KPI On K-12 Lawsuit: Basis For Funding Needed Before Rushing To Court
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May 31, 2012 - WICHITA - Today, Kansas Policy Institute president Dave Trabert issued the following statement regarding the beginning of the Gannon v. State of Kansas school finance lawsuit; the trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, June 4th.
"It will be interesting to see what basis will be used by the plaintiffs and the State of Kansas for determining adequate funding levels of schools, as no study has ever been done in Kansas that looks specifically at what it costs to achieve required outcomes and have schools organized and operating in a cost-effective manner," said Trabert.
A 2001 Augenblick & Myers (A&M) study that was the basis for Montoy v. State of Kansas was supposed to take efficiency into account but did not. A&M admitted that they deviated from their own methodology, so the court was presented with inflated numbers. A separate study from Legislative Post Audit (LPA) was released in 2006 following the Montoy decision and was also not based on the most cost-effective means of funding schools; page 2 of that LPA study states, "...we weren't directed to, nor did we try to, examine the most cost-effective way for Kansas school districts to be organized and operated."
Trabert continued, "We may not know what it costs to efficiently achieve required outcomes but there is strong evidence that the current funding formula provides schools with more money than is needed annually to educate kids. Since Montoy, districts' carryover cash reserves in current operating funds have increased by nearly 90% to $868 million. That represents about $400 million in state and local tax dollars that were used to increase cash reserves.
"Studies from around the country and our own experience here in Kansas make it clear that there is no link between funding and student achievement. States can spend a lot of money and get the same result as those that spend a lot less. The answer isn't more money, it is how the available resources are spent," concluded Trabert.
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Kansas Policy Institute is an independent think-tank that advocates for free market solutions and the protection of personal freedom for all Kansans. Our work centers on state and local economic policy with primary emphasis on education, fiscal policy and health care. We empower citizens, legislators and other government officials with objective research and creative ideas to promote a low-tax, pro-growth environment that preserves the ability of governments to provide high quality services. To speak with Kansas Policy Institute, please contact James Franko at (316) 634-0218.
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