Tag: Dave Trabert
Mark Janus testifies in support of Kansas public employees
When Mark Janus began work as a child support specialist for the state of Illinois, no one ever asked him…
Universities largely to blame for tuition hikes, not Legislature
Kansas college students are incurring a lot more debt to pay tuition and fees than they were a decade ago,…
Kansas Sales Tax 8th Highest in the Nation
Kansas has the eighth highest state and local average sales tax rate, according to a new study from the Tax…
Shocker: Lawrence Paper Misleads on Property Tax Increase
Carrying the water for government, the Lawrence Journal-World claims that the Lawrence school district is reducing property taxes. That claim…
Only One-Third of Public School Eighth Graders Proficient in Math
Two-thirds, or 67 percent, of American public school eighth graders aren’t proficient in math, according to the 2017 National Assessment…
Colyer Calls on Legislature to Adopt Plan That May Require Tax Increase
Gov. Jeff Colyer is calling on lawmakers to adopt a Kansas House school financing plan that would add $500 million…
Lawmakers Forward $500M Education Plan Likely To Require Tax Increases
A committee of lawmakers forwarded a proposal that would increase school funding by about $500 million over the next 5…
Study Recommendation: Enormous Piles of Fresh Cash for Public Schools
Lawmakers got a preview of an education finance study commissioned to assist them in drafting a new school funding mechanism.…
Why Did Tax Cuts Work In NC, IN, and TN But Not in Kansas?
The question that Kansas Policy Institute President Dave Trabert raises in his new book, “What Was Really the Matter with…
Gov. Colyer Outlines School Funding Objectives in Speech
In his second major speech in two weeks, Gov. Jeff Colyer addressed what he called “the elephant in the room.”…
Voters Want School Accountability, Kansas Policy Institute Poll Reveals
Kansas voters want schools to be held accountable for educational outcomes, a new poll reveals. In the poll, commissioned by…
Hutch District Sitting on Large Cash Reserve Balance
The Hutchinson School District, a plaintiff in the Gannon lawsuit, is maintaining cash reserves of almost half of the district…
State Funds But School Boards Decide How Money Is Spent
Despite an influx of state aid to public schools, some districts will spend less on instruction as a percentage of their total…
College Readiness Scores Stagnant; Former Rep. Calls Information “Inaccurate”
The Kansas Department of Education released state assessment scores last week and the results weren’t good. They showed that only…
Supreme Court Rejects School Funding Model It Once Used
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional lawmakers’ most recent attempt at a school financing formula, in part, because the formula…
KS Supreme Court Rules New School Funding Inadequate, Inequitable
Lawmakers have until April 30 to craft a new school financing formula. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled legislators’ latest school…
SFFF Lawyers Clean Up with $7M from Schools
School districts funneled more than $7 million in taxpayer funding to attorneys who sued the state for additional taxpayer money.…
Blue Valley District So Poor It Spent $130K in Legal Fees to Deny a Student Books
The Blue Valley School District is so poor officials spent $130,000 in legal fees trying to get out of an…
Former Budget Director Spins State Spending Tall Tale
Former Kansas budget director Duane Goossen fired up the spin yesterday in a guest column for the Wichita Eagle. Goossen…
Schools Demand More Funding in KS Supreme Court Brief
Attorneys who sued the state for additional school funding filed a brief saying a newly-adopted funding formula falls short of adequacy.…
Signs of K-12 Education Overspending Abound
There’s a possibility that some public schools spend more than necessary. Though that sort of blasphemy is rarely discussed in polite…
Special Senate Committee Debates School Finance
An averaging choice, district accountability concerns, and a decision to give full-ride scholarships to out-of-state students in Kansas public schools…
Kansas Tax Credit Scholarship Program Under Fire
A small scholarship program that allows some kids in failing schools to attend private schools is under fire in the…
Garden City Schools Reject Efficiency Recommendations
The Garden City School District could save between $1.1 million and $1.5 million annually with limited impact to students, a legislative…