Instruction & Services – Kansas Association of School Boards

09 Apr

185 Kansas public schools win Challenge Awards for raising student achievement facing significant challenges

TOPEKA — The Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force has named 185 schools in 98 Kansas public school districts as recipients of the 2018 Challenge Awards. The awards recognize Kansas schools that are making a notable difference in student achievement despite facing significant challenges in their school population. Since its inception in 2002, nearly 1,700 awards have been presented to schools across the state. Certificates of Merit will be presented to schools by Kansas State Board of Education members. The Challenge Award recognizes schools for outstanding achievement and uncommon accomplishments based on Kansas assessment results in math and reading, graduation rates, [...]

Newsroom, Instruction & Services, Local Boards, Student Issues

04 Apr

KASB Daily Education Report, Thur. April 4

Kansas legislators on Thursday sent to Gov. Laura Kelly a bi-partisan school funding plan that supporters said they believe will satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court direction to add an inflation adjustment to earlier funding increases. Kelly indicated she would sign SB 16 into law and send it to the court for inspection, tweeting that the Legislature “took an important step today towards addressing the needs of our students, supporting our teachers and fully funding our schools. I’m proud this reasonable commonsense plan was embraced with bipartisan support today. Kansans want us to work together to move Kansas forward. “By investing in [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, State Board of Ed, Teacher Issues

04 Apr

KASB urges support of school finance agreement

The Kansas Association of School Boards commends House and Senate leaders on the agreement on school finance and educational policy in SB 16. We urge the House and Senate to accept this conference committee report. KASB believes the plan should bring Kansas school funding back to the inflation-adjusted level of 2009. When school funding was increased after the Montoy case beginning in 2006, measures of student outcomes – graduation rates, state and national test scores, college readiness, postsecondary attendance and completion – all increased. However, during the past decade, Kansas K-12 funding fell behind the cost of living, per pupil funding [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, Safety and Security, State Board of Ed

02 Apr

April issue of School Board Review focuses on upcoming school board elections, safety drill

This year is an election year for school board members and the April issue of School Board Review includes a four-page, pull-out section dedicated to people who want to run for their local board. The section includes information on what school board members do, why the positions are so important for the success of Kansas students and how to file to run for office. Also in the April issue is a special report on a recent crisis drill conducted by Auburn-Washburn USD 437. We hope the story, which illustrates the collaboration between school and emergency responders, helps districts that are contemplating [...]

KASB Updates, Board of Directors, School Board Review, President's Perspective, Leadership for Tomorrow - 2018, KASB BOLD, Newsroom, Federal Issues, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Professional Personnel, Student Issues, Safety and Security

02 Apr

Education leaders urged to contact members of House-Senate conference committee on SB 16

School leaders are urged to contact members of the House-Senate conference committee on SB 16 to respond to questions from committee members, who remained far apart Monday after three meetings. In fact, the committee is somewhat divided on what it should even be discussing, because the House heavily amended SB 16 to include numerous education policy provisions but never passed a bill with actual school funding appropriations or a response to the Gannon lawsuit. The Senate, on the other hand, passed SB 142, adopting an inflation adjustment to last year’s school funding bill in response to the Kansas Supreme Court. [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, State Board of Ed

27 Mar

Status of education bills as House and Senate take break

As the full House and Senate go on a short break until Monday, here is the status of major education bills. Education advocates are urged to contact their legislators to talk about K-12 finance, resolving the Gannon lawsuit and the many policy provisions in SB 16. On funding, KASB urges support of SB 142, which includes the four-year inflation adjustment supported by the State Board of Education, Gov. Laura Kelly and the Senate. KASB opposes HB 2395. On policy provisions, KASB opposes many of the provisions of SB 16. House – No action on Substitute for HB 2395 (Funding); leaves [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, Safety and Security, State Board of Ed, Teacher Issues

27 Mar

KASB Daily Education Roundup, Tue. March 26

After passing an education policy bill, SB 16, with multiple requirements for school reporting, studies and program requirements, the Kansas House adjourned Tuesday without voting on how to respond to the Gannon school finance case. No vote is scheduled for today, and the House will not meet again until Monday, with the adjournment of the regular Legislative session April 5. The Kansas Senate has already passed a bill, SB 142, that adjusts school district foundation aid to add about $90 million a year to the five-year funding plan approved last session to meet the inflation adjustment requested by the Kansas [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, Safety and Security, State Board of Ed, Teacher Issues

26 Mar

Late breaking: House approves SB 16 on 63-61 vote

Despite opposition from education groups, including KASB, and school districts, the Kansas House on Tuesday approved SB 16, which would make numerous policy changes. The 63-61 vote sends the bill back to the Senate for consideration. Here is a link to the vote tally. Pushed by House GOP leaders, SB 16 emerged heavily amended from the House K-12 Education Budget Committee. KASB supports some of the changes, but opposes others, including removal of the 92 percent of excess special education funding target and new requirements on local transportation policies. In addition, KASB said SB 16 should not have been considered until the [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues

26 Mar

Roberts to co-sponsor measure fully funding IDEA

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts is a co-sponsor of a federal bill to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) over 10 years. Bipartisan bills are scheduled to be introduced today in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Roberts, R-Kansas, who announced he will retire from the Senate when his current term ends in 2020, remarked recently that he would like to see IDEA fully funded before he leaves office. The IDEA governs special education services nationwide and in Kansas by seeking to ensure that disabled students have the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. The [...]

Newsroom, Federal Issues, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Student Issues

26 Mar

KASB Daily Education Roundup, Mon. March 25

The Kansas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to SB 16 shortly before midnight and then adjourned before taking up HB 2395. The House will take final action on SB 16 Tuesday (March 26) and HB 2395 was listed as last among a list of 15 measures up for possible debate. SB 16 contains numerous education policy provisions and HB 2395 is the House GOP leadership’s school finance plan. School board members are urged to contact their legislators through text or phone calls to encourage them to vote against both bills. The House advanced SB 16 on a 63-60 vote. Since it takes [...]

Newsroom, Financing Schools, Instruction & Services, Kansas Legislature, Local Boards, Student Issues, Safety and Security, State Board of Ed