KASB:School leaders lead during legislative session

School leaders lead during legislative session

 State Board of Education, Suitable Funding, Revenue Sources, Financing Schools, Managing Schools, Tax Policy, Cost Reduction, Governing Schools, Efficiency Strategies, Newsroom

There was a distinct difference in public education debates between the 2017 legislative session and several previous sessions.

That’s because many more of the state representatives and senators in 2017 knew from first-hand, K-12 experience exactly what they were talking about.

With school funding a key issue in the 2016 election cycle, approximately 50 education leaders from across Kansas ran for the Legislature.

And many of them won office, bringing to the Statehouse a high level of expertise of the complexities of financing and operating a system that serves a diverse population of more than 450,000 students and their families.

Often heard during debates, a legislator would start his or her remarks, saying, “As a school board member,” or “When I was superintendent … ‘’
These legislators/school leaders rolled up their sleeves, bringing decades of knowledge to the table to help craft a new school finance formula and the tax increase needed to fund it.

During one debate, Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, voiced an often repeated allegation that school districts were sitting on piles of idle cash in their reserved funds.

But Sen. Lynn Rogers, D-Wichita, a freshman legislator who is also 16-year member of the Wichita USD 259 school board, explained in detail how reserve funds were needed for districts’ cash management.

For state Rep. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka, this was her freshman year as a legislator after retiring from 14 years as superintendent of Auburn-Washburn USD 437.

She said current and former teachers, current and former school board members and several retired superintendents in the Legislature were influential during the session especially in the committee process where legislation is put together.

“This group of like-minded individuals, who care deeply about public education in Kansas, influenced the deliberations of the K-12 Education Budget Committee by being visible and present at committee meetings, advising the K-12 Education Budget Committee members individually, and providing practical information regarding implementation of the different components of the formula,” Dietrich said.

The K-12 Education Budget Committee took the lead in forming a new school finance method and also conducted in-depth hearings and discussions on other school issues, such as school district purchasing and health insurance. The presence of former superintendents, school board members and other education leaders on the committee produced a deeper understanding of those issues.

Dietrich said the pro-education forces in the Legislature tried to advance an agenda that would help all Kansas schools. There are at least 28 legislators who have worked in some capacity in the public education system and while they don’t vote as a bloc, their experience and knowledge provided crucial information to the school finance debate.

“Most importantly, we could be counted on to vote affirmatively for amendments to strengthen the structure of the formula while also thwarting some of the more destructive options presented for inclusion during legislative debate,” she said. “The pro-education philosophy in the Legislature, by the election of a group of folks with education backgrounds, was very beneficial for crafting a new school finance formula that is structurally sound and advantageous to most districts the first year and all districts the second year.”

KS Association of School Boards Statement on Tax Bill Override

KASB statement on tax bill override

 Suitable Funding, Revenue Sources, Financing Schools, Tax Policy, School Choice, Newsroom

What good will a tax increase do for the people of Kansas?

That question was asked during debate on the successful override of the tax bill veto, and it deserves on an answer. Here is what we know.

The states with the highest personal incomes and lowest poverty rates are NOT states with the lowest taxes. They are states with the highest education levels.

The states with the highest levels, and the states with the best K-12 student outcomes, are states that provide higher funding per pupil for K-12 education.

Those states with the best educational results hire more teachers, support staff and administrators per pupil to provide better services and more individualized instruction, and provide competitive salaries to attract and retain talented educators.

Low-spending states, on the other hand, have fewer educators, less funding to support student services, and worse results. As a result, their students are less prepared to compete in postsecondary education and the job market.

Since the Great Recession and the 2012 tax cuts, Kansas funding support for K-12 education has lagged behind most states. Although Kansas continues to be among the top performing states in overall education outcomes, most states been investing more, and their students are improving faster.

In short, Kansas has unilaterally been disarming in the battle that matters most for economic competition: education levels and employment skills. We have reversed our traditional commitment to education. Not only has Kansas education funding fallen behind other states; it has dropped to the lowest level compared to state personal income in three decades. In other words, we are spending less of our income to educate our children today than past generations, at a time when education matters more.

The tax increase passed this week will help turn those trends around and repair numerous areas of state services that have been cut and shortchanged. Under the school finance bill also passed this week, more funding will be available to help more students graduate and be better prepared for college and employment in higher skill, higher paying jobs. These funds will help struggling students succeed, and our successful students to do even better.

Finally, this tax increase does not take money from the Kansas economy; it simply reinvests it back into our communities in the form of new jobs, salaries paid (and spent) and more school district purchases from Kansas business.

We commend the Legislature for realizing that funding education is not an just expenditure. It is also an investment. Like any investment, it does require trade-offs. It means a little less spending now, but the result is a bigger return in the future. When considering the impact of a $600 million a year tax increase, remember that Kansans today are earning over $5 billion year more than they would if education levels were unchanged since 1990.

Kansas school boards are committed to working with our partners in the Legislature and State Board of Education to making this new investment pay off in the future.