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“Rogers speaks often about state funding for education and the need for local voters to elect education-friendly representatives. During recent budget discussions, he said a proposed mill levy increase for Wichita school district residents is the result of state lawmakers reneging on a promise to make school funding more equitable across the state. “In talking about his decision to run, Rogers highlighted his frustration with the Legislature’s passage of a bill that eliminated the state’s school finance formula and replaced it with block grants. “The bill and previous moves by Gov. Sam Brownback resulted in the Wichita school...

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...