7 October 2005

Sebelius announces audits of school district spending
First-in-the-nation school audits to make schools more accountable, Governor says

TOPEKA, Kan. – Smarter school spending will result in smarter kids and a better Kansas economy, Governor Kathleen Sebelius said today.  The Governor was in the children’s section of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library to announce which four school districts will receive in-depth audits.

“Talk to any businessperson, and they’ll tell you a well-educated workforce is critical to the success of our economy. Kansas taxpayers also know this, which is why they’re willing to invest in our schools. But we must protect taxpayers by making sure they’re getting a good return on their investment,” the Governor said.

The four school districts slated to receive the audits are Arkansas City, Geary County, Olathe, and Scott County.  These audits will identify concrete ways schools can improve their effectiveness, helping them get better student performance and showing taxpayers their dollars are being well-spent.  Results will be presented to the Governor later this year.

“We’re asking ‘What are the results we’re getting and what are we spending to get those results?’ That’s what any business would do. Our goal is to get the best student achievement for every dollar spent,” the Governor said. “These audits will show us how we can improve every Kansas school, so every Kansas child has a good school and every tax dollar is used wisely.”

Last month, Sebelius unveiled the list of 16 Kansas school districts shown to be getting a top return on taxpayers’ investment, as identified by the research firm of Standard & Poor’s. The four schools receiving audits were selected in consultation with S&P and the Governor’s Business Education Partnership.

Of the schools to receive the audits, Arkansas City, Geary County and Scott County were part of the 16, while S&P identified Olathe as the most resource effective of school districts with more than 10,000 students.

“I appreciate the willingness of these school districts to join us as we look for ways to make our schools more accountable. They know smarter spending will result in smarter kids. They also know every district, even the most efficient ones, can improve,” Sebelius said.

These audits are the second step in a landmark review ordered by Governor Sebelius of how Kansas schools spend money. She originally proposed these accountability reviews in early 2004, but the Legislature refused to support them.  Undeterred, Governor Sebelius worked with the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, which agreed to sponsor the effort.

More information and details on the 16 districts identified as being “Highly Resource Effective” can be found at the Governor’s Web site, http://www.ksgovernor.org .