How do you go from having a $3 billion budget surplus and stable tax revenue to broke in just a few years? By repeatedly spending more than you take in. General Fund spending has pretty much been out of control since 2018, the year after the Legislature passed the largest tax increase in state history. […]| Kansas Policy Institute
The board voted 7-3 to approve lower standards, causing some proficiency levels to more than double.| Kansas Policy Institute
Kansas’ fiscal future is at risk. For years, state spending has outpaced economic growth, placing an increasing burden on taxpayers. Without serious reform,| Kansas Policy Institute
Protecting the constitutional rights and freedoms of ALL Kansas.| Kansas Policy Institute
The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) jobs report landed like a thunderclap in Washington — and it could send shockwaves to Topeka. For July, the BLS reported 73,000 net new jobs nationwide, 83,000 in the private sector, offset by a loss of 10,000 in government jobs. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, and […]| Kansas Policy Institute
Americans are voting with their feet, and states are either competing for them—or watching them leave. Kansas is victims to residents moving away.| Kansas Policy Institute
We engage citizens and policymakers with information to enact public policy solutions that protect the constitutional right to freedom of all Kansans, give them greater access to educational opportunities, and allow them to keep more of what they earn. By protecting freedom, we will improve everyone's quality of life, make Kansas more competitive, and attract new citizens and businesses.| Kansas Policy Institute
We engage citizens and policymakers with information to enact public policy solutions that protect the constitutional right to freedom of all Kansans, give them greater access to educational opportunities, and allow them to keep more of what they earn. By protecting freedom, we will improve everyone's quality of life, make Kansas more competitive, and attract new citizens and businesses.| Kansas Policy Institute
The 2024 state assessment indicates that more than 150,000 Kansas students suffer from what is officially described as having a “limited ability to understand and use English language arts skills and knowledge to be academically successful for postsecondary success.” This closely aligns with what is commonly referred to as being ‘functionally illiterate’, which Dictionary.com defines […]| Kansas Policy Institute
Kansas just got played. Again. Panasonic’s $4 billion EV battery plant in De Soto—touted as the state’s biggest economic development deal ever—is now delayed. Why? Because the federal government finally decided to stop propping up the electric vehicle market with taxpayer cash. President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” kills the $7,500 new EV tax credit and […]| Kansas Policy Institute
The Kansas budget is out of control. Despite recent increases in revenue, taxpayers are still on the hook for poor government spending habits.| Kansas Policy Institute
Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) staff put on a master class of political spin and deception at yesterday’s meeting of the State Board of Education. Board members were given the 2025 state assessment results based on a new test and cut scores to determine achievement levels, and were told to ignore conflicting historical results and […]| Kansas Policy Institute
Funding for public K-12 education is complex—let alone increasing every year. The formula for determining how much money each district receives– available here – requires an Excel workbook with 12 individual spreadsheets. The main spreadsheet, Legalmax, is essentially a roll-up of the other 11. It takes 85 columns of data to determine the Legalmax and […]| Kansas Policy Institute
Data provided by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System shows that Kansas has 4,758 KPERS ‘millionaires’—state and local government retirees who will collect at least $1 million in pension benefits over their first 20 years of retirement. That is an increase of 380 over last year. The complete list of KPERS ‘millionaires’ can be found at KansasOpenGov.org. […]| Kansas Policy Institute
| Kansas Policy Institute
| Kansas Policy Institute
The State Board of Education has created a state assessment reporting system that fails to answer the basic question of whether a student is 'at grade level.'| Kansas Policy Institute
The Kansas Association of School Board’s June 14 report on the Governor’s Education Council tells you everything you need to know about the future of K-12| Kansas Policy Institute
Another legislative session in the books and another failure to pass meaningful school choice. When will it happen? When will the legislature get off their| Kansas Policy Institute
Runaway property tax hikes deliver large pay increases for many local government employees.| Kansas Policy Institute
State School Board members must ensure that reading and math proficiency standards are not reduced.| Kansas Policy Institute
As the Kansas Legislature convenes on January 13, 2025, lawmakers face key debates, including tax reform and the push for Medicaid expansion. Amid these| Kansas Policy Institute
The Kansas Legislature should start to right this overspending by passing a budget far below the 2026 Responsible Kansas Budget. Using the average population| Kansas Policy Institute
Kansas state assessment scores continue to tank. Commissioner Watson and the state board of education look the other way| Kansas Policy Institute
College readiness in English, Reading, Math, and Science is only 18% for Kansas students who graduated in 2024.| Kansas Policy Institute
Look for an "October surprise" at the October State Board of Education meeting next week regarding state assessment results.| Kansas Policy Institute
