Old school funding formula was not funded

Gov. Sam Brownback asserts that the old school funding formula “failed our students.” But the only failure of the old formula was Brownback’s failure to fund it.

The benefit of the old formula was that it gave weight to the students who needed it – those students across Kansas who struggle.

In Wichita, 75 percent of our school population are considered “at risk.” Under the former formula, poor districts received more aid because of the weightings. The extra money was used for at-risk strategies, enabling us to make tremendous gains by offering early interventions, all-day Kindergarten and other programs and by hiring additional teachers.

We were able to do much with a relatively small investment.

However, when you cut $100 from a school, the wealthier schools lost only $100, but the poorer districts lost $140. Every time there was a cut in school funding, the largest cuts came to those that needed it the most. That is why state test scores have begun to fall. There is a direct correlation.

Brownback also called for “transformative education reform” – taking public money for those lowest performing Kansas students and giving them the choice to attend non-public schools with that money.

Vouchers do not help struggling students. Research from the Kansas City charter movement indicates that the only students who are successful are those enrolled in a specific school that has millions of dollars of additional private investment. Other schools in the area show mediocre results, and many have closed their doors, leaving teachers and debts unpaid.

At the beginning of my school board tenure, Wichita also experimented with privatization, hiring the Edison Project, a national for-profit education company. Edison promised to educate our students for the same price or less, using its methods and curriculum. However, what it delivered was deceiving test scores, large class sizes to make a profit and poorly maintained buildings.

Fortunately, we canceled its contract before Edison went bankrupt, saving us from holding the bag, like other districts it served. We cleaned up its mess and sent in our best people to repair the damage.

Most charters and private schools do not have the same accountability as public schools. They are not subject to open meetings laws. They do not have publicly elected officials with the responsibility of accountability and public involvement regarding the use of tax dollars. There often is no requirement of financial audits, educational testing or accreditation.

It has served Wichita well to be leery of the quick promises of for-profit education.

Let true education experts craft a funding formula that will propel us with success into the future. The Supreme Court compels us to get it right.

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Old school funding formula was not funded."