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“But don’t think for a moment that this is always an unintended consequence of tight budgets. Those who perennially advocate for less funding for public education must surely understand that some rural school districts will be squeezed out of existence. So while they publicly voice their opposition to forced consolidation, their actions reveal that the disappearance of small rural Kansas school districts is not a concern to them and in fact they are hoping for that outcome. But of course they prefer the subtle consolidation by starvation over the more open and obvious forced consolidation. “And when that...

Thank you for this helpful explanation Supt. Allison. “The Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback deserve credit for increasing state funding to the state’s pension plan. But should that be counted as increased school funding, as Brownback argues? Wichita superintendent John Allison said he likened it this way recently to a citizen: If for many years your employer didn’t contribute to Social Security the full amount he was required (as the state failed to do for decades with its pension system), then he finally began paying extra to try to make up that deficit, would you consider that a...