Teachers fleeing the state? Promises to schools broken time and again?
Heres some context for the statements you heard about Kansas education Wednesday night both in Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys State of the State Speech and Republican Senate President Susan Wagles response.
Kelly: Weve fallen into a troubling pattern. It begins with a promise from elected leaders to fund our schools. Then a failure to follow through on that promise. That is going to change this year. This year, we will end this cycle of litigation.
Kansas has faced school finance lawsuits for a long time. Oh, lets say since the 1970s. Back in the day, it was all about making sure poor school districts had resources akin to their richer cousins. Then there was a kind of turning point in school finance lawsuits nationally. The fights became not just about rich-poor gaps, but about whether states really spend enough to give all students a decent education. After all, tons of kids still arent passing state math and reading tests.
