4th Edition of "Money Talk"
by Larry R. Combs, Superintendent
March 13, 2009
Money Talk—4th Edition
March 12, 2009
There has been a great deal of rhetoric and talk since the last “Money Talk” news article, unfortunately not a great deal of progress. There is little substantial facts to report as it relates to school funding for the 2009-2010 school year. At this point, all things remain in the realm of "speculation" and not in the reality of fact.
The Governor’s Budget Amendment (GBA) that you may have read about in the local newspapers is currently working its way through the political process. In simplest terms, IF this proposal were accepted school districts in Kansas would not encounter the deep spending cuts (5% to 10%+) that have been discussed in the media and this news article.
There are dollars in the federal stimulus package that are specifically designated to be used for K-12 education. In using the dollars in this manner, the state would be able to avoid substantial cuts in K-12 education for next school year. The governor has recommended moving forward with funding schools utilizing the federal stimulus dollars. We are now awaiting the approval of the Kansas House and Kansas Senate.
Although the use of the federal stimulus dollars would alleviate major cuts (5% plus) in K-12 education in Kansas the $37,215 that was cut for the current school year will also be cut for the 2009-2010 school year. Also, the additional dollars that were allotted for the 2009-2010 school year when the Legislature approved the funding package last spring (2008) will not be available for next year due to the current financial situation.
In other words, regardless of how the school finance issue is resolved, school districts will have fewer dollars to work with next year than last year. The question that remains to be answered is how many less dollars schools will have to work with. That question will probably not have an answer until mid to late April at best.
Bottom Line-- IF the Governor’s Budget Amendment is not approved by the Kansas Legislature, superintendents have been advised to expect budget cuts of 5% plus for the 2009-2010 school year. The use of the federal stimulus dollars are essential if there is to be any hope of holding K-12 education funding reasonably level for the 2009-2010 school year.
The reality is that the federal stimulus dollars have been approved at the federal level. Whether a person agrees with the concept of the federal stimulus package the fact is that Kansans will pay for them now and in the future. It would not be wise and prudent for Kansas kids to pay for those dollars “twice”: If the federal dollars are not used to help Kansas education today, the quality of education provided for Kansas students may diminish over time AND those kids will pay for the federal stimulus package once they are adults.
Additional school finance updates will be provided as more concrete information is available. As was previously stated in this article, in all probability the school finance issue will not become clear until mid to late April at the earliest. Thanks for reading and please feel free to give me a call if you have questions over this article or other school issues.
Thanks
Larry R. Combs
Superintendent
USD #239
