Kansas school district spending, updated through 2020 and adjusted for inflation.
What is the trend in Kansas school spending? This visualization presents several tables and illustrations of spending data. It is presented separately for each district, with a special district “State Totals – 999” being the sum of all districts. (more…)
Looking at Kansas school test scores as compared to the nation. (more…)
Charts of Kansas school spending presented in different forms.
Recently Kansas State Department of Education released spending figures for the 2020 school year, that is, the school year starting in 2019 and ending in 2020.
One of the most important charts shows state spending per-pupil, adjusted for inflation. It shows the total of state and local spending, which is useful because in 2015 the state made a change in the way revenue is allocated between state and local sources. It also shows base state aid per pupil, which is an important number as it is the starting point for the school funding formula.
Why is total state and local spending higher than base state aid? The answer is weightings. These are amounts that are added to the base to pay for things like at-risk children, English language learners, and other items. The value of weightings has grown over time, so as base state aid has generally fallen, total spending has generally risen.
A second chart shows the ratio of total state and local spending to base state aid.
This is not simply a technical matter. In discussions of school policy, sometimes only the base aid figure is used. As it has fallen, some formulate an argument that school spending has been cut. That is easily refuted by looking at total state and local spending.
Of note, base state aid was not used in school years 2016 and 2017, which explains the gap in some of the series.
I’ve gathered these charts and others and present them in a presentation. Use arrow keys to move through the charts. Click here to access.
Kansas school employment rose for the current school year.
Figures released by the Kansas State Department of Education show the number of teachers and certified employees rose for the 2019-2020 school year.
The number of Pre-K through grade 12 teachers rose to 31,337 from 31,153, an increase of 0.59 percent. Certified employees rose to 43,305 from 42,861, or by 1.04 percent. 1 These are not the only employees of school districts. 2
Enrollment rose from 476,482 to 477,032, or 0.12 percent. As a result, the ratio of teachers to students was unchanged (measured to two decimal places), and the ratio of certified employees to students fell.
The relative change in enrollment and employment is not the same in every district. To help Kansas learn about employment trends in individual school districts, I’ve gathered the numbers from the Kansas State Department of Education and present them in an interactive visualization. Click here to use it.
Photo credit: Element5 Digital
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Notes
There is some good news in the performance level reports for Wichita public schools.
Since 2015, Kansas test scores have been reported in a new way. Kansas State Department of Education explains:
Kansas assessment results are now reported in four levels.
Level 1 indicates that a student shows a limited ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.
Level 2 indicates that a student shows a basic ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.
Level 3 indicates that a student shows an effective ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness
Level 4 indicates that a student shows an excellent ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.
For USD 259, the Wichita public school district, the trend is that an increasing proportion of students are at performance level 1 until this year, when the percent at performance level 1 fell to 46.1 percent from 47.0 percent. This chart holds the values.
The percent at performance level 2 or better rose from 34.4 percent last year to 35.9 percent this year.
The percent at performance level 3 or better fell to 13.7 percent from 14.3 percent the previous year.
The percent at performance level 4 rose to 4.4 percent from 4.2 percent the previous year.
Click here for a larger version of the following chart.
Kansas school salaries, visualized.
This is an interactive visualization of Kansas school salaries for superintendents, principals, and teachers, for each school district.
To learn more about the data and use the visualization, click here. Following, an example from the visualization.
Data from the annual report for the 2018-2019 school year for USD 259, the Wichita, Kansas public school district.
The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for USD 259, the Wichita public school district, provides a look at trends over the years. The document, along with those from previous years, is available here. Here are some highlights from the CAFR for the year ending June 30, 2019, known as fiscal year 2019. The CAFR was released in December 2019.
(Click charts for larger versions.)
The following chart shows data from the CAFR along with my calculations. I took two data series, “total revenue” and “sum of state and local revenue,” then divided by FTE enrollment and adjusted for inflation. (The inflation adjustments cast past dollar values in terms of current-dollar equivalents, meaning past values are usually reduced.) I plot the sum of state and local revenue because in 2015 there was a change in the way some taxes were allocated. Plotting the sum of the two removes the effect of the change.
While USD 259 — and schools generally — complain about funding cuts, the following chart shows funding nearly always increases, and over time, by quite a bit.
The following chart shows spending categorized by “instruction” and “instructional support” per student in inflation-adjusted dollars. Capital spending is not included in this chart.
In 2006, USD 259 spent $571 per student (inflation-adjusted) on administration. For 2019 the figure is $904. Could the Wichita public school district cut administration spending to 2006 levels, on a per-student, inflation-adjusted basis?
The Wichita school district has been able to reduce its student/teacher ratios substantially over the last ten to fifteen years. (Student/teacher ratio is not the same statistic as class size.) There have been ups and downs along the way, but for all three school levels, the ratios are lower than they were years ago, and by substantial margins. This means that Wichita schools have been able to increase the employment of teachers at a faster rate than enrollment has risen.
On enrollment, the superintendent’s letter says this:
Budget reduction measures, stagnant population growth and changes to Kindergarten funding at the state level have all contributed to a decreasing enrollment trend which began in FY’16. Enrollment losses have primarily been at the elementary level. Those losses have been somewhat offset by increases in secondary enrollment, virtual and alternative programs. The elementary enrollment decline continued into FY’20, with a decrease of almost 800 elementary students. Once again, secondary enrollment offset some of this loss, increasing more than 350 students. The declines in past few years can partially be attributed to cost-cutting measures under the block grant, including denial of out-of-district students, the consolidation of alternative high school programs, and the combination of a longer school day and shorter school year, which many parents viewed as negatively impacting their students. Further, now that the State fully funds all-day Kindergarten, parents who used to enroll students in the District to obtain all-day Kindergarten services can now receive those same services in the surrounding area districts. Additional FY’19 funding allowed the District to return to the longer school year, but that action did not bring back elementary students to the District for FY’ZO. The District has instituted several promotion and program initiatives to attract students to the District, but it remains unclear if this will be continuing trend in the years to come.
In the previous year’s report, there was this commentary on enrollment:
The District’s enrollment trend over the last ten years has reflected an average increase of over 100 students a year. However, budget reduction measures and changes to Kindergarten funding at the state level are beginning to impact this trend. In FY’17, official enrollment decreased by 572 students, or one percent. Official enrollment in FY’18 increased by 80 students, but gains in virtual and alternative programs were offset by a significant decrease in elementary age students. The elementary enrollment decline continued into FY’19, with a loss of over 500 elementary students. Offsetting some of this loss, Secondary enrollment increased by 240 students. The declines in past few years can partially be attributed to cost-cutting measures under the block grant, including denial of out-of-district students, the consolidation of alternative high school programs, and the combination of a longer school day and shorter school year, which many parents viewed as negatively impacting their students. Further, now that the State fully funds all-day Kindergarten, parent who used to enroll students in the District to obtain all-day Kindergarten services can now receive those same services in the surrounding area districts. Additional FY’19 funding allowed the District to return to the longer school year, but it remains unclear if this action will bring back elementary students to the District.’
Since 2015, Kansas test scores have been reported in a new way. Kansas State Department of Education explains:
Kansas assessment results are now reported in four levels. Level 1 indicates that a student shows a limited ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness. Level 2 indicates that a student shows a basic ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness. Level 3 indicates that a student shows an effective ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness. Level 4 indicates that a student shows an excellent ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.
For Wichita, the trend is that an increasing proportion of students are at performance level 1 until this year when the percent at performance level 1 fell to 46.1 percent from 47.0 percent.
Following, a chart of the portion of Wichita public school students testing at performance level 1, the lowest level.
Following, for performance level 2 or better, indicating, “a student shows a basic ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.” The percent at performance level 2 or better rose from 34.4 percent last year to 35.9 percent this year.
Following, for performance level 3 or better, indicating, “a student shows an effective ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.” The percent at this level fell to 13.7 percent from 14.3 percent the previous year.
