Archive for Thursday, October 11, 2007
Board urges more money for teachers, kindergarten
Additional $26 million would be needed for next school year
October 11, 2007
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State school officials push for another increase in funding
State school officials are looking to add 26-million dollars in another increase in school funding. Enlarge video
School funding
- Chat with Lawrence Schools Facilities and Operations Director Tom Bracciano (10-10-07)
- Analysis: State spending more than it collects (10-08-07)
- Competition increasing in online education options (09-23-07)
- School board to ponder raise for superintendent (09-22-07)
- Lawrence schools report official headcount up from last year (09-20-07)
- School board hears sports facility options (09-20-07)
Topeka — Kansas school officials have recommended increases in public school funding for the next two years to boost teacher salaries and phase in full-day kindergarten.
The cost would be an additional $26 million in the next school year on top of a $122 million increase already approved by legislators. And the measure would require a $144 million increase in the 2009-10 school year.
The proposal by the State Board of Education will go to the Legislature, which starts its session in January.
School advocates have long sought funding for full-day kindergarten, saying a longer school day gives students more exposure to math, language arts and other activities.
Statewide, about two-thirds of kindergarten students are enrolled in full-day programs. In Lawrence, eight of the 15 public elementary schools offer full-day kindergarten.
Officials have estimated it will take about $75 million to establish full-day kindergarten in every Kansas school district.
Increasing teacher pay also has been touted by some as a way to attract more people to teaching and retain current teachers. Kansas ranks 38th in average teacher pay at $39,351 per year. The national average is $47,602.
Education Board Chairman Bill Wagnon said Wednesday that many school districts faced teacher shortages at the start of the school year because of low pay.
"We have to do something to make the profession more attractive," said Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka whose district includes Lawrence. "If we're going to make progress toward moving the average teacher salary up to the national median, we are going to have to put some more money in our schools."
Lawrence Superintendent Randy Weseman said on Wednesday that he hadn't seen details of the plan, but he was pleased it was targeting teacher salaries and full-day kindergarten.
"If you've got a vehicle that will put pools of dollars specifically into a salary enhancement fund for teachers, that would be a good move by the Legislature," he said. "It's the same for full-day kindergarten. I think eventually that this Legislature will be funding full-day kindergarten."
But the board's recommendation met with mixed reaction from legislative leaders.
House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, dismissed the proposal, saying of the board, "since they've been guilty over a number of years of violating my rule nine, I don't pay attention much to what they say."
What's rule nine? "You choose to make yourself irrelevant, I can't save you," he said.
When hearing that, Wagnon said simply: "The speaker is entitled to his opinion."
Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, said he liked the idea of adopting a school budget a year in advance for the 2009-10 school year, but he said it was too early in the process to talk about funding levels.
"To me, one of the good things about the three-year plan we passed is that it gives boards the opportunity to plan ahead," Morris said.
And Weseman agreed.
"The beauty of this has been that school districts know ahead of time what their budget is going to be, so they can actually do some planning instead of doing it after the fact - establishing your budget and then seeing how much money you have," he said. "Try to run your life like that sometime."
Under pressure from the Kansas Supreme Court, the Legislature in 2006 approved a three-year school finance plan that increased school funding by $466 million.
House Democratic Leader Dennis McKinney of Greensburg said it would be difficult to increase the amount already approved for the 2008-09 school year, but after that "it's all up for negotiation."
- Staff writer Lindsey Slater contributed to this story.
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11 October 2007
at 7:55 a.m.
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huntershaven (Anonymous) says…
Make due with what you already have. Figure out how to make the changes with what is already in the budget. Perhaps make cuts to athletic programs and extras like paving parking lots and redecorating the teachers' and administrators' lounges.
11 October 2007
at 8:10 a.m.
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Godot (Anonymous) says…
Compare the median wage of all teachers to the median wage of all citizens in the US. Then calculate that as a percentage. Apply that percentage to the median wage of all Kansans, and you will have the fair rate for Kansas teachers.
11 October 2007
at 8:21 a.m.
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bmwjhawk (Anonymous) says…
Rule 9. GMAFB.
They're irrelevant when the weirdos are in power. They're out of power— for now— so Rule 9 doesn't apply.
11 October 2007
at 2:14 p.m.
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badger (Anonymous) says…
huntershaven:
When's the last time you were in a teacher's lounge? They're not even decorated, much less redecorated. The 'lounge' at my mom's school is a converted half-classroom with newspaper comics stuck on the walls with tape, two battered lunchroom tables, and a sad three-legged armchair someone was throwing out. I mean, sure that's pretty swank, but they work awfully hard. Don't begrudge them their luxury.
Godot, I think I view it differently. Whereas you're suggesting that teacher salary be determined as a function of mean population salary, I think it's important to note that improving teacher salaries improves the class of teacher you attract, which improves the school quality. Better schools draw higher-paying jobs, so if we set the comparison of teacher salary and mean wage against just states with well-regarded schools instead of the national average, I think we'd get a better formula. Look at states that are doing something right, and emulate them.
11 October 2007
at 3:27 p.m.
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Godot (Anonymous) says…
My suggestion about comparing the salaries of the teachers to what the citizens can afford to pay relates to Wagnon stating the reason for increasing teacher salaries is to bring it up to the national median. That is a totally meaningless benchmark.