Population Losses Continue

TV station WIBW notes that population is declining in some parts of Kansas.

Nothing new there, but it’s worth remembering.

“Kansas Association of School Boards demographer Jim Hays says almost 60 percent of the state’s 300 school districts lost enrollment last year.”

Further, the report says, between 2000 and 2005, the following counties lost at least 10 percent of their population: Jewell, Geary, Greeley, Lane, Ness, Republic, Scott, and Wallace.

Expect calls for district consolidation to continue. Rather than expand districts to the size of counties, perhaps it’s time for us to start thinking of alternative ways of delivering education.

Lawsuit Dismissed

The Kansas Supreme Court has dismissed the lawsuit, Montoy v. State, that has driven state politics the last few years. It approved the plan, enacted last legislative session, to spend $541 million over three years. It suggested, however, that the recent legislation may itself be the hinge for a new court case. As one attorney for the State Board of Education said, “In school finance, the case can be over today and another filed tomorrow.”

Wichita schools plan to use the money, in part, to increase teacher funding by 11 percent.

As you’d expect, there is a lot of coverage on this decision:

The Kansas City Business Journal weighs in. “The court on Friday didn’t address the constitutionality of the funding formula contained in the latest school finance bill.”

A new lawsuit could always be filed, of course. In addition, a dormant one could be revivied. “Plaintiffs in the school case also have filed a federal lawsuit, which has been on hold pending the resolution of the state case.”

Chief Justice Kay McFarland released a statement saying “This case is not about winners and losers. It is about the children of Kansas. They will be better educated and better prepared to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing society. Kansas will be the ultimate beneficiary.”

We’re not constitutional scholars, but that sounds more like the wording of a politician than a judge.

The report from the Wichita Business Journal suggests that the court resisted a desire to impose a higher spending requirement: “We are mindful of the fact that the funding of public education is extraordinarily complex, just as we are mindful of the realities of the legislative process.” The realities, of course, were that even higher-levels of spending increase would not garner sufficient support.

The Lawrence Journal-World reminds us that the issue has been a cloud over Kansas schools and politics for seven years.

Joy, or at least relief, was widespread. Said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius: “This ruling is good news for Kansas and a welcome resolution to this case.” House Speaker Doug Mays, said “I’m relieved; somewhat surprised.”

Still, it seems that the recent funding package will be tied up in court once again. “A constitutional challenge of SB 549 must wait for another day,” said the opinion.

You may read the court’s opinion here; click here for the chief justice’s statement.

SBOE District 7 Highlights Differences in Opinion

The McPherson Sentinel offers up a review of the State Board of Education primary race in district 7, between M.T. Liggett, Donna Viola, and Ken Willard, incumbent.

Among the topics: science standards, sex-ed requirements, department commissioner Bob Corkins, charter schools, and vouchers.

Viola’s opposition to charter school expansion is based on a preference for “local control.” But what could be more “local” than a parent? It’s time for charter schools to have an alternative to the local school board when it comes time to getting an authorization.

Men Who Would Be Governor

The Kansas City Star offers soundbites from several of several candidates running for the Republican Party’s nomination for governor.

Among the interesting comments:

“He wanted larger classes in high schools so students could better compete once they began attending universities, which often have large classes.”

KE: We believe that the benefits of smaller classes can be oversold. But this may be the first time we have heard someone argue for larger classes.

“Administrators ‘are making way too much money,’ he said.”
KE: It’s probably true that some administrators are making more than many people would like. But a more important question is the number of administrators. And even more important than that is  whether schools wisely spend the rest of their budgets. Administrative salaries are but a portion of district finances.

“He said he supported automatic increases to school funding ….”

KE: This sounds kind and pro-child. But even good intentions cannot erase the problems of a bad idea. There are at least two means of providing fiscal oversight: make legislators approve funding increases, or make voters do it directly. Why would we let any unit of government get a pass on accountability?

The Latest from the Kansas Supreme Court …

… will come tomorrow, reports John Hanna, in this article printed in the Arkansas City Traveler.

More Teachers, Please?

The Lawrence Journal-World says that Kansas Schools [Are] Low on Teachers. It cites a jobs fair in which job seekers were outnumbered by hiring managers.

The article isn’t all doom and gloom however; it notes that Kansas retains more teachers after five years than the national average.
What is not mentioned in the article are several steps that policy makers can do to make teaching more attractive:

- Introduce pay for performance, pay good teachers more, and streamline the process for dismissing poorly performing teachers. These steps will give potential teachers a signal that excellence will be rewarded.

