Financing

Kansas to phase in funding boost for schools; court to rule on plan’s constitutionality

Tim Anderson

Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 02:21 PM

Over the next five years, the state of Kansas will invest an additional half-billion dollars in its K-12 schools as the result of legislation signed into law earlier this year. “The amount of money that we have committed to spend is, at least, approaching an appropriate level,” says Kansas Rep. Melissa Rooker, noting that legislators already had increased state funding by $300 million during the 2017 session.

Finding that “appropriate level,” not only in the eyes of the Legislature but also the state Supreme Court, has dominated discussion in Topeka for the past several years. Last October, following passage of legislation in 2017, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state still had not proven the constitutionality of its finance system.

Evaluating the Role of States in Federal Education Programs

Elizabeth Whitehouse Leah Byers

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 03:28 PM

K-12 public education in the U.S. is funded primarily by state and local governments. In fact, only about 8 percent of elementary and secondary education spending comes from the federal government.

The End of Lunch Shaming and the Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act: 5 Questions with Senator Michael Padilla

Matthew Shafer

Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 11:35 AM

As a student, New Mexico senator Michael Padilla had to mop floors, clean tables, and set up chairs in order to receive his lunch. This type of “lunch shaming” is what New Mexico’s SB 374 or Hunger Free Students’ Bill of Rights Act seeks to eliminate from public schools.

More money, more evidence being used to revamp school aid in some Midwest states

Katelyn Tye-Sko...

Monday, January 23, 2017 at 01:33 PM

K-12 education consistently makes up the largest share of state general fund spending each year, hovering between 34 percent and 36 percent since 1996, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. In fiscal year 2015, more than $260 billion went to elementary and secondary education. Although no two states distribute education dollars exactly the same way, the vast majority of funding formulas are built around a “foundation” or “base” amount of funding that is the minimum each student receives.

Special Education School Vouchers: A Look at Southern States

Mikko Lindberg

Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 12:00 AM

This SLC Regional Resource examines the strategies taken by Southern states to increase school options for special education students through the implementation of state-funded school voucher programs, focusing on their many forms and variations, and addresses school voucher programs that provide direct payments or reimbursements to private alternative schools or parents and legal guardians, respectively.

Proposal seeks $8,000 raise for teachers in South Dakota

Tim Anderson

Monday, December 21, 2015 at 11:23 AM

The state with the lowest average teacher pay in the nation has a new plan to boost yearly salaries by $8,000. South Dakota’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Teachers and Students released its final recommendations in November. Led by legislators, the task force included participation by teachers, school administrators, and state fiscal and education leaders.

Lingering Effects of the Recession on State Education Funding

Adam Henken

Friday, June 6, 2014 at 12:08 PM

A recent report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) revealed that education is still feeling the economic sting of the recession. State budgets reflect per pupil expenditures in 35 states are lower than in 2007-2008 when adjusted for inflation, and 14 states have effectively cut funding per student by over 10 percent in the last six years.

Higher Education Tuition and State Funding in the West

Alma Lopez

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 02:06 PM

During the recession many states had to make hard decisions regarding higher education funding and tuition at public universities. According to the 2013-2014 Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West report by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the enrollment-weighted average tuition and fees for residents and non-residents was higher for four-year institutions over previous years; while lower at two-year institutions.

State Budget Woes Hit Teacher Professional Development

Jennifer Ginn

Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 12:00 AM

The Odyssey School in Denver is a unique school with a common problem—like many schools across the country, the school’s funding level has dropped. Odyssey, a charter school that has 225 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, focuses on project-based learning, which often takes classes outside of the school building. Students are just as likely to be taking water samples from a local river as they are to be sitting at tables discussing the pros and cons of randomized drug trial statistics in math class.

New Race to the Top Competition Targets Local Schools

Tim Weldon

Friday, August 24, 2012 at 10:12 AM

Following three rounds of Race to the Top grants awarded to more than 20 states, the U.S. Department of Education is poised to award an additional $400 million in the next round of RTTT funding. This time, however, the money is being earmarked to local schools districts, not states. The US DOE has announced it will award 15-25 grants to support school districts in implementing local education reforms that personalize instruction, close achievement gaps, and take advantage of 21st century tools that prepare each student for college and careers.

Financing

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