Topeka ? Kansas received a B-minus in a national ranking of how well state governments perform.

The Pew Center on the States gave Kansas the grade in a report released Monday. Kansas was among 18 states getting a B-minus grade, while 13 states had higher grades and 19 were lower. The 50-state average was B-minus.

The center ranked the states based on how well they manage their budgets, staffs, infrastructure and information. It said the states with the highest scores made management improvement and innovation a priority.

The report praised Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for getting more involved in how state agencies operate than some of her predecessors.

“Kansas is just small enough for this kind of approach to be feasible,” the report said.

Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran called the report “overall, quite positive.”

“Kansas has been able to dramatically increase education spending, solve Medicaid issues and revive the 10-year transportation plan without increasing taxes,” Corcoran said, while noting that most additional spending for public schools in recent years was due to a Kansas Supreme Court mandate for more money for public schools.

Christian Morgan, state Republican Party executive director, said the Democratic governor isn’t the only one who helped make the changes.

“It is always good when Kansas gets a B in anything. It is hard to say what Kathleen Sebelius is doing and what the Republican-led Legislature is pioneering,” Morgan said.

The report said efforts are under way to change the pay plan for state employees.

“The state’s work force is in pretty dire shape, thanks to an inconsistent pay system that can’t compete in the labor market and sometimes compensates veteran employees little more than new hires,” it said.

Sebelius has proposed a five-year pay plan, starting with the proposed state budget being considered by legislators.

The report said for Kansas to make significant management gains “the state needs to find a better balance between centralized control and agency flexibility.”

The highest grade of A-minus went to Utah, Virginia and Washington, while the lowest grade of D-minus went to New Hampshire.