- Provide a path for alternative methods of certification.

- Eliminate the certification requirement for certain mid-career and retired professionals.

- Pay teachers in high-demand subject areas more.

Some of the readers who make wrote in the comments section of the article point to another problem: lack of respect for teachers. That’s more of a cultural problem than anything else. Changing the delivery vehicle of education–more use of distance learning, and even more fundamental changes–could be helpful, too.

Changes in Retirement System Proposed

Right now, Kansas government employees, including teachers at government-run schools, can retire as early as age 55. An idea being floated in political circles would change that.

Scott Rothschild, writing in the Lawrence Journal-World, discusses a plan being floated by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) to increase the retirement age to 65.

The reason: the rising life expectancy of  retirees is putting a strain on KPERS finances.

“Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said he supported the committee looking at changes.

‘It’s something that needs to be done,’ Tallman said.

Mark Desetti, a lobbyist for the Kansas-National Education Assn., said his group would maintain an ‘open mind.’”

For political and legal reasons, the changes, which would have to be approved by the legislature, would not be retroactive; instead, they would apply only to individuals hired after the change in law.

Improving Student Performance, Charter Schools

The Kansas City Star has a story highlighting Janet Waugh (State Board of Education incumbent) and her primary election challenger, Jesse Hall.

Waugh, the incumbent, sees steady progress in student achievement in the four counties she represents.

“For my district, education is the only escape for many children from a life of poverty or crime or, frankly, death at a young age,” she said. “I’m passionate about all children being educated.”

Waugh is right: education is very important. Children who don’t get a good education can end up in serious trouble. The costs can be high for the student and society as a whole.

Hall, however, is alarmed by the dropout rate in the district and across the state and wants schools to focus more on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

“If we can lower the dropout rate, go back and teach the basics, then we’ll have a much-improved local economy,” he said.

It’s easy to find things to agree with here as well. Drop-outs are at a scandalous rate. Too many students don’t know the basic of reading and math (see the National Assessment for Education Progress).

So how do we get there?

Hall, we learn in the article, supports making it easier for charter schools to open up. Currently, charter applications must be approved not only by the state, but by the local district.

Under the current law, anyone who wants to start a charter school must ask “Dear local school board. We’d like to open up a school that will result in some of your students leaving your schools. Their money will leave with them. How about it?”

Not exactly a formula for promoting the use of charter schools.

Waugh, by contrast, opposes the move, saying that it’s a matter of “local control.”

But as the ongoing political and legal controversy over funding goes, the state has a significant role to play in education. So it’s not merely “local control.” More appropriately, policy makers should increase student and family control.

Plan to Hire Filipinos Frustrated

The Wichita Eagle reports that hiring teachers from other countries has run into some snags.

Three of the Filipino teachers didn’t pass the required English proficiency exam, leaving 29 eligible to teach in Wichita. The visa process is taking a long time to complete. And several of the special-education teachers are having difficulty receiving a Kansas teaching license.

While we admire the desire of the Filipinos to improve their lives by moving to the U.S., and the perservance of USD 259 personnel in finding teachers, we have to ask if there aren’t better approaches.

Pay teachers in hard-to-fill jobs more. Revamp the certification process so that a mid-life professional does not have to spend thousands of dollars and months of his life taking classes in the education college.

You’ll Eat Wonder Bread and You’ll Like It!

The folks at Missouri’s Show-Me Institute have an interesting take on the controversy surrounding evolution, the state board of education, and schools.

Here’s an excerpt that does a good job of looking at it all from a different point of view:

“Imagine you live in a town where you are required to pay several thousand dollars of taxes each year into a public fund that is used to buy food for the entire community. There is a publicly elected “Menu Board” that determines each year’s offerings. You wanted rye this year? Sorry! The Board voted for Wonder Bread. Again! You could, in principle, opt out of the public food system and buy rye, pumpernickel, or seven grain oat-nut crunch at a fancy private store. But you’ve already paid thousands in taxes, and can’t afford to pay twice for everything you eat. The Menu Board picks it. You eat it.”

Now Here’s an Idea That Looks Interesting

Fund the child, not the institution.

News from Columbia, Missouri:

A national education group is proposing an overhaul of federal and state funding formulas for schools, calling for dollars to be spent directly on children rather than districts. Some local leaders say the plan is worth considering.

