FTE up at Holton, down at Heights, RV

Jackson County’s school district administrators are among those waiting for the Kansas Supreme Court to rule on the adequacy portion of a lawsuit challenging the way the Kansas Legislature funds schools — and noting that this year’s enrollment numbers could either help them or hurt them next year.

Of the three school districts in Jackson County, only Holton saw its full-time equivalency (FTE) rising from 2015-16 to 2016-17, it was reported. Royal Valley and Jackson Heights saw modest declines in their FTE numbers, based on student headcounts on Sept. 20, the date for finalization of the annual student enrollment count for school districts across Kansas.

FTE numbers had previously been important in determining the amount of funding that each school would receive from the state, but due to “block grant” school funding approved by the Kansas Legislature in 2015, the connection between FTE and state aid is currently frozen.

That’s because earlier this year, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that “block grant” funding was unconstitutional and ordered state lawmakers to come up with a new formula for school funding during their 2017 legislative session. But with “block grant” funding in place through the end of the current school year, school administrators noted this year’s FTE numbers would not affect funding in the short term.

For next year, however, the county’s three school superintendents — Holton’s Dennis Stones, Jackson Heights’ Adrianne Walsh and Royal Valley’s Aaric Davis — are eager to see what kind of funding recommendation comes from the Supreme Court, although no formula is expected in the near future.

“There’s a ton of formulas being presented and batted around,” said Stones, who noted Holton’s FTE for 2016-17 had risen to 1,082 from the previous year’s 1,033.5. “I would bet the Supreme Court isn’t going to make a ruling prior to the election. I’m thinking it will probably be done sometime between the election process and the first of January.”

At Jackson Heights, where the FTE dipped from 361.5 last year to 349 this year, Walsh said it’s not yet clear whether the end of “block grant” funding means the school district will receive less state aid next year than in the previous two years.

“I was in attendance at the Supreme Court’s opening arguments on the funding formula, and the attorney for the plaintiffs suggested at least $4,900 per pupil,” she said. “I haven’t calculated where that would be for us, but I think it’s pretty simple to look at pre-pupil aid that schools get when they go back to that. I would look for us to be down a little bit in funding, though.”

Royal Valley’s FTE dipped slightly from 2015-16’s 811.1 to this year’s 806.6, Davis noted, adding that his district “may see a decrease in funding” based on declining enrollment in recent years.

“It just kind of depends on what the new formula looks like,” he said. “I would hope there would be some way to stabilize those numbers so you don’t have sharp spikes up and down in different years.”

It’s been reported that about half of state revenue goes back to Kansas’ 286 school districts, and if the Supreme Court’s decision on the funding formula translates to even more money for schools, coming up with that money will likely involve a tax increase. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback made a statement to that effect earlier this month, it was reported.

“The state is dealing with revenue shortfalls on a monthly basis,” Davis said. “For them to say that they’ll be able to provide more money for us would be a tough thing. It just kind of depends, moving forward, and if revenues start to come up, it could be possible.”

Stones, however, said he was not as optimistic on the state coming up with new funds for school aid.

“The highway fund’s kind of depleted, the way they’ve been taking money to help with some of the other issues the state is facing,” he said. “Without new revenue streams of some kind, it’s going to be difficult to come up with any funding increases… The Legislature’s going to have a tough job, depending on what comes back from the Supreme Court.”

Walsh also said she’s not looking for any “big new money in the future,” but noted her district’s Board of Education had taken steps in previous years to prepare for lean times.

“I feel we’ve made cuts and good financial decisions to put us in the best position possible,” she said. “It’s all you can do apart from continuing to look for ways to be more efficient and save money. Our board is doing that by refinancing the bond issue for the high school addition, and I believe that will save us significcant money over the years.”

Grade-by-grade FTE breakdowns in each of Jackson County’s school districts for 2016-17 are as follows:

* Holton USD 336: preschool, 10.5; kindergarten, 46.5; first grade, 91; second, 81; third, 80; fourth, 102; fifth, 78; sixth, 87; seven, 79; eighth, 72; high school freshmen, 78; sophomores, 74; juniors, 64; and seniors, 85.

* Jackson Heights USD 335: preschool, 9; kindergarten, 14; first grade, 25; second, 20; third, 28; fourth, 32; fifth, 20; sixth, 23; seventh, 34; eighth, 21; high school freshmen, 32; sophomores, 30; juniors, 35; and seniors, 26.

* Royal Valley USD 337: preschool, 5; kindergarten, 37; first grade, 52; second, 57; third, 59; fourth, 51; fifth, 75; sixth, 83; seventh, 69; eighth, 63; high school freshmen, 64; sophomores, 66; juniors, 54; and seniors, 71.6.

Most kindergarten and prekindergarten students are counted as half FTE in the final FTE count, regardless of whether they attend full-day classes or half-day classes, it was reported. Furthermore, some students at upper levels, such as those who are homeschooled but participate in a vocational-technical program that also serves a particular district, may also be counted as half.