The Annual Eggs and Issues event at AdventHealth Ottawa last week, brought together local leaders, educators, and community advocates to hear from Dr. Frank Harwood, Deputy Commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education, on the complexities of school funding and what’s ahead for Kansas school districts. He says the KSDE is often misunderstood in their role. Contrary to common belief, they do not create day-to-day curriculum or dictate how teachers instruct in the classroom. A big part of the presentation had to do with Kansas’ current school funding model, which is set to expire on July 1, 2027. It was adapted in 2017 following a series of court rulings that deemed prior formulas unconstitutional, was designed to address equity and adequacy across Kansas school districts. It introduced a base aid per pupil amount and various weightings to account for factors like bilingual education, low enrollment, and at-risk students.
The questions is, should the sunset date be amended so it doesn’t expire or a new model be created. Harwood says last year the legislature voted to create the education funding task force, which is charged with reviewing the current funding formula, studying alternative models from other states, and making recommendations for a new school finance system. Big decisions for public education in the coming year.
