’t change, we’ll have to look at using reserves or increasing the mill levy,’ board president Jim Gartner said during a budget workshop before Monday’s business meeting. ‘If the block grant funding formula doesn’t change, things are going to get worse.’ “For the 2015-16 school year, USD 437 has reduced custodial staff, increased class sizes, denied out-of-district transfer requests with just a few exceptions and increased textbook and other fees. “Kansas...
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KPI celebrates Friedman birthday
The Kansas Policy Institute, which is unfortunately improperly considered an expert on education policy by many in our legislature hosted a breakfast last Friday in Overland Park to honor Milton Friedman’s birthday and promote “school choice”. On the Bill Moyers ALEC episode we have posted on this page on previous occasions (http://billmoyers.com/episode/united-states-of-alec-a-follow-up/), you can go to 27:43 when “Uncle Milty”, as KPI refers to him, says it would be ideal to abolish public schools and the taxes that pay for them. It’s important to understand that KPI’s brand of “school choice” is part of a movement to erode...
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Leave a Comment Funding figures in Jackson Heights
If you’re looking at school funding numbers for your district, make sure you know what you’re seeing. “For 2015-16, the district is looking at a maximum budget authority of $8,561,200, while in 2014-15, the budget authority was $6,080,316. However, [Jackson Heights Superintendent Adrianne] Walsh pointed out that the increase does not mean the district is getting any ‘new money.’ “’My general fund looks like it is gaining around $900,000, but that is not true,’ she said. ‘Under the block grant, KPERS and Special Education aid, which is flow-through money that we pay out immediately, is going into the...
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Leave a Comment Teachers can’t hotfoot it out of Kansas fast enough
Whether you are a parent, teacher, business leader or anyone else who cares about the future of Kansas, the climate for teachers should concern you. This Washington Post piece connects the dots. Read the whole piece, but this quote from an educator’s blog is interesting. “Kansas has taken a bold new step in making their schools Even Worse…. Kansas has entered the Chase Teachers Out of The State derby, joining states like North Carolina and Arizona in the attempt to make teaching unappealing as a career and untenable as a way for grown-ups to support a family. Kansas...
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