By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dave Trabert, Chief Executive Officer of Kansas Policy Institute sees the Kansas Legislature as continuing to take a larger role in setting education policy if the State Board of Education won't align with it in terms of the goals of giving parents more choices about their children's education.
"Their primary role is to ensure that kids get the education they deserve, that school districts are really preparing students for college and career," Trabert said. "The reason the legislature is stepping in, is that parents are increasingly finding out that the State Board and local school boards are not doing that job."
Trabert's concern is a lack of achievement by Kansas kids.
"Right now in Kansas, we have more high school students below grade level than we have on track for college and career," Trabert said. "Fifty-one percent of 10th graders in the Hutchinson school district are below grade level in math. Only 13 percent are on track for college and career."
Those are 2019 numbers, so it still remains to be seen how the pandemic may impact that achievement gap.
"Achievement has been persistently low," Trabert said. "In the last five years, it's been declining. Yet, the state school board and to a large degree, local school boards want to say, shut up, go away, we know what we're doing."
Trabert hopes it doesn't take a legal battle for the State Board of Education and the legislature to get on the same page, but he does expect more school choice legislation to be part of the legislature's agenda in the coming session.