Funding for the future: Local school officials report concerns regarding Gov. Sebelius' plan for Kansas $1 billion deficit

With the Kansas Legislature facing a $1 billion deficit, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has created a plan which could affect schools in the local area. However, school officials are unsure at the present time just how costly the cuts will be.

According to USD 234 Business Manager Alan Drake, although Sebelius has created proposed budget cuts, the plan is still subject to input from other legislators. In fact, there are various legislators and state agencies who are also developing plans that might help with the budget crunch. Therefore, the actual reductions have not been decided upon yet, Drake said.

If the legislature approves the proposal created by Sebelius, the local school district will see cuts through at least the next two years. According to Drake, Sebelius' original plan was to give school districts $4,433 per student this school year.

Sebelius' proposal would put a stop to the increases promised to schools in a three-year-plan adopted in 2006. This promise was designed to increase school funds by $466 million over a three-year period, according to a press release from Sebelius' office in May of 2006.

However, according to Drake, there was a problem with Sebelius' original proposal. The governor's plan did not include any extra money built in for increased enrollment across the state, Drake explained. The enrollment figures Sebelius' proposal was based on are no longer valid as there were many districts across the state who experienced an increase in enrollment.

Since Sebelius' plan was based on funds per pupil, the cuts would not equal Sebelius' planned amounts. In order to compensate for this oversight, an amended plan would encompass a $22 cut per student for the 2008-09 school year.

According to Drake, if Sebelius' plan is approved, the school district will only receive $4,411 this year. This would amount to a $60,000 reduction for the local district.

In addition, the 2009-10 school year could see further cuts as Sebelius' plan proposes a reduction of $66 per student for the next school year. This would decrease the yearly amount paid per student to $4,345, creating a reduction of $176,000, or a 1.7 percent decrease.

Since the local school district was fortunate to have experienced an increase in student enrollment in 2008, the reductions may not seem quite as bad this year, Drake said.

"We are blessed because we do have additional enrollment that will help offset the $22 cut," he said.

Although the members of the USD 234 Board of Education do not at this time know exactly what cuts will be implemented, Drake said he is sure there will be cuts next year.

"We're trying to evaluate the different plans and proposals that come out," Drake said. "We have to wait and see what actually comes out."

After the legislature makes a decision as to which plan will be put into place and the school district knows how much the reduction will be on its state granted funds, Drake said the school board will make the decisions as to where the district would make cuts.

"We will bring them (school board) up-to-date on the latest facts and figures," Drake said. "We will probably wait to see if an actual plan is in place. If something is concrete and in place, we will bring it before the board."

Drake said he has heard the legislature plans to address the school funding issue as quickly as possible.

"I'm sure it is a matter of urgency for them," Drake said. "We are just watching the legislature and waiting to see what happens."