off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
The Price of Kansas’ Costly Tax Cuts
No state did more to cut taxes in 2012 than Kansas, and no governor proclaimed as loudly as Kansas’ Sam Brownback that tax cuts would have minimal negative impact on public services. So it’s worth looking at what our recent 50-state report on state K-12 funding trends found about Kansas:
- In fiscal year 2014, the first full year since Kansas’ massive income tax cuts (targeted largely to the wealthy) took effect, Kansas cut general state aid for schools per pupil by 2.6 percent (or $129). That’s the third-biggest drop in the country. Most states (35) raised general aid this year to offset some of the cuts in previous years.
- Kansas’ cut this year came on top of large earlier cuts. Since the recession hit, the state’s general aid for schools per pupil has plummeted by 16.5 percent, also the third-biggest decline in the country. That amounts to a cut of $950 per student.
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