1.25.12
Online Learning "Vital Component" Of 21st Century Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

Last week, the Kansas House Education Committee heard from Susan Patrick of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), as she discussed the tremendous potential online learning has to increase student achievement.  A new study from Kansas Policy Institute was released today that makes the same point.  "Expanding Educational Opportunities in Kansas through Online Learning," is a soup to nuts look at the fundamentals of online learning, how it is being applied around the country, and the impact this form of K-12 education could have on students and the classroom.  Read the full press release here.

1.11.12
KPI Statement On Gov. Brownback's 2012 State of the State Address
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

This evening, Kansas Policy Institute president Dave Trabert offered the following statement in response to Governor Sam Brownback's annual State Of The State Address.

Overall Thoughts: "I'm glad Gov. Brownback has identified the things that too many previous administrations and members of the legislature willfully chose to ignore; KPERS, Medicaid, K-12 finance and taxes.  While it is nice to see these crises finally get some attention, the state is not moving aggressively enough to save itself from driving off a cliff..." Read the full Press Release here.

12.14.11
KPI Statement On Finance Plan, "Incomplete"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

Today, Dave Trabert, the president of Kansas Policy Institute offered the following statement in response to Gov. Sam Brownback's K-12 finance plan.

"All things considered, we have to give Governor Brownback's proposed School Finance Reform Plan an 'Incomplete'.  It's good to give districts more flexibility in deciding how to spend aid dollars and the formula may be easier to understand, but there is nothing in this plan to substantively address his laudable goals of raising student achievement.  Excellence in Education requires laser-like focus on outcomes and those elements are missing from this plan.  Hopefully, there is still a lot more to come."  Read the full Press Release here.

12.6.11
KPERS and Medicaid Poised to Drive Kansas Budget Off a Cliff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

It's no secret that KPERS and Medicaid costs have been growing, but many Kansans may be shocked to learn that those two items could soon consume nearly half of all Kansas State General Fund (SGF) revenue.  In 1998, Medicaid and employee pension costs consumed 5.9% of SGF revenue and are budgeted at 24.2% of 2012 revenue.  But, even if SGF revenue grows at a slightly-above-average annual rate of 3.5%, KPERS and Medicaid will account for somewhere between 34% and 45.1% of SGF revenue by 2023.

A new study from Kansas Policy Institute, "Major Structural Deficits Looming In Kansas," projects General Fund spending under four spending scenarios and three revenue growth assumptions.  Read the full Press Release here.

11.7.11
More Payroll Data Added To Transparency Site
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

Residents of seven counties representing 56% of the state's population  can now see how much their county officials are paid.  Complete 2010 payroll listings for the five largest counties (Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte) plus Butler and Cowley counties are now available on KansasOpenGov.org, with links to additional analysis at KansasWatchdog.org.  Read the full Press Release here.

10.20.11
Higher Student Achievement Obtainable Through More Parental Choice 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

A close look at the Kansas Department of Education 2011 Report Card contains some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Kansas students are showing improvement; the, bad news is that achievement levels for many students remain unacceptably low and that achievement gaps for minorities and low income students persist.  Read the full Press Release here.

10.11.11
Look At Whole Picture On Student Achievement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

October 11, 2011 - Wichita -  Today's release of the 2010-2011 state report card from the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) shows some improvement, which is good news.  Still, student achievement is much lower than most parents might suspect.  According to KSDE, only 63% of Kansas students are able to read grade-appropriate material with full comprehension and only 53% of 11th graders meet that standard.  Read the full Press Release here. 

9.29.11
Kansas Schools Start The New Year With Even More In The Bank - New Authority To Spend Now Exists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

September 29, 2011 - Wichita - New data from the Kansas Department of Education show that Kansas public schools increased their operating carryover cash reserves by $93.7 million in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011. Operating cash reserves (not including capital, debt or federal funds) increased from $774.6 million to a record-high $868.3 million. The increase in operating reserves includes a first-time disclosure of $8 million in school activity funds, which are primarily used for school athletics.  Read the full Press Release here.

