KSDE Archives - Kansas Policy Institute

Flawed formula overfunded special education by at least $323 million the last five years 0
- Education
- February 13, 2023
Kansas school officials say the Legislature is falling short of its statutory obligation to fund special education, but it turns out that the formula doesn’t count all the money related to special education. If all the money is counted, the Legislature provided at least $323 million more than required over the last five years. The
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KSDE: School spending to exceed $17,000 per student this year 0
- Education
- January 20, 2023
The Kansas Department of Education estimates that school districts will spend $17,358 per student this year. Actual spending for the 2022 school year was $16,993. A review of the 25 largest districts based on enrollment shows budgeted spending ranging from a low of around $13,000 per student for Andover to more than $24,000 for Salina,
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More school districts disregard the building needs assessment law 0
- Education
- December 22, 2022
In September of 2022, we wrote about 27 districts that ignored all or part of the state law requiring an annual needs assessment of every school in Kansas. Thirteen of those districts hadn’t published the reports online as required, so we checked again earlier this month. Three districts – Auburn-Washburn, De Soto, and Garden City
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Inflation-adjusted school funding +52%, teacher pay down 9%0
- Education
- May 12, 2022
Allegations of low teacher pay is used to urge legislators for more funding, but money is not the problem or the answer. (For the record, Kansas was #38 in 2019, but adjusted for the cost of living, Kansas was #15). Data from the National Center for Education Statistics, which come from local school districts, show
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Achievement gaps persist despite KSDE claims 0
- Tax & Spending
- December 13, 2021
Deputy Commissioner of Education Brad Neuenswander last week told legislators that achievement gaps began to close after funding was "restored," but as is often the case with KSDE, both claims were misleading. Funding was increased, not cut, and achievement gaps have remained persistently wide. Legislators were told that proficiency – Levels 3 and 4 onREAD MORE
KSDE deceives legislators about student achievement 0
- Education
- December 9, 2021
It’s pretty telling when student achievement is so low that the Kansas Department of Education will only talk about it in generalities. Testimony presented by Deputy Commissioner Bran Neuenswander said state assessment scores were on a decline between 2015 and 2018, began to “level off” in 2019, but then fell in 2021. (The assessment wasn’t
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