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Nearly 1,300 School Jobs Eliminated as Districts Struggle to Meet Budget Reductions
May 1, 2009 - 12:30:00 PM
Speaker: John Heim, Emporia Superintendent of Schools
Topeka - Today, May 1, is the day school boards must notify teachers if they will not have a job next year. Nearly 1,300 school employees have already been told that they will not be coming back. USA|Kansas Survey A survey taken of Kansas school districts shows that districts across the state are reeling from the impact of cuts already made. While the cuts to the 2009 budgets have been absorbed by reducing supplies, delaying purchases, and even eliminating days from the calendar, the cuts in 2010 have already resulted in cuts to both student programs and personnel. Examples of student programs that have been reduced or eliminated by school districts across Kansas include music and other fine arts, vocational classes such as family and consumer sciences, library-media services, summer and after-school programs, and new textbook purchases. Each district has made decisions in these areas with great anxiety and much debate. These are painful decisions. The survey, conducted by United School Administrators of Kansas, has found that as of yesterday (with about two-thirds of districts reporting), 1,292 positions have been cut from Kansas school districts. This number includes 90 administrative positions, 516 teachers, and 686 support positions. Many more reductions in workforce are being accomplished through attrition. What is the impact on the Kansas economy of cuts this deep? In many Kansas counties our public schools account for as much as 25% of total payroll. Calculating the 516 teaching positions alone, this results in taking $24,252,000 out of the Kansas economy. This number does not include the administrative or support positions. Dollars invested in public schools have a ripple effect throughout the economy as school employees spend their incomes in local stores and restaurants. Why is this happening? First, because the Legislature has eliminated over $80 million in promised funding for next year. Secondly, because the Legislature has already cut $42 million in base state aid and $4.5 million in special education funding below the current year’s budget. And now because the Legislature is considering between $86 million and $114 million in further cuts. In total school districts are faced with the possibility of reductions of as much as $300 million below what they were promised for next year. Budget discussions in this economic atmosphere must be about shared sacrifice. It is completely unrealistic and inappropriate to ask that the Legislature fulfill every promise ever made when Kansans are suffering. The education community is not asking the Legislature to fulfill the promises made in 2008 Legislature for school funding. Funding rescissions made this year have caused districts to cut millions of dollars from current budgets. We worry that further cuts will jeopardize the academic progress our schools have been making. Kansas is consistently rated among the top states in the nation for educational outcomes. In the past eight years, student proficiency in math has increased by 30 percent and reading proficiency has increased by 25 percent. Kansas educators are investing resources in people and programs that make a positive difference for Kansas kids. This will pay off economically for our state and nation in the future. Schools have been cut by millions of dollars in the current year. The Legislature has already made additional cuts to schools for 2010. And in the bill adopted by the House Appropriations Committee, schools are faced with an additional $142.8 million in cuts. The result is that, under the House plan, base state aid per pupil will fall below the 2006 level. We emphasize base state aid because it is the primary source of operating budgets for school districts. It is also the number against which all student weightings are measured. As the base drops, so drops funding for children with exceptional needs. Last night Governor Parkinson asked the corporate business community in Kansas to delay further tax cuts. In his statement he said, “Fortunately there is middle ground. We need to share the sacrifice and address the deficit with both responsible budget cuts and revenue enhancements.” Tax cuts would be delayed but no business or person would see their taxes increase. While this $96 million delay will not stop additional cuts to education and other vital services, it will soften them. It is in the spirit of shared sacrifice for the benefit of all Kansans that we ask the Legislature to enact these small revenue changes. Within the context of a legislative research analysis that shows the impact of tax cuts initiated over the last four years to have taken $143 million out of the state treasury in 2009 and an additional $180 million in 2010, it seems a small sacrifice. In fact, Legislative Research estimates the cumulative effect of these tax cuts to be $1.135 billion. We call upon the corporate community to stand shoulder to shoulder with state agencies to bring economic recovery to Kansas. As Governor Parkinson said yesterday, this is the time for shared sacrifice to protect our schools, our universities, and state services to our most vulnerable citizens. In closing, I return to the 1,300 jobs that have already been eliminated in Kansas school districts and the possibility of more to come. I would like us to think about this in a different way – from the point of view of economic development. I wonder what sort of incentives and sacrifices our state would be willing to make to bring this many professional jobs to Kansas. We are asking that the legislature support the Governor and ask everyone to share the sacrifice. Additional Contacts: Mark Desetti, Kansas NEA - 785.766.1866 Cheryl Semmel, USA|Kansas - 785.224.1377 Mark Tallman, Kansas Association of School Boards - 785.608.4506
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