We agree with this editorial: “Shortchanging or stiffing the districts could invite further review – and trouble – from the same three-judge panel that ruled last year that state funding was unconstitutionally low. In the worst-case scenario, the panel would enjoin districts’ use of the LOB mechanism, costing them $1 billion statewide. That would be a disaster for schools, but also bad politics in a re-election year.” http://www.kansas.com/2014/03/20/3355531/eagle-editorial-be-wise-on-school.html...
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Brownback recommends significant new funding to comply with Gannon equity decision
“Addressing inequities in school funding identified by the Supreme Court “will require significant new funding,” Gov. Sam Brownback said Wednesday in a statement. He did not say how much new funding, nor where the money would come from. The Department of Education and the Kansas Legislative Research Department have calculated equalization of these areas could cost $129 million.” http://www.kansas.com/2014/03/19/3355514_brownback-significant-new-funding.html...
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Leave a Comment Game On opposes bundling of Gannon equity funding with bad education policy
We oppose bundling of funding to comply with Gannon with ideological education policy. We also resent the begrudging attitude of legislators like Sen. Masterson: “If you’re a conservative person who doesn’t want to add the money we’re talking about, it’s kind of like value shopping,” he said. “If I’m going to spend this much money, I want to know what I’m going to get for my dollars.” http://m.ljworld.com/news/2014/mar/19/school-funding-fix-may-get-linked-other-policy-cha/...
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Leave a Comment ReRoute the Roadmap: Consolidation no solution for rural Kansans
From ReRoute the Roadmap. We agree that rural Kansans are entitled to a strong public education, too. Mark writes to us in response to the question, “Has the legislature looked at any consolidation ideas to reduce administrative costs for school systems?”: It’s also helpful to note that those thinly populated areas of the state where consolidation has been accomplished still suffer from an absence of the economies of scale that taxpayers and school children enjoy in Sedgwick and Johnson Counties. They are, however, citizens of Kansas and therefore entitled to “adequate” funding. It is more expensive per pupil...
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