In 2022, Kansas school districts received $7.9 billion in funding from state, local, and federal sources, up 12% from 2017.  Since 2017, public school enrollment has decreased while staffing and spending have increased. Only about 1/3 of students met state standards in the 3 subjects we evaluated, and the numbers have been declining since 2017. 

It is unlikely that any amount of additional spending will result in all students meeting state standards. We used a logistic regression model to predict how increases in regular education spending might affect student outcomes. Across-the-board spending increases were associated with almost no increase in the percentage of students who met state standards. Targeted increases in spending were associated with improvements in the number of students who met state standards, but significant numbers of students would still be unlikely to meet state standards.  Targeted increases in spending were associated with improvements in the number of students who met state standards, but significant numbers of students would still be unlikely to meet state standards.  We identified several factors, such as teacher pay and administrative spending, that were also associated with whether students met state standards. Much like our own model, the research we reviewed found a positive relationship between spending and outcomes but it was not strong in all circumstances. Research also suggests spending on teacher pay, books, and time in class may improve student outcomes. 

We estimated how much it would cost to provide special education services in Kansas. In the 2021-22 school year, Kansas school districts provided special education services to nearly 89,000 children. We estimated it would cost between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion to provide special education services that would allow students to meet their IEP goals. Our special education estimate has a few important caveats related to staffing and efficiency.