Goddard superintendent: Legislature hasn’t solved school funding

I am president of Schools for Fair Funding, a coalition of school districts across the state representing about one-third of Kansas schoolchildren. Our member districts include Wichita and Kansas City, Kan., together with smaller districts from Atwood to Dodge City to Medicine Lodge to Salina to Coffeyville and many more.

The Kansas school system serves many students well, but all Kansas students are entitled to a quality education. This is not happening for all students.

Members of SFFF filed suit against the state when school funding cuts began. Though all schools were cut, the poor districts were cut more than the wealthy districts. This led to the Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the state has failed to equitably fund education for poorer districts.

The prorating and freezing of equalization funding under the block grants was found to be unconstitutional. Two months ago the court said the Legislature must fix the distribution of funds by July 1. Without a constitutional funding system, schools will not be allowed to open in the fall.

The latest attempt appears to simply “rename” the money that all school districts received last year, without a legitimate fix to the equity issue. Without this, the result is unthinkable. The cost of shutting down public schools across the state will be devastating and not in the best interest of our students, parents and the citizens of Kansas.

We must do better for all Kansas kids. The state must raise sufficient revenue for the education of all children.

The equity gap between wealthy and poor districts must close. Our Kansas Constitution requires no less. The current bill actually increases the equity gap by increasing the ability of wealthy districts to raise more local property taxes to get ahead.

Everyone seems to find it convenient to blame someone else in this situation. The reality is, there is no more time for this. Kansas is at its best when everyone works together. The current bill does not seem to stop the clock from ticking toward a school shutdown this fall.

If the future of Kansas and funding of public education is important to you, please take time in the next two weeks to visit with your local legislators while they are home during the legislative break.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Goddard superintendent: Legislature hasn’t solved school funding."