From KASB: KASB Statement on State Efficiency Study Kansas school districts are committed to operating both effectively and efficiently, which means using resources to maximize student success and serve the needs of our diverse state communities. We understand the Legislature’s interest in studying school funding as part of a study of efficiency in state government. We urge them to focus the study on improving results, not just cutting spending. From extensive research, we know that Kansas has one of the most efficient school systems in the nation, ranking in the top ten for overall educational achievement. Kansas spends...
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Courts called cause of problem on spending
Education advocates beware of characterizations of court rulings on school funding as “activist” rather than appropriate and necessary interpretations of constitutional provisions on public education. We also note education spending is called “unnecessary” by Kobach. “Kobach characterized the issue of balancing the state budget — which he noted was dominated by spending on public schools — as being as much about the judiciary as the legislature’s allocations. ‘Activist’ judges have twisted the meaning of the constitution to force the legislature to spend an unnecessary amount on education, he said. If Republicans want to address the budget issues, they’ll...
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Leave a Comment Michigan charters failing and unaccountable
We know there are political forces in Kansas that want to implement ALEC “free-market” type changes to Kansas education, including expansion of vouchers, “education spending accounts” and charters, and we continue to closely monitor states where these changes have been implemented. We see over and over again that they have failed. Here’s a new story out of Michigan. “A year ago, the Free Press published an eight-day series that documented the tragic missed opportunities of Michigan’s charter experiment. Charter schools began with the promise that privately operated public schools would provide quality options for parents in cities where...
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Leave a Comment Schools face predictable plight
“That’s the problem school districts face. It’s pretty easy for legislators to predict how much the state will spend on K-12 education. All they have to do is set an arbitrary amount and say that’s all the schools are getting. It’s a lot harder for local districts to figure out how they are going to serve hundreds — or maybe thousands in some larger districts — of additional students without any additional state support. “Legislators have put the block grant funding system in place for two years, during which they say they will put together a new school...
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