Thread by @MelissaRooker

Settle in, Kansas K-12 friends. I want to share a #ThrowbackThursday 🧵 to reminisce about the creation the school finance formula. 1/

I’ll skip the backstory on our legal battles prior to the Gannon lawsuit other than to remind that our Kansas constitution has had a clause regarding the funding of public schools (originally referred to as common schools) since inception. All K-12 decisions track to that 2/

Although the Montoy case was settled in 2006, the #ksleg never reached the settlement amount due to the Great Recession. That’s when I began to focus on advocacy for our public schools. My kids were young & directly affected. 3/

Programs were cut, teachers were laid off (last in, first out), fees increased. The changes were felt in our classrooms. We understood that the recession was bigger than local or state decision-making so we made do. One-time federal funds helped soften the blow temporarily 4/

However, as revenues recovered the state legislature & Governor opted to adopt radical new tax cuts rather than restore funding to programs that had been cut (not limited to just K-12). My first two terms in office were turbulent financial times. 5/

In an ongoing battle to do anything but admit the tax plan was flawed, the legislature created the block grant which repealed the existing school finance formula & froze funding at 2015 levels for two years. There were unintended consequences, naturally 6/

Schools that gained enrollment were locked in at a lower amount, schools that lost enrollment were locked in at a higher amount. Kansas lost federal funds due to lack of Maintenance of Effort for Title I. Costs rose due to inflation (lower then, but still a factor) 7/

The Supreme Court ruled the Block Grant scheme unconstitutional in 2016 which meant we needed to adopt a new formula in the 2017 legislative session. The K-12 Budget Committee was created in the House specifically to take up this work. I served on that committee. 8/

Committee chair allowed anyone with a plan to submit it, and each bill had its own hearing day (imagine that!). The chairman then put together a committee bill as baseline, and we got to work debating amendments in committee. All 17 members encouraged to bring ideas. 9/

The new plan resembles the repealed formula for the most part, but we adopted a few new features. One of the most significant was the headcount calculation. We knew there would be a steep cliff created by the disruption of the Block Grant. 10/

We also had colleagues in the majority party who were vocal about the lack of budget certainty caused by the old way of counting heads (spring estimates used for state budget, adjusted w/actual headcount the following January when ksleg returned) 11/

We developed the plan to use the prior year headcount to create a set number for ksleg budget purposes, and to allow the use of the higher of the two prior years to help cushion the blow to districts with changing enrollment. It also softened the landing from the Block Grant 12/

If you think about it, declining enrollment will inevitably catch up to a district but our plan gave them time to make budget adjustments. It’s fine to consider changes to that plan, but it’s necessary to give districts time to plan. 13/

The provision adopted this year by the ksleg was an abrupt change at a point in district budget cycles where contracts for the upcoming school year were being put in place (there are certain deadlines they must meet that are ALSO in state statute). 14/

All to say timing is everything. So is the ability to review budget “runs” that show the effect of changes to the formula on every district which doesn’t seem to happen anymore. Not that anybody asked, but thought I’d share. Thanks for listening! 15/15