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In this blog post from Reroute the Roadmap, former Johnson County legislator Sheryl Spalding points out the problems with relying on “overall” education spending without providing context. In addition to the points Ms. Spalding raises, we would like to add that many Kansas school districts have been forced to increase class sizes, shorten their school years, cut programs and/or increase fees in the past several years. They made those “choices” because classroom spending is not keeping up with the needs of Kansas children, and cuts to Base State Aid during the recession have not been restored. http://www.rerouteroadmap.org/blog#blog_post_65...

“These figures illustrate why school leaders continue to express deep concerns about the adequacy of school funding, despite increases that have been provided in certain areas. When measured against changes in the cost of living, funding for educational programs that can actually be spent on teachers, administrators and student support programs has declined by $500 million since 2009, and even the increases in these areas provided by the 2014 Legislature for 2015 will be less than the projected rate of inflation.” http://tallmankasb.blogspot.com/2014/08/facts-about-kansas-school-funding-up.html...

Thank you, Duane Goossen. The reality for our school districts and our children is that their needs are not being met even if overall funding is up. For those who don’t know, Duane Goossen served as the Kansas Budget Director for 12 years in the administrations of three governors—Republican Bill Graves and Democrats Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson. Goossen is also a former 7-term member of the Kansas House of Representatives (1983-1997). Costs for supplies, electricity, transportation, and teachers’ salaries are all increasing. But for the coming academic year, schools must cover those growing expenses with $548 less...