Is consolidating districts so that all districts in Kansas have
at least 10,000 students a good idea?
We recently scanned satellite photos of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Barksdale Air Force
Base in Louisiana. We were pleased to observe the B-52s, which are almost as old as we are, were still
operating. We also checked the one B-52H assigned to Edwards Air Force Base as well as the plane
controlled by NASA as part of the Heavy-lift Airborne Launch program. None of the runways have
teachers lined up ready to be dropped on districts that need talent. Perhaps there are secret vaults of
cloned teachers stashed at Area 51, but until TIBs (Teachers in Black) start showing up wherever
scores mysteriously rise, we'll assume reviving American education will be achieved by hard work.
One favored technique in mathematics is called reductio ad absurdum. In the case of Kansas, one
might ask 'why stop'? Even more money could be saved by consolidating all districts into one. After all,
Kansas already has a state level administration. In fact, so do all states. Presumably, those not
intensely committed to states' rights would not mind joining the Consolidated Federal Hyper-District.
After all, given the dismal failure of No Child Left Behind (except for starting to enforce auditability),
the strategy of giving even more money and power to a loss leader has to be admired for persistence.
The State of Kansas has a shortfall and wants to balance its books by taking money from education.
That's a choice the adults of Kansas are entitled to make for the children of Kansas and for the overall
economy of Kansas. We'd probably be inclined to first ask if there's any evidence large districts are
especially effective as measured by scores. We're working on a comparison between administrative
costs as a share of total budget and academic achievement. So far, the larger school districts in
Missouri are not doing so well. That said, we encourage states to try all sorts of schemes.
We need the statistics. We have no skin in the game - what is at stake is your children. There is
probably something to be said for consolidating the bicameral legislature in Kansas. Suppose Kansas
fires 125 Representatives and portions of their staff.
From our perspective, an alternative for Kansas is to increase revenues. Tactics like casinos, whose
statisticians we have considerable professional respect for, are just a device to steal the same money
more than once. We prefer solar energy for the positive economic effects and new assets it creates.
Suppose Kansas school districts wisely invest in solar power, and not only keep schools open and
preserve teachers' jobs, but even hire more teachers. Administrators would have to work a little
harder. Maybe Kansas would be tempted to pass a law that says all staff must teach one class
per day.
Of course, as noted, great teachers are in notoriously short supply. We suggest a second law: all
legislators teach one government course (via video-conference if necessary) for one hour per day.
Student scores to be posted anonymously by legislator on the Internet. This falls under the heading
"if you don't play the game you don't make the rules". That sounds like a plan to us.