By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Officials with the Kansas Association of School Boards were in Hays on Tuesday morning to talk about changing state standards and school funding.
Mark Tallman, KASB associate executive director of advocacy, led the discussion.
“We have never been as well educated as a society as we are now,” Tallman said. “We have never in a time in Kansas history had more people who have graduated from high school, who have gone on to some level of college, who have advanced degrees.
“We are doing better than we have ever been, and yet, all the evidence is we are going to have to get better.”
The state board of education has adopted new standards for education success in Kansas, which it has dubbed Kansans Can.
This includes kindergarten readiness, improving graduation rates, improving successful postsecondary completion, individual plans of study, and addressing social and emotional needs of students.
The Kansas Legislature has linked some of its funding to these goals and, for the first time in 10 years, has increased funding slightly over the rate of inflation.
After years of at best “treading water” and making cuts or losing positions, districts have the ability to start restoring and beginning thinking ahead, Tallman said.
The new accreditation system that starts this year based on the Kansans Can vision is the biggest change in accreditation since the early 1990s, he said.
Tallman said moving beyond standards that solely focus on reading and math seems to be what people are wanting, and educators see it as a step in the right direction.
The new accreditation model will include data on post-secondary success. Those baseline numbers were made public to the state board of education as of July.
Tallman noted during the question-and-answer period, the results of the investments and system changes schools are making today will take time to register. How well students have been prepared for success in college or how improved kindergarten readiness has improved success for elementary children may not be known for another four to five years.
Tallman noted there is a need to express to the public they are receiving a return on their investment in schools, and it is up to local administrators and boards to show the positive results of school changes as soon as possible.
During the question-and-answer period, Hays Superintendent John Thissen said Hays and many districts across the state will be using the increase in state funding to fill holes that were created during the last five to 10 years.
“We agree one of the items for emotional health is critical, but I also think most districts including Hays somewhere in the past five years cut counselors, so one of the items already is to hire back a counselor or two counselors. I don’t think that is uncommon across the state,” Thissen said. “Some people are going to view that as new money. … It’s not. It is getting them back to where we were five years ago. It is very difficult. I understand what you are saying of what are doing to make things better, but part of what we are trying to do right off the bat is we’re trying to put back together what had been dismantled.”
The state will be supporting 14 schools in seven districts to be innovative schools for improvement. Tallman said these schools will be public guinea pigs for the state’s school redesign plans.
“I know the state board and commissioner are very excited about this because they see it as a way to move more quickly into looking at how we need to change to better meet the needs of children who are not doing as well,” Tallman said. “At the same time, I keep stressing the challenge is how do we continue to serve well the kids who are doing well. I think sometimes that is the biggest thing we face when we talk about making changes in education.”
Thissen said the Hays district will not be making an application to participate in the program. He said the state is asking schools to participate in this program, but not necessarily providing additional funds to provide for the changes that will be necessary.
Tallman discussed a report released by KASB in July that looked at the return on investment for K-12 education.
The report indicated Kansas is projected to have among the highest percentages of jobs requiring post-secondary education by 2020 in the nation.
The report also said income went up and unemployment went down based on education level achieved. The median weekly wage for someone who graduates high school is $692, whereas the median weekly wage for someone with a bachelor’s degree is $1,156.
Based on 2015 numbers, the report estimated improved education levels have added $5.7 billion in salaries and wages for Kansas residents compared to 1990 levels.
The reported said this is more than double the increase in total K-12 funding since 1990, adjusted for inflation, and the increase in education levels also correlates to less spent on public assistance and prisons.
The states that have the highest rates of post-secondary education have the highest per capita incomes and the lowest rates of poverty.
The same data indicates these same states put more money into education. That specifically means more money into people — more teachers, more paras, more principals, more counselors and more administrative staff.
“When you look at states that do the best at preparing kids to be successful, they are states that have more people working to make kids be more successful,” Tallman said. “And that costs more money.”
The school funding formula passed this spring by the Legislature is supposed to be in place for the next two years, but the formula is currently under review by the Kansas Supreme Court.
Tallman said he did not know when the Supreme Court will have a decision on the funding formula, but suggested districts move forward using the current law as a basis for their budget planning.
“The court may say the money is not enough. I think our position is, and our position is up to what our members tell us, which means it is ultimately up to you, it is a good step, but it does not get a lot of indicators to where we need to be.”
After the current two-year budget, the funding formula would increase based on the Consumer Price Index.
“If we are really going to get class sizes where they need to be and counselors where we need to be, and social workers in places where they need to be, and we are really going to fund career tech ed where it needs to be,” Tallman said. “It is going to have to be more than just keeping up with the CPI.”