8.24.11
Kansas Property Taxes Increased Again in 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

While appraised values softened in many Kansas counties last year, property tax collections rose to a new high of $3.8 billion, an increase of 0.4 percent, and the average mill rate increased by 3.3 percent. Since 1997, property taxes have gone up by 93.7 percent. At the same time, inflation rose 32.7 percent and population increased by 10 percent. According to new data compiled by Kansas Policy Institute and posted on KansasOpenGov.org, property tax collections and mill rate changes are as varied as the 105 counties in Kansas. From 1997 to 2010, Leavenworth County increased property tax revenue by 174 percent while property tax collections increased by four percent in Coffey County. The same goes for mill rates, as Stanton County increased from 76.976 to 144.595 mills, an 88 percent increase, while Shawnee County decreased their mill rate by one percent, from 138.630 to 137.565 mills.  Read the full Press Release here.

8.12.11
KPI Expands, Adds Experience With New Hires
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

August 12, 2011 - Wichita, KS - As Kansas Policy Institute's influence continues to grow, our staff is growing to match. Earlier this summer Laurie Gregory began as KPI's development director and Todd Davidson started as a fiscal policy analyst earlier this month. Gregory represented Kansas' 33rd Senate District from 1997 - 2001 and Todd Davidson recently earned his M.A. in Economics from the University of Kansas. Full biographies for each new staff member can be found below and on the KPI website here.  Read the full Press Release here.

7.27.11
Employment Outpaces Enrollment Gains In Kansas Public Schools
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

July 27, 2011 - Wichita, KS - Despite a small (2.4%) decline last year, school district employment has still grown much faster than enrollment over recent years.   Enrollment increased 3.1% between 2005 and 2011, according to the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE).  At the same time, school districts increased teacher employment by 4.6% and non-teacher jobs jumped 8.6%.    Statewide, there are now 13.3 students per teacher; counting all employees, the average school district has one employee for every 6.7 students.  Results for individual districts vary dramatically and are now available in a newly posted database at www.kansasopengov.org.  Kansas Policy Institute maintains the site and uses data obtained from the Kansas Department of Education.  Read the full Press Release here.

7.14.11
Legal Authority Exists to Adjust KPERS Benefits
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

July 14, 2011 - Wichita, KS - There is a mounting realization that the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS) is facing a crisis and there is a need for immediate reform.  "Legal Authority to Adjust State Pension Plans," a paper released earlier this week by KPI, outlines the legal history of modifying public pension benefits.  Ralph Benko, a senior economic policy advisor to American Principles in Action, authored the paper and participated in a media conference call on July 12 announcing the paper's release.  An audio recording of that conference call is available here.  It will be mailed to members of the Brownback Administration, the Kansas Legislature, and the KPERS Study Commission later this week.  KPI released a paper earlier this year outlining the staggering unfunded liabilities facing KPERS that can be viewed here.  Read the full Press Release here.


6.28.11
Medicaid Spending Set to Crowd Out Education And Other Gov't Functions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

June 27, 2011 - Wichita, KS - Full implementation of federal health care 'reform', commonly referred to as ObamaCare, would cost an extra $4.7 billion from the Kansas General Fund budget between 2014 and 2023 - the first ten year period when all of the law's provisions are in effect.  Total General Fund spending on Medicaid over that ten-year period is projected to be $20.8 billion, which is 29 percent more than would be spent without ObamaCare.  Jagadeesh Gokhale, Ph.D., a member of the Social Security Advisory Board and former senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, writes in a new paper from Kansas Policy Institute that the mandates will balloon Kansas spending and crowd out the resources available for other government functions such as education and transportation.  Read the full Press Release here.

5.20.11
Budget Stabilization Plan Prevents Major Cuts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

This budget year would have gone much differently if, instead of starting out with a $27 million deficit, it began with a $1.0 billion surplus and another $6.8 billion set aside for tax relief or capital projects.  That could have been the reality if Kansas had followed the budget guidelines in a new study from Kansas Policy Institute. "A Budget Stabilization Plan for Kansas," would solve many of the problems that face the Legislature and Governor with each new session.  In fact, if the rules-based plan proposed in the study were in place since 1994, state spending would have been within 3 percent of actual general fund spending in 2010 and Kansas would have nearly $8 billion in funds ready for stabilization, emergencies, investment, and tax cuts.  Read the full Press Release here.

