Commentary by Steve Abrams, State District 32nd District — I was recently the target of an editorial by Kyle Green, an accusatory, ill-informed interpretation of the “facts.”  Mr. Green’s attack piece illustrates why the education debate has raged in Kansas since the 1970’s, under governors and legislative majorities of both parties, with still no finality in sight.  Offering ideas that challenge the status quo, for even a modicum of discussion, is met with derision – particularly if there is even a mere suggestion that schools might 1) run more efficiently; 2) focus resources more intently on student achievement; or 3) try new methods of operation or instruction to keep pace with the modern needs of students, employers and our communities.

Steve Abrams

At various points over the past many decades of wrangling over this issue, the legislature has asked the education industry to put forth a dollar figure and expected outcomes to be achieved. The response remains a moving target.  The legislature has on multiple occasions increased funding, only to later be met with more litigation, and demands for even more money.  So, to Mr. Green and his industry attorneys, we must ask for a definitive and final answer to the question “Kansas families have finite resources, how much more of their wages do you require?”

But, even more imperative, we must also ask Mr. Green, why it is that his industry believes tax dollars are the only measure of an education, rather than employing a measure of what is actually being learned and how well students are prepared to either enter the workforce or pursue higher education?

I would suggest that a successful education puts a high school graduate on the path to at least being in the middle class – eventually able to buy a home, provide for family, pay taxes, and to buy and enjoy a few extras. Typically, that means a student should be planning on a technical certificate (welding, machinist, health professions, etc.) or a college degree.   Preparation to achieve those credentials should be our target.

Appropriate funding, to be sure, is necessary to provide a robust mechanism for academic achievement.  In fact, Kansas K-12 spending now stands at $6 billion, or more than $13,000 per student on average.  Before increasing the allocation of our limited resources, is it not reasonable to discuss the desired achievement for our investment? Before building a skyscraper, the builder first determines the cost to build it.  When we talk about education, the education industry only talks of more funding, but never are we told how tall the education skyscraper will be at any given level of funding – in other words, we are asked to fund a quest with no defined goals, and without goals, there is no accountability – and that, not academic achievement – has been the effect of the education funding litigation.  No amount will ever be sufficient, because without definitive goals, there are no definitive measures of success.  In the resulting gray area, litigation abounds.

Mr. Green takes issue with the education bill that I filed with my counterpart in the House, Rep. Highland.  This was no “hasty” piece of legislation, as Mr. Green states. It is the product of countless hours of hearings in the education interim committee, analysis, historical and contemporary research, interaction with colleagues, discussions with many superintendents, and an expression of many ideas that have long been discussed on the sidelines, with many aspects coming from members of both political parties over the years.  The bill is not intended to be the final word.  On the contrary, it is intended as a beginning point.  The thought is to put a myriad of options on the table and have an open and broad discussion of ideas to finally reach consensus to addresses not just funding, but put the emphasis back on classroom learning and preparing students for a productive and rewarding future.

We are spending an all-time record amount of funds on K-12 education, yet 40 percent of our high school graduates who enter community college, and nearly 15 percent of those entering our state universities will have to enroll in remedial courses because they fail to meet the basic standards for entry level courses.  The funding clearly doesn’t matter if our efforts are not properly focused and priorities clearly defined.  It’s time for a frank discussion about education.  Let us do so without petty derision and false hysterics.  Our kids deserve better.  Mr. Green, let’s refocus our energies on achieving success in the classroom, rather than litigation in the courtroom.

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