Schools to lose new funding

Three had failed to meet new goals set by Regents

? Three Kansas schools won’t get their full state funding this year after failing to reach goals under a new accountability system.

The Kansas Board of Regents on Wednesday said it plans to cut new money going to Northeast Kansas Technical School in Atchison by 10 percent and deny all new money slated for Colby Community College in Colby and Southwest Kansas Technical School in Liberal.

Other higher education institutions, including the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, met their goals and will receive all the new funding allocated this year by the state Legislature, said Regents spokesman Kip Peterson.

The Regents and state lawmakers set up the accountability system in 2002. It includes a series of annual agreements with schools, requiring them to meet certain goals in return for new funding.

This was the first year the system was enforced.

Mike Rogg, president of Northeast Kansas Technical School, said his school failed to sign enough training contracts with high schools but blamed the problem on late appropriations from the Legislature.

The cut means Northeast will receive $31,000 in new money instead of the expected $38,000.

Colby Community College didn’t place enough students in certain classes, Regents said, and Southwest Technical School didn’t provide an acceptable performance agreement.

The money held back isn’t permanently lost and can be added to future years’ funding.