School funding

To the editor:

Access to a quality public education in Kansas for all students is at risk.

The recent Supreme Court decision concerning vouchers, depending on future legislation, could rob public schools of funds vital to their mission of educating ALL students this is their mandate. Unlike public schools, the private schools choose whom they would like to serve. Students with special needs need not apply. Due to lack of leadership at both the federal and state level, special education programs are still not fully funded and local districts must find the resources. Voucher programs have the potential of leaving public schools with less funding, but with the same mandate educate all students.

Johnson County wants to shore up public education funding with a sales tax with the bulk of the money going to Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, and Olathe school districts. Not happy with the state school funding formula that all Kansas public schools must operate under, these districts want to go around it. The quality of education, already greatly affected by the location of a student’s residence, will increasingly be a function of “which side of the tracks you live.” All students in Kansas will not get the same opportunities.

These are ominous signs of the financial hardships inflicted on public schools by lawmakers. Access to a quality education is a right of all students and is key to the survival our democracy. When will the citizens of Kansas realize the dangerous path we are now treading?

Mark Jarboe

Lawrence