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Teaching candidates more difficult to attract

“Something that I believe is being overlooked as we public school educators reel from the assault upon schools by our governor and legislators is the fact that high-quality candidates for classroom teaching are becoming more and more difficult to attract… “I recently had an exchange with a young man that I will not soon forget – and an alert that prompted this message. As I made my pitch to this amiable and articulate fellow, the totally unexpected response caught me by surprise: “Why would anyone want to become a teacher in Kansas today?”… “Once again, I am reminded...
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SFT superintendent invites Corbet to attend school board meeting

Superintendent Steve Pegram is inviting Rep. Corbet to a school board meeting to discuss the block grant. “The response from Kansas Representative (Ken) Corbet regarding my statements about the new block grant funding was very well written. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought this was a response from the Kansas Policy Institute…   “In an attempt to get this matter clarified, I would like to formally invite you (Representative Corbet) to the May 13 SFT Board of Education meeting to clarify the issue of block funding and explain how it is good for SFT, how...
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Revenue down again

From KASB State tax revenue revised downward by $276 million State officials on Monday decreased tax revenue estimates again, a move that could have ramifications for school funding, which makes up just over half of the state budget. Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director, Shawn Sullivan, said in talking with legislators, most say they want to leave K-12 funding alone. But Sullivan noted the falling state revenue picture will make balancing the budget more challenging as legislators prepare for the wrap up session starting April 29. And he said recent local school bond approvals will increase costs to the...
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KCK Superintendent explains shortfalls of block grant

“What does the recent decision to fund schools using a block grant system say about the health of Kansas? The block grant is not a grant at all; rather, it is a cut to essential revenue we count on to fund schools across the state. The block grant left us dealing with a $500,000 reduction in the current fiscal year. The block grant means we won’t receive additional funds for the increase in enrollment we experienced this year, nor for any increases in the next two years. KCKPS has grown between 200 and 800 students a year for...
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