Education commission challenges elected leaders to enhance funding for Kansas schools / LJWorld.com

Archive for Monday, November 9, 2009

Students in a 9th grade biology class at Southwest Junior High School participate in a virtual classroom. Lawrence school Supt. Randy Weseman said statewide budget cuts could lead to layoffs or reductions in services.

By Scott Rothschild

November 9, 2009

State budget cuts to public schools are unacceptable and elected leaders need to raise enough revenue to properly fund education, a commission said Monday.

The charge for more school funding was led by the 2010 Commission, a panel that deals with school finance issues and whose membership includes two former chairs of the Kansas Republican Party.

“We’ve got a whole generation who will be negatively impacted ... by the idiots and fools in Washington and Topeka that have been making policy,” said 2010 commissioner Dennis Jones of Lakin, who served as state GOP chair in 2004.

“It’s time the Legislature take proactive steps to ensure that education funding is solid and consistent,” he said.

2010 Commission Chair Rochelle Chronister of Neodesha, who was chair of the Kansas Republican Party chair in 1989, said lawmakers need to “step up to the plate in the bad times and enhance that revenue in order to ensure that education is delivered to the kids.”

She noted that a report by the Kansas Department of Revenue showed tax cuts approved by the state since 1995 have shorted the treasury $1.2 billion per year.

The 2010 Commission approved motions to emphasize that public school education was the most important function of state government and that money matters when it comes to raising the level of student achievement.

The positions taken by the commission stand in contrast to Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, and the Republican-dominated Legislature.

Since tax revenues have declined during the recession, the state budget has undergone four rounds of budget cuts. Republican legislative leaders have vowed to oppose tax increases, saying that would be too great a burden to place on Kansans during economic hard times. Parkinson has said he would consider tax increases but has not committed one way or the other.

Public school base state aid has been cut from $4,433 per pupil to $4,218 per pupil. Schools are expected to take another hit soon to bring spending down to $4,068 per pupil.

Commissioners lamented that the cuts will hurt the very programs that were increased because of a school funding lawsuit and are designed to help the hardest to educate children.

“We cannot sacrifice a generation of students because the economy is weak,” said state Rep. Marti Crow, D-Leavenworth, who serves on the commission.

The commission itself was a product of legislation meant to deal with the funding lawsuit. Since the panel is set to expire at the end of the year, Chronister said she doubted lawmakers will renew the commission after they read its final report critical of recent school cuts.

“I expect we will not be continued next year, but we will have done our job,” she said.

Discussion

LJWorld.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

10 November 2009
at 2:33 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

spiff (Anonymous) says…

death panels
10 November 2009
at 2:51 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

1029 (Anonymous) says…

They should just get rid of some of the most ridiculous and unnecessary subjects—like “science” for instance. Most of this so-called “science” is just a bunch of liberal propaganda, anyway. Then the schools would at least save some money by not having to pay science teachers. I don't want my kid to be taught stuff about planets or bs concepts like “evolution” and “climate change”—especially not when my hard-earned money is being taken from me by the government to pay for it. Plus, you give kids too much education and they just grow up leaning to the left and end up voting for democrats and that ain't good for nobody. I also question whether we need music or art, either. If you want your kid to play music, you pay for private lessons. If you want your kid to make art, you make the kid draw pictures on the kid's own time, and not on the taxpayer dime.
10 November 2009
at 3:10 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

TheDefinition (Anonymous) says…

BS concepts like “evolution”? Please tell me you're being sarcastic…I'd like to see your ideal school and class schedule. Please elaborate when you have the time.
10 November 2009
at 3:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

shorttrees (Anonymous) says…

The picture caption is either not current or wrong; Weseman retired as Supt. last spring and the current superintendent is Rick Doll.
10 November 2009
at 3:24 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Bob_Keeshan (Anonymous) says…

1029, I'm so glad somebody finally said it.

But you're not going far enough - Do you know they serve meals at every school in this state? Ridiculous. When I go to work, nobody is providing food for me I have to go out and find lunch on my own. You could eliminate these “cafeterias” and save millions.