Following, for performance level 4, indicating, “a student shows an excellent ability to understand and use the mathematics skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness.” The percent at this level rose to 4.4 percent from 4.2 percent the previous year.
Following, charts of suspensions and expulsions.
Using demographically-adjusted scores, Kansas falls in state rankings of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
The U.S. Department of Education, through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), conducts the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) every other year. Known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” it is “the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas.”
The results for 2019 were released last week, and Kansas does not do well. Looking at state rankings, here are the findings based on demographically-adjusted scores.
Grade 4 math: In 2017, Kansas ranked 16. In 2019, Kansas ranked 30.
Grade 8 math: In 2017, Kansas ranked 14. In 2019, Kansas ranked 24.
Grade 4 reading: In 2017, Kansas ranked 20. In 2019, Kansas ranked 34.
Grade 8 reading: In 2017, Kansas ranked 16. In 2019, Kansas ranked 26.
The adjusted scores are from the Urban Institute, America’s Gradebook: How Does Your State Stack Up?
In a compilation by Matthew M. Chingos published in Education Next, the author notes:
Change is generally more interesting than stability, and there are certainly examples of states moving up and down the rankings between 2017 and 2019. The table below shows the top and bottom five states in terms of their improvement (or decline) in the demographically adjusted rankings across all four NAEP tests. Four of the five states that moved up most in the rankings are in the South, compared to none of those in the bottom (which are otherwise spread across the country).
Looking at change across all four tests, Kansas had the largest drop in state rankings except for New Hampshire.
This year’s results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) hold little good news. Following, the Center for Education Reform summarizes.
Statement on Shocking Education Report
Assessment Finds Majority of U.S. Students Have Declined in Core Subjects
WASHINGTON D.C. (10.30.19) — The Center for Education Reform (CER), a national leader in the fight to achieve educational excellence in the United States, today issued a statement by CER founder and CEO Jeanne Allen regarding the new scores revealed this morning by the National Center on Education Statistics in the annual National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card.”
Key insights from the NAEP report include the following:
Statement by CER Founder & CEO Jeanne Allen:
“The NAEP proficiency scores announced today should be shocking to every family, employer, and policymaker. They demonstrate that the vast majority of our nation’s education systems are simply failing to meet the very basic educational needs of American students, threatening their dreams for the future.
“But while the nation’s overall scores are either flat or declined, there is extraordinary news from the nation’s capital, where the federal government and city leaders worked together to ensure that parents and educators have the power to design, manage, and innovate their schools.
“In DC where a majority of students are no longer confined to their zip code and almost 50% of students are in charter schools, students showed gains in almost every category. Student proficiency has now shown steady and consistent improvement since 1996, when the District’s charter school law first went into effect.
“Once ranked at or near the bottom by every measure, the District’s average is now close to the national average, and achievement in reading and math continues to grow at higher rates than almost every other jurisdiction, particularly among traditionally low-performing students.
“Combined with data from states such as Arizona and Florida where a prevalence of educational options exist, this initial look at the NAEP data suggests that academic proficiency scores rise where educational choices are robust.
“But even this progress is not good enough. We need to fight to end the flatline of failure by removing the bureaucratic burdens and failed policies that keep students from getting the education they deserve. We need to fight to end the absurdity of systems like Chicago Public Schools, where for 10 days students have been kept out of school because adults think the system is about them. This is surreal and needs to stop. No longer should students’ futures be determined by their zip codes, anywhere.
“In equally shocking news, ACT released a report, The Condition of College & Career Readiness, showing that college preparedness in math and English are the lowest they’ve been in 15 years. ACT is one of the best barometers of student progress, and our college-bound kids are doing worse than they have in the ACT’s history. This report, along with the NAEP report, show a steady decline in proficiency, a future no one wants to see for the next generation of Americans.
“As CER Chairman Michael Moe argues, every individual should have the opportunity to participate in the future, and the path to that future is education. Without it, a bright future for millions is in peril.
“We need everyone involved in the education journey – parents, teachers, and students alike – to join us in this battle.”
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.