From our friends at the Andover Parent Legislative Council, budget cuts are real. “Because of state funding decreases, Andover Public Schools has had to cut more than $4.5 million in the last five years, including instructional technology coaches, academic coaches, Parents as Teachers and much more. In addition, local property taxes have been raised, and new student fees have been added.”...
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Warning on vouchers (or “opportunity scholarships”) from North Carolina
The next time you hear we need vouchers to offer choice to poor children, remember this warning from North Carolina: “When lawmakers first introduced the Opportunity Scholarship legislation back in April 2013, the intent was to provide $90 million over two years to students who reside in households with incomes of up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level – that’s $70,650 for a family of four. Today’s law caps the income eligibility limit for school vouchers at $43,568 for a family of four—a move made perhaps in response to a public outcry over extending the proposed program...
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Leave a Comment Kansas Center for Economic Growth on why trying to copy the lone star state leaves Kansas struggling
The success or lack thereof of Brownback’s tax plan has a direct impact on education funding. As explained in a recent Wichita Eagle article, “After the economy crashed in 2008, the federal government provided temporary funding to help states limit cuts to schools and other critical services. As the economy improved and that funding went away, Brownback and GOP lawmakers chose not to replace it. Instead, they cut taxes. Brownback told the superintendents that this was the best long-term decision, because if the Kansas economy can grow more, ‘we can fund things.’ But he acknowledged that for school districts,...
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Leave a Comment Budget cuts are real in Galena, Baxter Springs and elsewhere
“Statewide, other school superintendents say they have been forced to make choices similar to those in Galena and Baxter Springs. Classrooms have become more crowded, and staffs have been trimmed. Districts across the state have dropped after-school programs and increased fees.” Budget cuts are real. http://www.joplinglobe.com/topstories/x748030440/Kansas-educators-legislators-await-court-s-school-funding-ruling...
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