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Funding cuts hurt taxpayers

John Heim - Emporia superintendent of schools

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

By John Heim

Emporia Schools Superintendent

Kansas schools have been hit with another round of funding cuts by the state. School districts and post-secondary institutions now must make mid-year adjustments that will reduce services for students. Since August 2008, Emporia’s general fund budget has been reduced by 10 percent.

The sad fact about these cuts is the domino effect they have on local taxes and student achievement. History tells us that when the state fulfills its constitutional responsibilities as outlined by the Supreme Court, Emporia students, staff and taxpayers benefit.

The 2006 Montoy Supreme Court ruling was good for Emporia taxpayers. When the state has increased Base State Aid per Pupil, the local mill levy has gone down. In 2009-10, state funding was reduced, which forced an increase in the local mill levy to raise less money than the district had before. See chart A.

The Supreme Court ruling also was good for Emporia Students. A Cost Study Analysis conducted by the Legislative Division of Post Audit for the State of Kansas found “a strong relationship between the amount districts spend and the outcomes they achieve.” The study reported “a 1-percent increase in district performance outcomes was associated with a .83-percent increase in spending.”

In Emporia, the results have been even better. See chart B.

Finally, the Supreme Court ruling was good for Emporia Staff. Average teacher salaries and base teacher salaries increased during the time that the state was funding its responsibility according to the court. The numbers below in parentheses represents the state ranking with 1 being highest and 295 being the lowest. At the same time, pupil-teacher ratios (PTR) decreased significantly. See Chart C.

Why is Kansas in such bad financial shape? Tax cuts and exemptions have dramatically decreased state revenues. Using 1995 as a baseline year, the 2010 State Budget includes $869.2 million in net tax reductions. Other states are faring much better. A total of 29 states were projected to have K-12 funding increases when American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money was included. These states include Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Nebraska.

In 2006, when the legislature passed the funding increases for schools, it was known that there would be at least a $427 million budget deficit in 2009. No steps were taken to raise the revenue needed to cover the known expenses for K-12 education. This was before the recession.

Since 1995 the legislature has passed a succession of tax cuts resulting in a total annual reduction in state revenues of more than $1.1 billion per year. The tax cuts have been allowed to continue, even with the knowledge that the state cannot meet its obligations.

Conservatives and liberals agree that nothing is more important than education. The people of Kansas thought it so important that it is a fundamental part of our constitution. The legislature’s research arm found that spending and outcomes are strongly correlated. The Kansas Supreme Court agreed. Emporia’s taxpayers, students, and staff all benefit from a strong state-based funding system. It is essential that we not allow our education system to go into decline, but do as the constitution requires and continue to improve.

Comments

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

It's a very simple formula, continual population increase logically equates to continual increase in funding to match. Looks to me like regardless of what the economy did that this was coming in some way, shape or form, and the powers that be chose not to deal with it, thus the kids suffer and people lose their jobs.

December 2, 2009 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...

I don't see how you can say it was good in 2006 for the taxpayers, or am I missing something. We are the people paying the taxes and supporting the schools. I don't know of anyone who likes to live on less money, but alot of people are living on 25% or more less, and you want us to feel sorry for you? What is needed is a major overhaul of our education system. We have way to many chiefs and not enough people doing the work. We let our state, and the feds fund our schools instead of keeping it here at home and now we are paying for it. If we are sued by the schools again, we should dissolve the schools districts and start over.

December 2, 2009 at 5:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

But, we are going to have a nice new artificial turf field !
Hooray ! Sarcasm, fully intended !
Priorities, Priorities, Priorities, based on importance and need, instead of wants ! Again, sarcasm, fully intended !

December 2, 2009 at 5:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justaflushaway (anonymous) says...

its just another smoke that he is blowing out his butt.

STOP the sports crap for a few years and tell the coaches to go get a damn job some where else and also the assistants and their assistants, its no damn wonder the students and the tax payers suffer and you Heim cant see past your nose, wake the hell up before its to late.

December 2, 2009 at 10:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

I really don't understand just what it is we are receiving in return for all the money we are spending on sports. If we want sports teams at the public school level they should be privately funded and conducted off school property. The expenditure and attention given to high school sports far exceeds the return......

Just look at the space and attention devoted to high school sports by The Gazette as an example......but if a high school student receives a merit scholarship they are lucky to get one paragraph buried next to the legal publications.

