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The news from the Statehouse was clear last week. Kansas revenues are failing to make the grade and will continue to lag for months to come.
Economists cut $235 million from their previous tax collection prediction, translating into a budget gap that must be filled by June 30, 2010, of as much as $460 million, less depending on who's spreadsheet is used.
Regardless, it is almost certain that Kansas' public school districts, all 293 of them, will feel the effect of the pending cuts to be announced by Gov. Mark Parkinson.
"Districts across the state will be forced to make cuts that will have a devastating impact on student achievement and our kids' ability to compete in a global economy," said Kathy Cook, spokeswoman for Kansas Families for Education.
Following a meeting of economists and analysts on Thursday, revenue projections for the remainder of the 2010 budget year were reduced by 4.2 percent. The conclusion was that the recession, though showing signs of ebbing nationally, was still being felt in Kansas and likely to have an impact into the 2011 budget year.
Parkinson will announce where he is making cuts to balance the budget in the coming weeks, keeping a promise to legislators to get the budget back to zero before they return in January. He hasn't said what would be cut, but what Parkinson doesn't want is a lot of bickering over the solution.
"The decisions and options facing the state are difficult, but elected leaders are not called to do what is simple, they are called to do what is necessary," Parkinson said Thursday. "I understand that in today's political climate, the challenges of governing are dominated by sound bites and slogans but we have an opportunity to change this."
Legislators said they realize it's going to hurt schools and may affect student achievement, but there are just not any good options. Tax increases aren't a good idea and won't help soon enough.
"The revenue forecast is a sobering reflection on the pain many Kansas families are feeling," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kevin Yoder, an Overland Park Republican. "Kansas government is not immune from the national economic climate. We are expected to ratchet down spending and do more with less."
Schools have fared well this decade following a landmark Kansas Supreme Court ruling that prompted an increase of nearly $1 billion in new state dollars for schools. The money was targeted at students who struggle with poverty and are at risk of failure.
The news from the Statehouse was clear last week. Kansas revenues are failing to make the grade and will continue to lag for months to come.
Economists cut $235 million from their previous tax collection prediction, translating into a budget gap that must be filled by June 30, 2010, of as much as $460 million, less depending on who's spreadsheet is used.
Regardless, it is almost certain that Kansas' public school districts, all 293 of them, will feel the effect of the pending cuts to be announced by Gov. Mark Parkinson.
"Districts across the state will be forced to make cuts that will have a devastating impact on student achievement and our kids' ability to compete in a global economy," said Kathy Cook, spokeswoman for Kansas Families for Education.
Following a meeting of economists and analysts on Thursday, revenue projections for the remainder of the 2010 budget year were reduced by 4.2 percent. The conclusion was that the recession, though showing signs of ebbing nationally, was still being felt in Kansas and likely to have an impact into the 2011 budget year.
Parkinson will announce where he is making cuts to balance the budget in the coming weeks, keeping a promise to legislators to get the budget back to zero before they return in January. He hasn't said what would be cut, but what Parkinson doesn't want is a lot of bickering over the solution.
"The decisions and options facing the state are difficult, but elected leaders are not called to do what is simple, they are called to do what is necessary," Parkinson said Thursday. "I understand that in today's political climate, the challenges of governing are dominated by sound bites and slogans but we have an opportunity to change this."
Legislators said they realize it's going to hurt schools and may affect student achievement, but there are just not any good options. Tax increases aren't a good idea and won't help soon enough.
"The revenue forecast is a sobering reflection on the pain many Kansas families are feeling," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Kevin Yoder, an Overland Park Republican. "Kansas government is not immune from the national economic climate. We are expected to ratchet down spending and do more with less."
Schools have fared well this decade following a landmark Kansas Supreme Court ruling that prompted an increase of nearly $1 billion in new state dollars for schools. The money was targeted at students who struggle with poverty and are at risk of failure.
But those financial gains have eroded as the state's financial health has faded. Deeper cuts were prevented in part in the current budget because of federal stimulus dollars meant to shore up spending. That money runs out next year, meaning absent a revenue rebound cuts will be unavoidable.
Sen. Jay Emler, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said school officials and government reports have suggested that there are areas that could be eliminated that would save districts time and money without hurting the classroom. Emler said he'd take all suggestions come January as his committee works the state budget.
"We need the information to come from the ground up," said Emler, a Lindsborg Republican. "I've spoken to school superintendents who say there will be considerable pressure to look at consolidation. But they also say they may not be able to do it politically at the local level."
School advocates say they have warned districts this might happen. Those who may have ignored the signs soon will have to face reality.
Mark Tallman, spokesman for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the fear that districts have is that they have looked for areas to cut, but many are federally mandated.
"The problem is what we've added in terms of funding in recent years that's now at risk was put in to drive student achievement," Tallman said. "Unfortunately, if we have to reduce dollars, that's where it's going to come back out of."
That will mean fewer teachers and support staff aimed at boosting achievement, he said, and perhaps fewer schools and districts forced to make drastic cuts.
Both Tallman and Cook's organizations support raising taxes to keep from making deeper cuts in state programs, especially education, and they argue that Kansas has taken too much revenue off the books in the hopes of stimulating the economy and helping business. Now, they say, is the time to look at recapturing some of that money.
Legislators like Emler said tax increases won't produce enough money quickly enough to solve the current budget crisis. Income taxes are declining with fewer people working and sales taxes are slow to generate money. The only option is cuts to solve the immediate problem.
But, Emler said, sparing education from any cuts isn't realistic. He said the money could come from public safety, for example, but it would take closing prisons, eliminating the highway patrol and cutting the adjutant general's office to get those kinds of savings.
That puts it back on schools to come prepared in January to be part of the solution.
"What they are going to have to do is prioritize what they want," he said.
