Topeka ? Despite a school finance formula balled up in litigation and the international spotlight shining on the state’s debate over evolution, Andy Tompkins remains a cheerleader for Kansas schools.

Improving test scores, more use of technology in the classroom and a highly qualified cadre of teachers give Tompkins reason to believe students and teachers will be just fine when his nine-year tenure as education commissioner comes to an end in June.

“I’m so hopeful for kids,” he said.

Tompkins, 57, leaves his post but stays in education, moving his office 20 miles east to Kansas University, where he will work with graduate students in school leadership.

The State Board of Education is reviewing applications and will interview candidates in June. Tompkins sees his role as laying the groundwork for whoever takes his post.

“The goal is to build for the next person. We do our job to build the infrastructure,” Tompkins said.

Board Chairman Steve Abrams of Arkansas City was on the board when Tompkins was hired.

“He is absolutely a ball of fire for wanting to do what is best for education,” Abrams said. “Sometimes things don’t happen as he would like, but that doesn’t negate his desire to get out there and do the best.

“He sees that there are situations that need to be improved and he will tell us at board meetings. And even though he sees problems, he’s always upbeat about being able to resolve these problems.”

Important issues

That job has been a challenge for the state’s 301 school districts. State funding had remained flat in recent years until legislators approved a $142 million increase this session. Spending was increased in response to a Jan. 3 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that said legislators failed to meet their constitutional duty in financing the education of more than 440,000 students.

Justices held arguments on the package May 11 and a final ruling is expected in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the State Board of Education has been embroiled in a debate over revised science standards and how much criticism of evolution should be permitted in the classroom. Four days of hearings in May put evolution and Kansas in the international spotlight. The board is expected to decide what language will be in the standards later this summer, which will be the basis for state tests.

For some districts, teaching evolution isn’t an issue, Tompkins said, while others have had the uproar but never dealt with it.

“It’s an important issue to some people,” Tompkins said. “It’s generally handled at the local level depending on what the community thinks. We’ve tried our best to let people be heard.”

Tompkins acknowledges the issues have been a distraction and he often gets teased by peers from other states. However, he takes exception with those who say downplaying evolution will hurt the quality of students Kansas produces and that they won’t be able to do science or get into college.

“That’s just not true,” he said.

Tompkins is often quoted in the ongoing school litigation for his comment in 2003 describing the state’s achievement gap as “breathtaking.” He acknowledges there is a gap among demographic groups, in particular whites and minorities and rich and poor. But the gap has narrowed in the past five years, in part due to a renewed focus by schools on effective strategies to help students meet their potential.

“Schools wish they could do more,” said Tompkins. “But guess what? Every state in the union has an achievement gap. We have good averages (on test scores) but we can’t live on averages any more.

“We have higher aspirations than averages on assessments.”

Educational upgrades

Changes in the state’s school accreditation program in the past 13 years have put the emphasis on what students take with them at graduation, not what is put into schools. Tompkins said principals and superintendents were working harder to create a climate of collaboration among teachers to get more out of students. What has developed is a system that does a better job of “reading and reacting” to student needs immediately, he said.

“Our resiliency has been pretty good,” Tompkins said. “We continue to have good support from the business community and parents. They try to help us through the tougher times.”

And Kansas schools have been working on both ends of the learning spectrum, he said, evidenced by more students taking advanced placement courses to allow the academic “high-fliers” to soar.

Tompkins insists that dealing with evolution and school finance didn’t factor into his retirement. This is the second time in six years evolution has been debated and school litigation has been in the works since 1999.

“If that were the case, why wouldn’t I have left then?” he said.

New wave of teachers

Despite the challenges from all levels of government, Tompkins said teaching is still a good profession that has the awesome responsibility of shaping the minds of the future. And for the first time in years, Kansas is seeing more young teachers get hired, in particular as the older generation of baby boomer teachers begin to retire.

As he begins his new career, he wants future administrators to understand their role is to support the people in the classroom to get the most out of students. But just as important is to have the disposition to build trust among school board members by whom they are employed.

“I see my job as to keeping the focus on how we get more kids successful,” Tompkins said.