Past KS legislative session brings drastic changes to education funding system

Photo by Nick Krug

While you were away for summer break, this spring and summer produced several new policies to education funding, creating some of the most heated debate inside the Kansas Capitol building in recent years.

Budget cuts for Kansas school districts forced numerous K-12 schools to close early at the end of last school year. Cuts are causing districts to limit their funds for supplies such as up-to-date textbooks and technologies. Schools aren’t able to replace teachers who have left or retired, meaning class sizes are growing.

Joseph Novak, a senior lecturer in the School of Education, said the impact is going to hit hard within the next five to ten years. More than 3,000 teachers left Kansas schools at the end of this past school year according to the Kansas State Department of Education, and there are not enough students graduating from universities in Kansas to fill that gap.

Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger (D-Lawrence) said he believes one of the most significant impacts can be seen in changes to the way education is funded. It was previously funded through a finance formula, but now will be funded through block grants.

“One of the biggest changes has been the change in education funding throughout school districts,” Highberger said. “The finance formula that was used in the past has been replaced with block grants and that has ultimately reduced funding.”

The bill, which went into effect April 2, changed how school districts receive state funding based on their student population.

Rep. Barbara Bollier (R-Mission Hills) says she finds it disheartening that, with the new system, money isn’t based on needs as much as it is based on numbers.

“Do we, as the people of the state of Kansas, believe that there is a difference, and should be a difference, in the amount of money spent depending on the needs of the students?” Bollier said. “I really believe that it costs different amounts for different kinds of education needs, and we as a state need to honor that.”

Sen. Laura Kelly (D-Topeka) also believes the shift in education funding has been one of the most talked about events this legislative session.

“There’s no doubt that the most impactful policy change was moving the financing for schools from a formula to a block grant,” Kelly said. “The finance council is in the process of meeting with 38 schools who petitioned for re-appropriation of funds at the end of last year, either because their funds decreased or they had a large growth in enrollment.”

Kelly said the biggest impact University students will see from this change is increased tuition rates to pay for university expenditures and activities.

Bollier says that even though most of the cuts have come from K-12 school districts, it is crucial that college students pay attention to the situation.

“This is the state they are going to inherit. This is the generation that is going to be running things,” Bollier said. “What do you want to inherit when you get a job and you’re the one paying taxes? This is why students need to care now.”

—Edited by Abby Stuke