Then let's talk about the amount of land these schools are taking up. For what purpose? I swear, every elementary school in this town is about 30% building and 70% wasted land. Sell it off! Plenty of businesses would love to have this prime real estate, particularly after we get rid of the wasteful food service.
10 November 2009
at 4:07 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

SettingTheRecordStraight (Anonymous) says…

“enhanced funding”
Don't you mean increased taxes?

“raise enough revenue”
Don't you mean raise enough taxes and fees?

“tax cuts”
Don't you mean tax relief?

And Rothschild's biggest whopper: “shorted the treasury $1.2 billion per year”
Don't you mean put $1.2 billion back into working families' pockets?
10 November 2009
at 4:11 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

Made_in_China (Paul R. Getto) says…

Speaking of shorted: Did you know that the total value of all the sales tax exemptions in Kansas amounts to over $4,200,000,000 annually?

10 November 2009
at 4:14 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

bkgarner (Brent Garner) says…

Folks, what part of “there isn't enough money” or “living within a budget” don't you understand? We spend more and more money on education each year, but do test scores rise correspondingly? No, they don't. Now, do I want to see 36 kids per classroom like I experienced growing up? No, I don't think I do. But we have built some sacred cows into education that really need looked at. Further, most districts are top heavy in administrators but those folks are not the ones let go when budgets get tight. And, superintendent's salaries never get cut when budgets fall short. And, now I'll draw fire if I haven't already, heaven forbid that the sacred cow of football, basketball, etc., be examined for cost savings.
10 November 2009
at 4:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

SettingTheRecordStraight (Anonymous) says…

Made in China,

Because any exchange of money between two private parties is a reason for the government to levy a tax, right?
10 November 2009
at 5:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

BigDog (Anonymous) says…

STRS - let's be honest little to none of the tax breaks went to the “hard working families” in Kansas. Most of the tax reductions have been for corporations like Koch Industries ….. some of the same people the tax payer has been bailing out during this economic crisis.

This article is about education but will you have the same opinion when there are further cuts to public safety …. reduced law enforcement … earlier release for convicts … the state has already disconitinued correction programs that reduced the repeat offender rate by 72% … or reduced capacity to prosecute offenders because courts closed or crime labs inability to process evidence.

I am not a supporter of taxes but there reaches a point that you significantly impact the quality of life in a community.
10 November 2009
at 5:25 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

boothillbilly (Anonymous) says…

1029 and Bob_Keeshan: You keep us ignorant and fearful. Of course, don't expose children to alternate ideas and trust them to be smart enough to decide for themselves. Science, who needs it? The People's Republic of China and India can do science, and whip our American rear ends economically because of it. Teach evolution? Sure, and do what? Teach “intelligent design” to children who recognize that it is a load of bung.

School music programs and technology classes are the retreat of kids who have half a shred of awareness that life begins after high school graduation, so that they can learn skills which enable them one day to leave Kansas and go to places where art, culture, science, technology, and capitalism are respected.

How do I know? Because I was one of those kids who was fed up hearing crap from people like you, graduated from high school, moved as faraway as I could to a big city in another state, loved it, and wanted a great education. The only reason I am in Kansas is for an education. I would like to stay here and contribute to the economy as I love land and climate, but what is the point? I wouldn't want to raise my children here, as I want them to be successful in the global economy.

Furthermore, if you are so un-confident of your political beliefs that you have to stifle the beliefs of others, then why do you believe what you believe? It smacks of a fundamental uncertainty of your position that you cannot stand to hear a different perspective or risk that someone may wind up voting different than you want them to.

I typically vote conservative because in a free debate over certain issues, their arguments tend to make more sense. However, if it is people like you who are “conservatives,” then I am ashamed to call myself one.
10 November 2009
at 5:28 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

keebler1rk (Anonymous) says…

The schools are more than adequately funded, Waste & missapropriation are by far the biggest issues with school funding. Too many chiefs (administrators) & not enough “qualified” indians (teachers & paras) I am done funding public daycare!
10 November 2009
at 5:39 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

BigDog (Anonymous) says…

boothillbilly
I agree with most of your statement … it is too bad when people calling themselves “conservatives” make it about only teaching their beliefs. Even the Catholic Church doesn't say there hasn't been evolution …. they don't agree on the begining of man and earth but they believe man and animals have evolved over time.

