LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

Due to the increase in enrollment across the state of Kansas, and when adding the various factors that give our "weighted" funding our state is another $100 million over budget on education funding for this fiscal year. The governor has expressed that a cut will be made at the end of November in the amount (we have been told) of $150 per pupil on our "weighted" funding. For USD 344 this means a cut of approximately $100,000 from our budget. The news just keeps getting better, we have been warned that another cut will be coming in April and will probably be even bigger than the November cut, but that is speculation.

Here is the problem with these type of cuts. All schools set their budgets in July like we are supposed to and then to cut the budget six months or nine months into it when obligations have been made is not a good way to conduct business. I realize that if the money is not there then we have absorb cuts from state aid like other agencies, however, one could ask the legislature where they get their figures and why are they so grossly wrong. To be blunt, I'm not sure the legislature wants to do a thing to correct the fiscal woes our state is in, and I think that is unfortunate for the kids of Kansas because they are the ones that will ultimately suffer.