Olathe is also feeling the budget crunch. Here’s an excerpt from their May newsletter. BUDGET Q & A WITH CFO/COO JOHN HUTCHISON Budget and finance in school districts is often a frequent topic of conversation and often an area of confusion. Chief Financial and Operations Officer John Hutchison provides insight to help answer questions surrounding the topic of school finance in Kansas. Q: How has education funding in the last 10 years affected the Olathe Public Schools? A: Over the past 10 years, due to reductions in classroom funding per pupil, also known as Base State Aid Per...
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Lane testifies in Gannon hearing
“The leader of Kansas City, Kan., public schools told a three-judge panel Thursday the state’s new block grant funding system harms the district’s ability to educate its students…Cynthia Lane, superintendent for USD 500 in Kansas City, Kan., said Senate Bill 7, which put the block grant system into effect, will decrease the district’s funds by at least $2.6 million. Those cuts will cause the district to hold off on needed maintenance and other programs. “Those cuts make the district’s situation particularly difficult given its increasing enrollment. She said the district’s enrollment has increased about 500 each year and...
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Leave a Comment I’m from Kansas blog: The devil takes a hand in what is done in haste
“My concern about hastily constructed block grant bills and budget plans is that when Christmas comes around, the wires will pop, the cows will get out, and we will have already spent those crisp hundred dollar bills. Just as was the case 35 years ago, some emergencies can’t be foreseen. I sure hope the result isn’t the same.” Read more here: http://heimkasb.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-devil-takes-hand-in-what-is-done-in.html...
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Leave a Comment More schools closing early in financially strapped districts
“’When 85 to 95 percent of your expenditures are fixed, and you receive notice halfway through the year that you have to cut, you have to make decisions,’ Stessman said. ‘When we are running close to zero in all of our accounts, there is no leeway.’ “Eight school districts recently applied for additional money from the state’s Extraordinary Need Fund, which was created as part of the new school finance law. The districts requested a total of about $1.2 million, and $498,000 was approved by the State Finance Council. Three districts that submitted requests didn’t receive any additional...
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