Discussion Ongoing: The Basics of the Adequacy for Excellence Study

KYSPRA: The press release and links in this post are for your information regarding the reports and proposed model from the Adequacy for Excellence in Kentucky study. The reports and model will be linked on the website: http://councilforbettereducation.com/. Discussion across the Commonwealth will be ongoing and it is important to have a general understanding.

NEWS RELEASE
December 6, 2014

MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Shelton, President and Superintendent of Fayette Co. Schools

(Louisville KY) On Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at approximately 10:00 a.m. following the conclusion of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents Conference at the Marriott Louisville East, the Council for Better Education will release the Adequacy for Excellence in Kentucky funding study conducted by Picus Odden & Associates.

This document describes Picus Odden & Associate’s findings from a contemporary, independent review of Kentucky’s school finance system. Under contract with the Council for Better Education (CBE), the study, conducted December 2013 through August 2014, examines multiple aspects of the KY school finance system, including an analysis of Kentucky’s education system with comparative states, and a series of models based on prototypical schools and districts that allow KY to determine the adequate cost of bringing students to state standards (2012-13).

The study is not an analysis of Kentucky’s current Support Education in Excellence (SEEK) system but rather proposes an Evidence-Based Adequacy model for education funding through identification of a cohesive set of school-level resources required to deliver a comprehensive and high-quality instructional program and describes the evidence on programmatic effectiveness.

Overall, the review found that over the past decade Kentucky has consistently funded its schools below national averages, but funding levels have shown varied results against comparable states. Kentucky’s teacher salaries have consistently been below national averages over the past decade. Kentucky’s educational outcomes have generally been mixed when compared to both national averages and comparable states. In understanding the context of the following information, it is important to note that KY has again led the nation in new, higher standards of bringing students to be College and Career Ready as well as to meet the aggressive Common Core Standards. The importance of this context can be seen by the difference in these comparative states and the states of highest performing students—the latter states which, given current research, have the necessary funds to meet the standards set for in KY Senate Bill 1, the Common Core Standards, and a College and Career Ready student population.

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Click here to read more about the study and new model written by Brad Hughes of the Kentucky School Boards Association.