The block grant proposal cuts operational budgets for many districts and would force some to raise their mill levies, which would be a further move towards shifting tax burdens in Kansas from income tax to property tax. “Shawnee County school districts appear poised to lose millions of dollars in operational and maintenance funds under a bill that would replace the state’s school finance formula with block grants… “’We believe, from what we know, that it’s going to be a net loss of $400,000′ for Auburn-Washburn Unified School District 437, superintendent Brenda Dietrich said… According to The Topeka Capital-Journal’s...
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Wichita area schools to lose millions under block grant bill
“Wichita schools would see about $4.8 million less this school year under the Republican-backed school finance bill unveiled this week than under the current school funding plan, according to the Kansas Department of Education…Mark Tallman, associate executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards, explained the situation to school officials from around the state in a webinar Friday. “’The budget you adopted based on current law … that formula is changed in the bill, so you will not get as much as you were expecting and it’s that reduced amount that is going forward,’ Tallman said… “’It...
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Leave a Comment KS revenues still problematic
School funding is related to state revenue this point, and it’s not looking good. “Here’s the bottom line that everyone should remember: If FY 2015 revenue actually does grow enough to equal the current revenue estimate, then the FY 2016 budget hole is only, yes only, $650 million ($1.1 billion if the ending balance law is followed). If revenue does not meet projections, the budget gap is that much bigger. “Kansas has a budget crisis brought on by unprecedented and unaffordable tax cuts causing a dramatic drop in revenue. Meeting the FY 2015 revenue ‘expectations’ does not even...
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Leave a Comment Why the current formula works
While we sort through the details of the block grant proposal for funding our schools, we’d like to share a post from our friends at Mainstream outlining the current formula and how it works. We note that the block grant is being proposed as a temporary measure while the legislature works out a new formula, and we believe efforts to “reform” the formula are really efforts to create new funding system based on what Kansas can afford based on little or no income tax rather than what Kansas children need. Is that what you want for your children?...
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