We’ve noticed Kansans are being told that school districts in Kansas are choosing to close or cut staff and programming, but as we have talked to people throughout Kansas, we see that some districts choose to increase class sizes, some choose to cut staff, some choose to cut programs or activities, some choose to cut their school week or school year, but these are choices about which bad options to select and must be viewed in the context of funding constraints. Here’s the latest example: “When Brownback was asked if he took any responsibility for consolidation happening at...
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Brownback plays politics with rural schools
“The claim is that Vratil, a former vice president of the state Senate, is gunning for consolidating rural schools. It’s a charge made by taking a 2011 comment Vratil made, extracting it from broader context and spinning. “It’s a contrived issue, intended as bait for rural votes, especially in western Kansas. Vratil was appointed to the committee by Democrat Paul Davis, who is running against Brownback. So by association, it’s a political jab at Davis… ” “And Brownback is the cause of some of the recent belt-tightening by not replacing federal stimulus funding and by his tax policies....
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Leave a Comment Trabert, not Vratil, discusses consolidation
Did John Vratil make the following comment? No, it was Dave Trabert, fellow performance and efficiency panel member who is not being targeted for removal. “As shown in Table 8, small districts typically cost more per-pupil to operate than larger ones, and some of Kansas’ smaller districts are losing enrollment. In FY 2005 there were only four districts with fewer than 100 students; by FY 2008 there were seven and in FY 2009 there were eight. The cost of operating the smallest districts, which are likely to continue losing enrollment, will grow exponentially unless something is done. “Consolidation...
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Leave a Comment No call for removal of Trabert who has actually argued for consolidation
Why aren’t the Republicans calling for the removal of performance and efficiency panel member Dave Trabert, who not only is a paid lobbyist for a group focused on tax policy and “free market principles” but who has argued for consolidation. See this: “Consolidation is a four-letter word in Kansas, although the current total of 286 districts is a far cry from 9,284 that existed in 1896.44 Kansans have survived a great deal of consolidation over the years and there may well be room for a bit more, especially given academic limitations of extremely small districts. As shown in...
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