Impacts of the block grant are showing up in multiple ways, including Shawnee Mission School District’s concern about the proposed TIF for the Meadowbrook development. Sharing from Rep. Melissa Rooker’s Facebook: “From the article, a quote from Dr. Hinson, SMSD superintendent: ‘From my perspective, the Meadowbrook development — that plan is a great plan. Will it draw additional students? Yes, which is great. Then the question becomes, who funds it?’ Fact: Before our school finance formula was repealed and replaced with SB 7 Block Grant funding, freezing funding at last year’s levels no matter what demographic changes occur,...
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Legislature should drop attack on school board members
“The survey requested by the Legislature’s Special Committee on Ethics, Elections and Local Government is designed to assess the impact of a bill (HB 2345) introduced last session that would make it illegal for anyone to serve on a local school board if his or her spouse, parent or sibling works at any school district in the state. That’s right; not just the school district governed by the local board, but any school district in the state. So someone whose mother teaches in Hoxie would be barred from serving on the Emporia school board. “Do we also need...
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Leave a Comment Westar rate increase leaves districts with less funding for classrooms
“‘When you think about 4 percent, what’s 4 percent, but 21,000 dollars, that’s quite a bit,’ said Valley Center Assistant Superintendent Mike Bonner… ‘”With the block grant, our funds for the next couple years are pretty much locked in and our general fund money…went down about 60,000 dollars this year,’ said Bonner. “That means more tough cuts will have to be made. Bonner says this time they will likely have to dip into the classrooms. “‘Money for supplies, maybe additional resources for our classrooms, is unfortunately where we have to look,’ said Bonner.” Read more here: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Westar-rate-increase-costly-for-schools-330473381.html?llsms=1240551&c=y...
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Leave a Comment Plaintiffs submit brief in Gannon case
“‘Justice requires this court take immediate action to stop these ongoing efforts by the state to dodge its constitutional obligations,’ [Plaintiffs’ attorney Alan] Rupe said. “Rupe pointed to a 2005 state Supreme Court ruling in a related school funding case, Montoy v. State, in which the high court ordered the Legislature to provide $285 million to schools. “He said avoiding the current case because of ‘legislative discretion,’ would be a denigration of constitutional duties the justices emphasized in the Montoy case. Leaving the legislative or executive branches to decide whether their actions are constitutional is ‘literally unthinkable,’ he...
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