March 1 - Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

at risk fundingWhile it is a reasonable approach to use Census data to correct for potentially biased free lunch counts, it isentirely unreasonable to take such an approach and manipulate it with the purpose of cutting povertybased aid to the state's highest need largest districts. The bill offers a ratio of 2.37 to estimate how manyfree lunch kids would be associated with a given percentage of kids in poverty (census poverty rate).The reality is that the ratio among larger districts (over 2,000 pupils) is about 2.77 using most recent data,and the relationship is very "tight." (large districts aren't falling out of line with estimates). However, if youcalculate large district free lunch using 2.37 x poverty, you'll end up cutting at risk funding for nearly allhigh poverty large districts - which appears to be the goal here.But, since the ratio for smaller districts is actually about 1.79, you end up preserving at risk funding for thesmaller districts.A typical strategy in KS school finance. When will it ever end?http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/another-lame-attempt-by-ks-legislators-to-screwhigh-poverty-districts/see updated equations at bottom of post.