“I wouldn’t reject that idea of having money follow the student,” said Jim Ritter, a former Columbia Public Schools superintendent and a Democrat running for 24th District state representative. “But I wouldn’t do it without a significant amount of study.”

Ritter backtracks later in the story, unfortunately. But he may have gotten it right the first time.

KNEA Funnels $25,000 into SBOE Race

In an article about the curriculum controversy, the Kansas City Star notes that the teachers union, the KNEA, has put $25,000 into the State Board of Education race.

Teacher unions, of course, are against vouchers and other significant forms of school choice.

SBOE Election Review: District 7

The Wichia Eagle gives a short review of the candidates in the SBOE election for district 7. The Pratt Tribune offers a more extensive coverage. (The KSDE web site has a state map that shows the different districts.)

Kids Want it Customized

The Kansas City Kansan has a little story on back-to-school supplies that tells us something about schooling in general.

In Kids Want it Customized, we learn that customization is important to the new generation:

Gen Y is quickly becoming known as the Customization Generation.  Their cell phones are programmed with customized ringtones, their MP3 players are stocked with customized playlists and their blogs are custom-designed for self-expression. 

With iPod players, TiVo, blogs, and other forms of electronic entertainment and expression, today’s children are used to being able to, in the words of the commercial their parent’s knew “have it your way.”

So why are they still stuck with a situation in which schools pick the kids, not the other way around?

More on the Elections

The Hutchinson News comments on the district 5 race between incumbent Connie Morris of Saint Francis faces and primary challenger Sally Cauble. Topics included evolution and the education of illegal immigrants.

Morris endorsed English language immersion over bilingual education. The News doesn’t say what Cauble would favor. Too bad, for thoughtful people can disagree, and it’s a topic that merits more attention.

Meanwhile, the Southwest Daily News runs with a profile of Morris. As you might expect, the science standards get heavy play.

All this reminds us of the silliness that sometimes obtains when decisions about schooling are made by politicians rather than parents.

Local Control?

The KC Star has an interesting story on the coming election. In one race at least, the question comes down to “who is more in favor of local control, and what does that mean?”

It just might be better if control is more local than not. After all, our national political system is based on federalism, the principle that some responsibilities should be as local as can be.

When it comes to education, there’s nothing more local than the role of a parent. How about some increased power for parents to decide their own children’s education? Why is having 10 elected people in Dodge City better than having 10 elected people in Topeka make decisions?

We saw this description of the views of Harry E. McDonald III, a candidate for the SBOE. We don’t mean to pick on him–doubtless his views are held by many.

The current charter-school law allows flexibility to meet needs determined by local boards. The effort to give failed applicants an appeal demonstrates a lack of respect for local boards, he said.

Respect for local boards? It would be great to have some more respect for parents by giving them more flexibility, by, say, making charter schools more accessible.

Students to get PDA

Students in Olathe are going to be getting a lot of PDA. Not public displays of affection, but personal digital assistants. The school district is buying 2,300 Palm Pilots.

A spokesman says that the devices will be used “used for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations as well as for access to eBooks and other high-value applications.

NCLB Funding at Risk?

As was noted earlier, Kansas isn’t yet in compliance with some measures of No Child Left Behind. It isn’t alone; seven other states could lose the money.

Actually, the state as a whole would not lose out, as the money would be redirected from state departments of education to districts themselves.

Commissioner of education Bob Corkins says that people in his department should not worry: “This is just a regular process the federal government goes through, and we have all the confidence in the world we’ll be able to respond to the questions and keep things running smoothly.”

Is “Local Control” an Obstacle to Reform?

The Hutchinson News carries an AP story (John Hanna) on special education students. It’s about whether some special ed students can be physically restrained, and if so, how.

That’s an interesting, or depending on your view, appalling story in its own right. Equally interesting is the reaction of some members of the State Board of Education, which is debating the question of whether or not to issue guidelines.

Janet Waugh, one of the dissenters from the board majority, objected to the idea of the state board getting involved in the first place.

Kansas has a tradition of leaving decisions about what happens in the classroom to local boards. For example, while the board sets general academic standards, it doesn’t review textbooks or dictate the content of courses.

“To me, this is probably another issue that is a local issue,” said board member Janet Waugh, a Kansas City Democrat. “I support local control.”

Local control is one factor behind the state’s overly restrictive charter school regulatory process, which all but make charter schools nothing more than alternative schools operated by the same old school district, and not true innovators in governance.

