This article was originally posted 10/21/2017 on SUBV Facebook page
"Here we go again.
Another unanimous Kansas Supreme Court ruling on school funding has some lawmakers screaming about a court run amok. Once again, they’re threatening a “constitutional crisis,” meaning they would defy the court and refuse to spend the additional dollars the judges ordered."
Blue Valley voters must understand that the Kansas Supreme Court unanimously decided that our schools are not funded adequately. Unanimously.
In 2009, Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP) was $4400. In 2017 it's $4006.
2008-9 in-state tuition at KU was $7042. This year it's $10,503.
Gas averaged $1.87/gallon in 2008; the last 12 month average in Kansas was $2.32.
So gas went up 19%, KU tuition is up 49%, but funding to our schools is down 9% on a per-pupil basis, from 2009.
Legislators will have to increase school funding to comply with the Court. We welcome that ruling. It's going to hurt, because ever since the 2008 recession, lawmakers have had plenty of chances to step up school funding but they've refused...year after year. Now there's a court ultimatum, and the revenue will have to come from somewhere.
We hope that legislators are all putting on their thinking caps and figuring out where they're going to come up with $500 to 600 million dollars to adequately fund Kansas schools. Blue Valley voters want our schools to be funded.