Shawnee Mission superintendent encouraged by Brownback school finance plan

Shawnee Mission School District Superintendent Gene Johnson released a statement Wednesday suggesting he was highly encouraged by Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to revamp the state’s school funding formula, which has been the subject of near-constant litigation in recent years.

The statement was as follows:

We are pleased that the Governor’s plan appears to include greater flexibility to raise funds locally to support local school district needs, while including components of equalization to address disparities in property wealth across the state. The Shawnee Mission School District has made significant budget cuts over the past several years to address funding challenges under the current formula, so the inclusion of greater local funding options is very important to our school district to ensure that we can continue to provide outstanding educational opportunities for our students.