We expect that any move towards vouchers or tax credits would run into the same obstacle, which is political if not constitutional: if a parent is actually able to decide that state and local dollars previously spent on her child in the local school instead, is that a case of “local” control?

KCMO Charter School Closed; Offers Free Tuition

A company that did badly in operating a charter school is reinventing itself, and making good by students by offering them free tuition as a private school.

Imagine Schools, a nonprofit organization that operates charter schools in 9 states, operated the Southwest Charter School in KCMO. It did, that is, until its sponsor, Central Missouri State University, decided to not withdraw the school’s charter, citing financial and other problems.

That’s bad news. Then again, it’s good news: a school wasn’t doing well, and somebody stepped in and said “Look, there’s a problem here.”  How many school districts have had that sort or reality check? Not enough. Many continue to operate, receiving more money each year and continuing in the wrong direction.

The school is undergoing a reorganization, and will operate next school year as a private school called Renaissance Academy of Math and Science. Imagine will give students who were in the failed charter school tuition for the next year, during which it will seek a new sponsor.

This story in the KC Star leaves us wanting to ask more questions: how did the situation at Southwest get so bad? Read through the Imagine Schools web site, and you might think that they took over an existing school. Or perhaps not.

Waugh to Run for Re-election

Janet Waugh, one of the four members in the minority on the State Board of Education, has announced plans for a re-election campaign.

Waugh says:

Instead of focusing our attention on the crucial issues facing Kansas such as continuous improvement, closing the gap, raising graduation rates, increasing test scores and making sure all students achieve at high levels, the board has spent its time debating issues that will do little to help schools and students.
She certainly has addressed key issues: facing the achievement gap, less-than-ideal graduation rate, and improving student achievement.

We suspect–it’s been a while since we’ve paid attention to the preferences of individual board members–that she’s against many of the proposals to increase competition and choice, such as charter schools.

Special Ed Students and Discipline

A new controversy is brewing: how to deal with behavioral problems among special education students.

From the Journal-World:

On Tuesday, members of the Disability Rights Center attended the Kansas State Board of Education meeting to hear proposed guidelines for schools to follow when special education students get out of control.

Advocates for the disabled said the mandates are necessary to prevent mistreatment of the students.

Turnover at the Department of Education: Normal, Cause for Alarm? Skepticism?

There’s been some shuffling of personnel at the Kansas Department of Education.

According to this article in the Lawrence Journal-World, “Jeannette Nobo has been named director of professional learning communities at the Kansas Department of Education.”

Professional learning communities?

We hope the best for Ms. Nobo, and we recognize that every industry has its jargon, euphemisms, and insider language. But “professional learning communities” is an example of how disconnected the education industry is from the wider world.

Meanwhile, turnover at the department was 21 percent last year. Bob Corkins — perhaps we should name him “Bob (Lightning Rod) Corkins — is being blamed by some of his critics for an increase in turnover. Says Janet Waugh, “I think people are not happy, so they’re leaving.”

Perhaps they are unhappy. That could be bad. Or it could be good. We don’t know yet; we should wait to see what the department produces and how it operates in the years to come.

More importantly, we might want to wait to see what happens to achievement and fiscal performance–though it’s hard to tie those outcomes to specific changes in an administrative department.

But the larger point is that the KSDE, or any government agency, exists to serve a function. That function is not the maintenance of a stable workforce. A stable workforce can be good. Or bad. Time will tell.

How Significant is Education to Kansas Spending?

One of the key spending areas of any state government is education. The National Association of State Budget Officers provides information that can be used to make comparisons across states.

KSSmallBiz.com uses the NASBO data to give us a snapshot of state spending in an 8-state region that includes Kansas. Only Texas spends a larger portion of its state budget (27 percent) than Kansas (25.8 percent) on K-12 education.

This could result from a relatively lean Texas government that sticks to a few functions (including K-12), relative tax preferences of Kansans, and other factors.

Not Enough Qualified Teachers

The Kansas City Star runs an article on an all-too-familiar topic. No, we’re not talking about the school funding lawsuit. We mean the need for teachers.

The need has grown due to the No Child Left Behind act.

Blue Valley is one district that is starting to find the solution: It “has negotiated a flexible salary schedule that allows incentives in areas where the supply is limited, such as special education.”

Yes, financial incentives matter, even for teachers.

The KC Star story, by the way, was provoked by a new report from the legislature’s Division of Post Audit. The report is available in PDF. You may view the full report or the executive summary.