Education Spending Archives - Kansas Policy Institute

State assessment scores drop again despite infusion of court-ordered money 0
- Education
- December 6, 2018
Now that the 2018 state assessment scores have finally been released by KSDE, this statement by the Kansas Supreme Court can be, pardon the expression, put to the test. That is because K-12 spending in the 2017-18 school year increased by more than $400 million, a 6.7% increase, to $13,620 per pupil. Despite the spike
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Here We Go Again: Deficit Spending Could Lead To Billion Dollar Tax Hike 0
- Tax & Spending
- December 5, 2018
Updated estimates from the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) show Kansans could be on the hook. This time for a massive $1.1 billion tax increase over the next four years. This tax increase does not include the $600 million tax increase approved by the state legislature this past session. This year, the state’s revenue estimate
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Schools misinterpret ‘efficiency’ in WestEd study 0
- Education
- November 1, 2018
The WestEd school funding cost study commissioned earlier this year by the Kansas legislature has been cited by some education officials as saying school efficiency is very high, meaning there is little room to reduce costs in the state’s 286 school districts. But that’s a misinterpretation. Dr. Lori Taylor, lead author of the study, graciously
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KC Star made false accusations about school funding 0
- Featured
- October 26, 2018
A recent Kansas City Star editorial said, “when adjusted for inflation, spending per-pupil in 2018, at $8,771, is right about where it was in the 1990s.” No explanation was provided for that obviously false claim, but it was attributed to a school lobbyist. Data from the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE), however, says school funding
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Tallman Report’s pretzel logic justifies high education spending 0
- Education
- October 25, 2018
The McMillan Dictionary defines pretzel logic as Faulty or circular reasoning that does not stand up to scrutiny That definition fits a recent Tallman Report to the proverbial T. After years and years of being in denial, Mr. Tallman finally concedes that education spending has, indeed, risen drastically in the past quarter-century. Why the sudden
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Kansas Freedom Index provides legislative transparency 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 22, 2018
Speaking at a gathering of legislators and policy experts from multiple states recently, I was asked why the Republican-dominated Kansas legislature raised taxes last year instead of making government more efficient. In response, I asked, “What’s a Republican?” We all had a good chuckle, but the sad truth is that party labels don’t mean much
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