New funding not available for classroom spending
All Funds and Total Expenditures
The State argues funding has increased and schools are spending at record levels. The state’s argument fails.
Funding has increased in some areas, but the increased amounts are not necessarily available for classroom purposes and are not available to all Districts.
1. Federal Aid increased temporarily replacing state dollars.
Federal Aid increased significantly (ARRA funding) in 2010 and 2011. But State dollars decreased by even more, and total funding was down those years.
Federal Aid was about 7% of total funding in 2009 and was 8% of total funding in 2015.
2. Federal Aid is targeted dollars, including food assistance.
Total Federal Aid has increased $96M since 2009. But this is targeted aid that is tied to specific programs or districts. Looking at the total federal aid does not determine what is available for programs in all districts.
For example, Federal Food Assistance increased by $79M between 2009 and 2015. That accounts for the majority of the $96M increase in Federal Funding! This money is limited by the feds to food service.
3. KPERS Funding Decreased, then Increased, then Decreased, then Increased.
In 2015 KPERS funding was up by 45% or $108M over the 2009 amount.
Funding for KPERS has not been steady, and is an accounting pass-through for districts. The legislature has simply funded what they felt they could afford in any given year and the increases and decreases to KPERS have not changed the dollars available to be spent by Districts in their classrooms to meet the Rose standards.
4. Increased Local funding available to a few districts.
In 2009, the local mill levies available for Cost of Living, Ancillary and Declining Enrollment brought in $20M for only 7 districts. In 2015 this funding had increased to $45M for only 7 districts. These are purely local dollars available to a select few districts, with no equalization available. These local dollars have more than doubled since 2009, but this has not increased budgets for the majority of districts. These increases are simply not available for all districts to use to meet the Rose standards.
5. Additional LOB available to a few districts.
In 2009 the additional 1% LOB available to districts only with taxpayer approval amounted to $5M for only 5 districts. By 2015 the extra 1% LOB had become an extra 3% LOB, and it raised $23M for only 29 districts. These increases provided extra funding to some districts, but did not provide additional funding to the majority of districts.
These increases have simply not been available to all districts, to help them succeed in their classrooms to meet the Rose standards.
Schools for Fair Funding 