A panel of Kansas lawmakers has been reviewing school spending and student performance. Some test scores have been flat or have dropped in recent years. Republican Representative Jerry Lunn says, at the same time, total education funding has increased.
“Does it make sense to then say ‘well, we just need more money,’ because I think that’s the narrative that’s going to come out of a lot of this is ‘we just need to invest more money.’ It’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it,” says Lunn.
A new report from the Kansas Association of School Boards contends that when adjusted for inflation, school spending per pupil has not increased in recent years. The group also says that, in the past, student performance improved when funding was increased.
The legislative committee is reviewing school funding issues to help lawmakers write a new school funding formula.