If we don't want to fund sports privately then let the NFL, the MBA, the MLB, and the PGA pay for them. They and the equipment providers are about the only ones that ultimately profit from them. You talk about your welfare......here's a case for you. All the taxpayer money spent to keep Spaulding and the other equipment manufacturers in business so they can provide equipment to the pro's free or at cost. Figure that one.

December 3, 2009 at 4:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

I need to clarify one thing. I am not opposed to intramural or recreational sports in the schools as they are valuable tools in teaching leadership and teamwork. Both of which are important skills in the real world. But all the money spent to build and sustain competitive inter-scholastic sports benefit only a handful of students while giving the rest of them little more than occasional bragging rights.

December 3, 2009 at 6:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Ever notice that when times are hard, (and they are right now), that Joe and Jane Taxpayer seems to take the hit. No raises, hours of work reduced or more duties added to their work. Health insurance rates go up, wages go down. the worst, fired or layed off from their jobs.

John and Jane just lost their jobs and health insurance and when their un-employment checks run out they will probably lose their home.

Then you have someone who's job is funded by taxpayer dollars telling us we are not paying enough in taxes to support their work.
John Heim, get a clue.

Yesterday I listened as a caller on the KVOE blog complained about court workers being furloughed and how can they be expected to make their house payments with those days off?

My reply would be, cut back on your expenses and be damned glad you STILL HAVE A JOB, and a home!

Times are hard and they are only going to get harder. It is time we all share in the hardship.

It may be time to rethink the wages paid to School Superintendents and Judges, and let them feel our pain.

December 3, 2009 at 8:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

Reminds me of the last time the county was trying to con us into another tax increase. The road department boss was on the radio telling me how much fuel prices had gone up and what a hardship that was causing them and how I should vote to raise my taxes to help them out. Of course it was irrelevant that my fuel prices had also gone up causing me a hardship as well.....and that my hours had been cut.

December 3, 2009 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

I, like you biscuitboy, don' t see any specific return on sports at the public school level, especially the intermediate and high school level , except bragging rights for the school and one or two of the schools athletes who just might get an athletic scholarship to a college. And the only ones who really get any kind of return on sports at the college and professional level are the athletic equipment suppliers, the athlete, who may, if lucky, be one of the athletes who will go on to a professional atheletic career, with the rediculous amount of pay, endorsement pay and the at the college level the only one/ones who will reap any rewards from sports are the colleges, who recieve donations, some pretty large donations, from the alumnus fondations and moneys from game ticket sales and at times some of the college athletes will also recieve, lets call it gratuities from either an alumnus foundation, alumnus or the college itself . The same holds true for the professional " GAME " , only difference is the professional athlete does benefit from the " GAME " by being paid at times, in some instances, a rediculous sum of money, both by playing the " GAME " and from endorsements and the owners of the " TEAM " get a return from ticket sales and the selling of T.V. rights to the " GAME ".
You see sports and the playing of the " GAME " in most or all instances has become nothing more than an enterprise for the sake of " PROFIT " and " BRAGGING RIGHTS " ! In plain english " SPORTS " has become and is nothing more than " BIG BUSINESS " and at times a not so clean, upstanding and forthright business, just as in other corpororate or business worlds !

December 3, 2009 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Steve Corbin
Amen brother, I agree with your comment completely !
Everyone is going to or needs to realize that the " Squeeze " is on and every one is going to have to " Tighten " their proverbial " Belt " and I do mean everyone, that includes the school district, its administrators, the City, its Commissioners, the County, its Commissioners, as well as their respective employees !
My sister, who has worked for Walmart for over 20 years, was notified, just Monday, that beginning Dec. 11th her hours would be cut by 1 hr. per day, possibly more ! Which means she will get approx. $ 250.00 per month less, but we will deal with it. And God willing we will make it thru this trying time !
Mr. John Heim, in his speech to the taxpayers of Emporia and Lyon County did not actually say the words " RAISE TAXES " or " TAX MIL LEVY INCREASE ", however the plea for raising taxes and a tax mil levy increase was there just the same.
Mr. Heim, this is not the past, but 2009 heading for 2110 and times have changed, not for the better, but for the worse !
You just received $ 6.8 million dollars by way of a government grant and have seen fit to spend $ 1.6 million of it on, as far as I am concerned, absolutely nothing ! And now you are hinting at a tax increase for taxpayers !

December 3, 2009 at 9:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )