Last month, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback asked for help on how what should be in a new school funding formula. On Thursday, he got some pretty vague suggestions from the state school board association.
Kansas lawmakers threw out the old funding formula last year and legislators will work on a new plan next year. Brownback offered no specifics when he sent a letter around two weeks ago asking for suggestions.
The Kansas Association of School Boards responded with five broad components it believes needs included: accountability, adequacy, equity, efficiency and excellence.
KASB did say lawmakers need to funnel more money into public education before excellence in Kansas schools starts to slip.
“The performance we’re getting to the resources we put in suggest that there’s a lot of efficiency in our system," said Mark Tallman with the KASB. "We think we’ve demonstrated that if you provide more resources, school districts will use them effectively and appropriately to keep moving ahead."
The vagueness of the group's suggestions isn’t surprising: The November election will determine how many more moderates and Democrats will enter the Legislature in January, and the state Supreme Court must still rule on whether public schools are being adequately funded.
