TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new report from two out-of-state consultants says improving student performance in Kansas public schools could cost the state as much as $2 billion more a year.
The report released Friday stunned some legislators. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in October that the state's more than $4 billion in spending a year on aid to public schools isn't sufficient under the state constitution.
The report outlined multiple spending scenarios, and all assumed that the state would boost its high school graduation rate from 86 percent to 95 percent within four years. That would be the nation's highest rate.
The consultants' lowest projected increase in annual spending would be $451 million, or almost 10 percent. The largest figure tops $2 billion. The consultants suggested phasing in any increase over five years.
© Associated Press
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