KASB concluded its “Success Across Kansas” Fall
Summits on Thursday after having met with hundreds of educators and advocates
across the state during a key period for public schools.
The purpose of the summits was to share information about school finance in Kansas and a number of other states, discuss the future of education in Kansas and how to energize the public in this conversation.
“We are going for the moonshot,” said Dr. Brian Jordan, KASB’s assistant executive director of leadership services, who cited President Kennedy’s call in 1961 for the United States to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
“We need to frame the discussion around what’s best for kids, then how to generate the political will to accomplish it,” Jordan said.
Both Kansas’ system of funding schools and how schools prepare students for success are at a crossroads.
On the education side, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson and the Kansas State Board of Education are discussing how to reform schools to address public desires for students to have a better grasp on so-called soft skills, such as conscientiousness, collaboration and communication.
Watson conducted a listening tour earlier this year in which nearly 2,000 Kansans and business groups said by an overwhelming majority schools should emphasize the skills students need for post-secondary education, the workplace or both. In conjunction with KASB’s Fall Summits, Watson made presentations about the listening tour results.
On the finance side, Kansas’ current block grant system has been declared unconstitutional by a three-judge panel. That ruling has been appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court.
KASB has gathered research on finance systems and student outcomes in adjacent, peer and aspirational states.
KASB’s Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy and communication, said Kansans need to decide what kind of education system they want and then determine how to finance it.
“What is the formula to fund the system we want to have, not the system we used to have,” Tallman said.
Tallman said policymakers should look at what has worked well in Kansas and states that outperform Kansas in forming a new school finance plan.
Jordan noted that, historically, efforts are made periodically to change funding plans.
“Every 20 to 25 years there is a major adjustment in the funding process. We are probably at that point now,” he said.
The summits were held over two weeks in Sublette, Oakley, Salina, Olathe, Greenbush and Clearwater. They also included meetings by USA/Kansas (United School Administrators of Kansas) and KSSA (Kansas School Superintendents Association).
The purpose of the summits was to share information about school finance in Kansas and a number of other states, discuss the future of education in Kansas and how to energize the public in this conversation.
“We are going for the moonshot,” said Dr. Brian Jordan, KASB’s assistant executive director of leadership services, who cited President Kennedy’s call in 1961 for the United States to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
“We need to frame the discussion around what’s best for kids, then how to generate the political will to accomplish it,” Jordan said.
Both Kansas’ system of funding schools and how schools prepare students for success are at a crossroads.
On the education side, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson and the Kansas State Board of Education are discussing how to reform schools to address public desires for students to have a better grasp on so-called soft skills, such as conscientiousness, collaboration and communication.
Watson conducted a listening tour earlier this year in which nearly 2,000 Kansans and business groups said by an overwhelming majority schools should emphasize the skills students need for post-secondary education, the workplace or both. In conjunction with KASB’s Fall Summits, Watson made presentations about the listening tour results.
On the finance side, Kansas’ current block grant system has been declared unconstitutional by a three-judge panel. That ruling has been appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court.
KASB has gathered research on finance systems and student outcomes in adjacent, peer and aspirational states.
KASB’s Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy and communication, said Kansans need to decide what kind of education system they want and then determine how to finance it.
“What is the formula to fund the system we want to have, not the system we used to have,” Tallman said.
Tallman said policymakers should look at what has worked well in Kansas and states that outperform Kansas in forming a new school finance plan.
Jordan noted that, historically, efforts are made periodically to change funding plans.
“Every 20 to 25 years there is a major adjustment in the funding process. We are probably at that point now,” he said.
The summits were held over two weeks in Sublette, Oakley, Salina, Olathe, Greenbush and Clearwater. They also included meetings by USA/Kansas (United School Administrators of Kansas) and KSSA (Kansas School Superintendents Association).
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