Graduation rates at Wichita schools fall well below the 95 percent statewide target recommended by a study that also calls for spending up to $2 billion more on Kansas schools.
The Wichita school district’s graduation rate stood at about 74 percent in 2017 — significantly below the statewide average of 86.9 percent.
Lawmakers commissioned the study to guide their response to a Kansas Supreme Court decision that found funding is unconstitutionally inadequate. The court emphasized the need to improve the performance of the approximately 25 percent of students who are falling behind academically.
The study recommends three possible funding increases — $450 million, $1.7 billion and $2 billion over five years — and says each could produce a 95 percent graduation rate.
The study “finds a strong, positive relationship between educational outcomes and educational costs,” the authors said in their report.
No state has ever achieved a rate of 95 percent, said Mark Tallman, a lobbyist with the Kansas Association of School Boards. The national average is 84.1 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Iowa has the highest rate, at 91.3 percent.
“I think what every school would say is, ‘We’d love to get there, we accept that as a goal, but we’re not going to get there without additional resources,’” Tallman said.
Getting to a 95 percent graduation rate would be a significant accomplishment for Wichita schools.
“We could do a lot more with alternative education, a lot more with individual plans of study,” said Wichita school board member Stan Reeser. “We could do far more with special education in those cases where the children are facing extreme poverty. . . . We could give a lot more personal attention.”
District officials point to a 15.7 percent increase in the graduation rate over the past seven years and say they could make bigger strides with more resources, including more teachers and counselors.
Reeser recently requested a report from district officials about alternative education options and how they have been affected by budget cuts. Over the past eight years, Wichita has shuttered four alternative middle or high schools, which are designed for students who have not been successful in a traditional school setting.
Alternative schools offer more flexible environments and schedules, with smaller class sizes and more one-on-one instruction. They also support students who need longer than four years to finish high school or those who want to finish in less time.
But that comes at a cost. Increased funding could allow the district to once again offer programs aimed at keeping vulnerable students in school, Reeser said.
“It comes down to the same fact: that every Kansas child, regardless of ZIP code, should have a chance at success,” he said.
Mike Rodee, president of the Wichita school board, said he’s hopeful that legislators will earmark more funding for schools. Over the past few months, board members have been developing a strategic plan and setting priorities should more money come through. Increasing the graduation rate has been part of the discussion.
“We’re figuring out a plan for the next year and the next five years. ... There are a lot of gaps, and different areas of town need different things, so it’s a tough one,” Rodee said.
Kansas already has adopted the goal of a 95 percent graduation rate. The state filed a plan in September with federal education officials outlining a goal of 95 percent graduation statewide by 2030.
The Kansas State Department of Education has called the goal aggressive, but one “Kansas must attain to lead the world in the success of each student.”
“Can we back off of that? No...We can’t back off that number because those kids deserve an opportunity,” said Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson.
Kansas schools make excellent use of the resources they receive, the study found. Study authors told lawmakers this week that Kansas schools are among the most efficient they have ever seen.
Jason Willis, one of the co-authors, acknowledged that the cost estimates in the study are large, but said Kansas schools use money well.
“Kansas schools are operating at levels we have not seen anywhere else in the country,” Willis said.
The potential high price tag of achieving the study’s enhanced performance targets — including a 95 percent graduation rate — have given some lawmakers sticker shock. A $2 billion increase phased in over five years would represent a 44 percent boost in funding over what schools receive now.
Some lawmakers have described the 95 percent goal as aspirational.
Study authors gave lawmakers alternative cost estimates using a 90 percent graduation rate instead.
They predict that achieving the highest academic performance targets while also having 90 percent of students graduate would cost about $1.6 billion, instead of the $2 billion predicted under a 95 percent rate.
On the low end, the authors predict that obtaining a 90 percent graduation rate without other academic improvement would cost only about $85 million instead of $450 million to achieve a 95 percent rate. The authors did not explain the large difference between the two estimates.
The Legislature will have to decide whether to follow the study’s recommendations or adopt pieces of it.
“It’s time for that really broad discussion of: ‘What is it that we want to have?’” Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, said. She chairs a special Senate school funding committee.
Lawmakers are discussing how long the state could take to phase in a funding increase. The study assumes a five-year period for ramping up spending.
“I think the longer the phase-in of funding is going to be, the longer the phase-in of improved achievement is going to be,” Tallman said.
Although lawmakers have until April 30 to respond to the court, they are likely to act more quickly. The Legislature traditionally takes much of April off and attorneys will need time to prepare documents to give to the court.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This story was originally published March 26, 2018 5:48 AM.