5.16.11
Education Initiative Asks "Why Not?" Provide Effective Learning Opportunities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

A new statewide initiative to inform parents about opportunities to raise student achievement launched earlier this month.  A joint effort of Kansas Policy Institute and The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, "Why Not Kansas?" lays out the facts about student achievement and school spending and informs Kansans about learning opportunities that are bearing fruit in other states.  Read the full Press Release here.

3.24.11
K-State #1 in Cell Phone Spending
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

An examination of the state checkbook reveals that agencies spent $89 million last year on several categories that often contain large amounts of unnecessary expenditures.  Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) conducted the examination and made the results available today on KansasOpenGov.org.  Spending on overtime, advertising, cell phones, and dues, memberships and subscriptions totaled $50 million; $39 million in travel and entertainment spending was posted earlier this week.  Read the full Press Release here.

3.22.11
State Agencies Claim Confidentiality on Travel Spending
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

State agencies, boards and universities in Kansas claimed they did not have to disclose details on $21.4 million in spending on various forms of travel and entertainment in FY 2010, according to a Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) analysis of the state's checkbook.  Complete details on travel and the entire state checkbook are available online at KansasOpenGov.org.  Read the full Press Release here.

3.7.11
KPERS (at least) $9.3 Billion In The Red
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(Wichita, March 7, 2011) - A family of four would have to write a check for $13,200 to pay off their pro-rata share of the unfunded liabilities in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

Kansas taxpayers are on the hook for $9.3 billion according to a new study from Kansas Policy Institute and retired University of Colorado professor Dr. Barry Poulson, an Adjunct Fiscal Policy Fellow at KPI.  Reports of a $7.6 billion unfunded liability do not account for $1.7 billion in losses that have already occurred - loses largely driven by the recession and acknowledged by KPERS.  Read the full Press Release here.

2.22.11
Transparency Website - Kansas Payroll Expenditures Remain Stubbornly Flat
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(Wichita, February 22, 2011) - KansasOpenGov.org, a project of Kansas Policy Institute, now has state payroll data for the 2010 calendar year.  Overtime, total payroll by agency, state employees earnings over $100,000, and a fully searchable database are all available to the public. Total pay declined by 0.8% from 2009 but is still 4.4% higher than in 2007.   State agencies paid out $10.2 million in overtime last year, up 10.4% over 2009.   All data on KansasOpenGov.org comes directly from government agencies.  Read the full Press Release here.

2.7.11
More Districts Added - Taxpayers Have New Tools
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(Wichita, February 7, 2011) - Continuing on a previous effort, KansasOpenGov.org has added five additional school districts checkbook and payroll registers. Fully searchable data is available for school districts in Topeka, Wichita, Great Bend, Colby, and Pittsburg.  As some school districts continue with their lawsuit against the state, legislators, parents and others searching for ways to operate schools more efficiently can use this newly available information to make better decisions. Read the full Press Release here.

1.10.11
Transparency Spreads To Local School Districts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(Wichita, January 10, 2011) - In a continuing effort to make data accessible to Kansas taxpayers, KansasOpenGov.org now hosts district checkbooks, payroll listings, and employment agreements for five districts from across the state.  Fully searchable data is available for school districts in Olathe, Shawnee Mission, Garden City, Hutchinson, and Emporia.  As many districts discuss potentially dramatic cuts that would impact the classroom, it is important to have a clear understanding of how schools spend taxpayer money. Read the full Press Release here.

12.16.10
K-12 Employment Growing Faster Than Enrollment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(Wichita, December 16, 2010) – A new study from Kansas Policy Institute shows that current K-12 employment in Kansas is 6.3% higher than in 2000, while enrollment increased just 1.9% over the same time period.  State Department of Education data also indicate that Kansas school districts increased non-teaching jobs at a much greater rate than teachers; the number of teachers increased by 4.9% while all other employees increased 7.8%.  “Profile and Comparison of Kansas K-12 Employment Levels” was written by Dr. Art Hall of the Center for Applied Economics at the University of Kansas, using publically available data to help give context to K-12 policy discussions in Kansas.  Read the full Press Release here.

