Wichita United States dollars 259 requested $1 million in extraordinary needs funding to offset costs associated with a growing population of students who are refugees from other countries but was denied, according to a Wichita Eagle report.
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“It is very important that extraordinary need funding is available to those school districts that truly have an extraordinary need for the funding”, the letter said. “Two percent? That would be extraordinary”, says Brownback.
That law authorizes the State Finance Council, a group made up of the governor and legislative leaders, to receive applications for the money and decide how to distribute it. The State Finance Council will meet in October to address the funding request from Wichita schools once enrollment numbers for refugees are clarified and for further discussion on possible additional funding for the Moscow, Quinter, Deerfield and Garden City school districts.
Under the previous formula, they would not have received additional LOB state aid in this current school year.
Some superintendents are asking for additional funding due to falling oil and gas prices, which caused a drop in collected taxes.
Critics of that plan have complained that it makes no provision for enrollment growth or changes in local property valuation.
“It isn’t going to be sufficient to cover all of that”, Smith said.
Numerous questions asked by lawmakers on the state’s finance council concentrated on just how much districts are spending in the classroom.
“The block grant bill is designed to be a bridge to a new system for financing education in Kansas”.
But Democrats on the panel remained harshly critical of the process. “We will cut somewhere else to make sure we can give the kids what they need, that’s what we do”.
Dozens of Kansas school districts will be getting money from the state for this year’s budget, but not almost as much as they asked for. KCK school officials say they are committed to keeping class sizes down and plan to hire new teachers whether they receive the money or not.
KAKE News is reporting the council approved $4 million from the state’s “Extraordinary Needs Fund” to 22 districts with declining property valuations and another $2 million for 13 districts whose student populations have increased.
After reviewing the applications, Sullivan recommended setting some thresholds for funding. Districts with increased enrollment under 2 percent were ruled ineligible for funds.
Sullivan also recommended not funding requests based on losses due to property tax appeal lawsuits.
The districts had submitted requests for aid totaling $15.07 million.
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But for the requests based on enrollment growth, Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, pushed to set the threshold higher, requiring at least 2 percent growth before qualifying for the additional aid. “Two percent can easily be accommodated in the classroom without additional personnel”.