Also don't like the conservative who doesn't like taxes but is fine with the state/federal government providing corporate welfare.
10 November 2009
at 5:52 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

kansasfaithful (Anonymous) says…

Not one more cent for education. Control your costs. Education before sports. 60% of the entire state budget is plenty. Are you telling us that 60% of every dime tax payers give to the state isn't enough? All those children including my own need an economic lesson in common sense. Maybe our representatives can join that class.
10 November 2009
at 5:54 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

mdrndgtl (Anonymous) says…

That's what our elected officials really need, a good challenge…

10 November 2009
at 7:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

weeslicket (Anonymous) says…

never mind the state constitution.
never mind that the supreme court of kansas made its findings years ago.
never mind their directions to leadership of this state at that time.
oh well, never mind.

from the salina journal, may 23, 2005:
Last year, the case was heard by the Kansas Supreme Court in mid-May, with the court ruling on June 3 that the $143 million lawmakers had already added to school funding wasn't enough. During a summer special session, another $148 million was added.
The court ordered the Legislative Division of Post-Audit to recommend what was needed for adequate funding, and to rely on that or some other fact-based system for funding schools.
Post-Audit's report, released at the beginning of the 2006 session, recommended $300 million to $600 million in new money for the 2006-07 school year, depending on what assumptions were used.
Lawmakers passed what's often called a $541 million plan, but that number is derived from adding three years of planned increases together; for the coming school year, about $200 million in new money was allocated.
They didn't comply “It's short of what Post-Audit said they needed to do,” said Salina Superintendent Rob Winter. “When you look at it, they didn't do what the court directed them to do and what their own study directed them to do.”
10 November 2009
at 9:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

bkgarner (Brent Garner) says…

weeslicket: The legislature should have defied the supreme court. Why? The supreme court's ruling overreached. Their ruling, in essence, legislated from the bench which is not a function of the judiciary. The judiciary could have said the funding is not enough, but to mandate a number clearly made it legislation from the bench.
11 November 2009
at 9:27 p.m.

Suggest removal

Permalink

weeslicket (Anonymous) says…

bkgarner: “The legislature should have defied the supreme court.”
this statement is confusing for a few different reasons.

1. the legislature did defy the supreme court (more on that later).
2. the supreme court is our state's umpire (to quote a supreme court justice) who calls the constitutional pitch in front of them.
and they made a call that our state leadership did not like and did not want to hear.
i can understand people engaging in civil disobedience. no problem there.
but to outright defy a supreme court ruling?
law and order that is not.
3. the supreme court of kansas did not “set” the monetary standard for these costs. these costs, as determined by the post-audit*, are legal evidence.
kansas got a real answer to the constitutional question of “adequate funding for public schools”.
we all got a real answer to that real question.
state legislators didn't like that real answer.
4. * the post-audit was the study (and then later, the evidence) that the legislature officially requested.
again, our legislators didn't like the answer. they wanted to look at much smaller numbers.
5. the state legislators did defy the supreme court ruling:
- kansas legislators had the constitutional answer (via our legislature, via their post-audit, via our supreme court) regarding the appropriate levels of state school funding;
- and still did not put in place the systems that would support the court's findings (aka, the legislature's findings).
- they knew the real answer to constitutionally appropriate school funding was about $300-600 million more a year;
- they funded not quite $200 million more a year (planned over the course of three years);
- and then didn't fund that amount.
that's just bad leadership.
that's also an example of defiance. defiance of the state constitution. defiance of the supreme court of kansas.
defiance. yep.
6. not to be forgotten, i always thought alan rupe and the complaintants should not have withdrawn their legal claim completely, which they did in order to get the last “plan” through a political process. just my opinion.
7. however, the legal withdrawal of the complaint removed the supreme court from making a final statement.
in other words, at the end of it, you are left with no complaint against the supreme court of kansas and how it approached this case.
what you are left with is very poor legislative leadership in kansas.
1. and that brings up back to number one. defiance.