Kansas

Background on kansas p-12 school funding

General State Aid

In prior years, Kansas used a K-12 funding formula based on a Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP) times various weighting factors such as: low enrollment; high enrollment; students who qualify for free lunches (at-risk); bilingual program; vocational education program; special education state aid; high density at risk; non-proficient at risk; students enrolled in an approved virtual school.

Local Option Budgets

Districts are allowed to adopt a local option budget of up to 33 percent of their general fund budget plus special education state aid. However, many districts cannot increase their LOB because they reached the LOB’s 33 percent maximum. The LOB comes from two sources: state aid and local property taxes. LOB state aid, is provided to districts based on their taxable property wealth per pupil (the highest-wealth districts do not receive any aid). Whatever portion of the LOB is not funded by state aid must be raised by a local property tax (Tallman 2014).

1. 1. Funding Priorities for P-12 and/or Higher Education

   • • A simplified P-12 school funding formula

   • • Develop new funding formula that creates a more predictable revenue stream while maintaining significant business tax reductions from 2012.

   • • Off-set projected state budget shortfalls through 2017 (Brownback 2015a).

2. 2. Changes to Funding Formula for P-12 and/or Higher Education

   • • Passed the Classroom Learning Assuring Student Success (CLASS) Act which moves P-12 school funding from a needs-based weighted formula to block grants (CLASS expires 6/30/2017). Stated objective for two-year expiration is to allow legislature time to develop a long-term funding solution based on reliable revenue sources and subsequent allocation to local districts (Tallman 2015, 2).

3. 3. Pressing State Issues Affecting P-12 and/or Higher Education Funding

   • • July 1, 2015: Increased sales tax 6.15 to 6.5 percent (regressive); increased cigarette tax by 50 cents to $1.29 per pack to off-set funding shortfalls (Tallman 2015, 14).

   • •

     Three-judge panel opinion updating the Gannon v. State of Kansas lawsuit:

     • ○ Adequacy The [three-judge] panel found [the implementation of block grants] was unconstitutional in violation of Article 6, Section 6 of the Kansas Constitution due to its failure to fund the amounts necessary to provide a constitutionally adequate, Rose-factors-compliant education to all Kansas K-12 students. Further, the panel noted the block grant funding did not accommodate ordinary changes in the number and demographics of the K-12 student population.

     • ○ Equity Referring to the Kansas Supreme Court’s March 2014 opinion, the panel found that while the Legislature’s initial efforts to cure inequities in capital outlay and supplemental general state aid funding were in compliance with the opinion, the Legislature’s later actions were not. Consequently, the panel withdrew its previous finding of substantial compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment, noting none of the further curative actions assured to be taken if needed in the 2015 Legislative Session have occurred, and reopened equity compliance issues. Further, the panel held section 38, concerning supplemental general state aid, and section 63, concerning capital outlay state aid, of House Sub. for SB 7 were unconstitutional in violation of the incorporated equity principles of Article 6, Section 6(b) of the Kansas Constitution, because they did not produce reasonably equal access to substantially similar educational opportunity through similar tax effort (Penner and Douglas 2015, 1–2).

   • • Passed the Professional Negotiations Act to provide that upon entering negotiations, the parties must negotiate compensation of professional employees and hours and amounts of work. Further, each party can select up to three additional terms and conditions of professional service from among those listed in the PNA’s definition of “terms and conditions of professional service.” All other items included in the definition are permissive topics for negotiation if the parties mutually agree to discuss them (KS Legislature 2015, 1).

4. 4. Exclusive to P-12: Forces Diverting Funds from Traditional Public School Districts and/or Exclusive to Higher Education: Trends in State Funding for Public Institutions

   • • Not an issue at the present time. However, the situation is fluid and...