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Report: New Proposal Cuts Money For Poorest School Districts, Protects Wealthiest

Larry Darling, flickr Creative Commons

A proposal for changing how Kansas public schools are funded appears to cut money from most of the state's poorest school districts while protecting the wealthiest.

The Topeka Capital-Journal examined the effect of a Republican plan to replace the state's existing per-student formula for distributing its money to 286 school districts, which is currently designed to ensure that poor districts don't fall behind wealthy ones.

The measure incorporates Governor Sam Brownback's proposal to give districts "block grants" - based on their current funding - until lawmakers can write a new formula during the next two years.

The newspaper review found that many of the reductions in the plan are achieved by shrinking a type of state aid meant to help less wealthy school districts that aren't able to raise as much money with property taxes.

According to The Capital-Journal's analysis of the block grant plan, it appears 90 percent of the state's richest districts - those that don't qualify for the so-called "equalization" because their per-pupil tax bases are strong - would gain state aid for operational expenses.

By contrast, 80 percent of the poorest districts would lose money, about $170,000 on average.

Brownback spokeswoman Eileen Hawley didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Statewide, the median school district would lose about 0.8 percent of its state aid in three key operational and maintenance funds.

But the losses would vary. The Topeka, Wichita and Olathe districts, for example, would lose about 2 percent each. The Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission districts would lose less than half of 1 percent.

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