(Wichita, November 11, 2010) - Questions about how much each school district receives in per-pupil aid are eliminated with a new School District section on KansasOpenGov.org, a website that puts the facts of government spending at Kansans' fingertips.  The new School District section shows per-pupil spending and revenue for every Kansas district by school year, from 2005 through 2009; data for the 2010 school year will be added when released by the state next month. Read the full Press Release here.

7.27.10
County Budget Analysis Study Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact James Franko (316) 634-0218

(WICHITA, July 28, 2010) - A new study, "Kansas County Budget Analysis - In Search of Efficient Government," from Kansas Policy Institute compares 2009 per-resident spending across all 105 counties and creates a benchmarking tool for county officials and Kansas citizens.  The findings suggest hundreds of millions of dollars in potential savings from improved efficiency and transparency.  The full study can be found here, with complete data set here.  Read the full Press Release here.

4.30.2010
Schools districts use carryover reserves to spend more this year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Wichita, KS) Analysis of K-12 spending projections for FY 2010 shows that total spending is up about $320 million over last year, with about $220 million of the increase in current operating costs and the rest is in Capital and Debt Service.  174 districts are predicting higher operating expenditures this year; 77 districts have reductions of less than 5% and 42 districts have reductions greater than 5%.  Read the full Press Release here

4.15.2010
Budget Proposal Delivered to Governor Mark Parkinson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Wichita, KS) Kansas Policy Institute is pleased to accept the invitation Governor Mark Parkinson issued, in a video posted by the Wichita Eagle, for Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) to show him our plan to balance the 2011 budget by funding state programs at 2010 levels without a tax increase.  KPI delivered the budget proposal April 14, 2010 to the office of the Governor. Read the full Press Release here

4.14.2010
Taxpayer Survey and Balancing the Budget Without Tax Increases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Topeka, KS) KansasReporter will hold a press conference to release the results of a statewide survey on school funding in Kansas.  The survey was conducted by The Research Partnership of Wichita to establish a baseline of public perception on K-12 funding and to determine Kansans' willingness to pay higher taxes to provide more money to schools.  Details: Thursday, 4/15/2010 at 11:00AM, State Capitol, Room 144-S. Read the full Press Release here

4.7.2010
Kansans Unwilling to Pay Higher Taxes for Schools under Current Conditions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Wichita, KS) A new statewide public opinion survey conducted by The Research Partnership on behalf of Kansas Reporter shows that Kansans are strongly opposed to paying higher taxes for schools because total aid per-pupil is 26% higher now than five years ago, which is the baseline for school aid being increased under the Montoy decision. Read the full Press Release here

4.5.2010
State News Bureau to Release Taxpayer Survey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Wichita, KS) KansasReporter will hold a press conference to release the results of a statewide survey on school funding in Kansas. The survey was conducted by The Research Partnership of Wichita to establish a baseline of public perception on K-12 funding and to determine Kansans' willingness to pay higher taxes to provide more money to schools. Press Conference Details:Wednesday 4/7/2010 at 10:00AM, Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce 350 W. Douglas Ave. Wichita, KS. Read the full Press Release here

4.1.2010
Controversial Valuation Method Reduces Property Tax Collections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Paul Soutar (316) 634-0218 
The Kansas Constitution calls for a "uniform and equal basis of valuation and rate of taxation of all property subject to taxation." So why does the system for determining taxable value change at a county line?
Finney County appraiser Mark Low says he's been asked many times to adopt the system used by another county appraiser, Tom Fuhrmann, to determine taxable values for gas wells in five neighboring counties over major gas fields in southwest Kansas.
Read the full Press Release here here

3.24.2010
New Study Promotes Competitive Tax Policies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Anne Chandler (316) 634-0218  
(Wichita, KS) "Positioning Kansas for Economic Growth with Competitive Tax Policies" shows how Kansas' tax policies compare with neighboring states and recommends how tax policy can be used to position the state to be more competitive for job creation and retention. The study is published by Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) and is authored by Jonathan Williams, adjunct fiscal policy fellow with KPI and director of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Read the full Press Release here.