Comments made at the Lansing school board meeting on November 13 exposed a consciously false claim and several school funding deceptions by USD 469 Superintendent Marty Kobza as he tried to sway board members to oppose open enrollment.
Kobza was promoting a 2024 legislative agenda developed by all the superintendents in the county that includes objections to the open enrollment law going into effect in the 2024-25 school year. Many superintendents object to students being able to attend a public school of their choice regardless of where they live; as is often the case, the system’s needs are prioritized over students’ needs.
Kobza argues that Lansing taxpayers would be footing the bill for kids who choose a school in USD 469, saying that the state only provides $5,080 and the district spends “a little over $11,000,” and “it takes more than just the state aid that we receive on a student to fund their education and then that’s picked up by the taxpayers in your district.”
The district’s budget report shows Kobza’s statements to be blatantly false. USD 469 is budgeting $42.2 million in total revenue this year, of which $30.8 million comes from state revenues; with 2,665 students budgeted, that is $11,614 per student from the state. The district is budgeting to spend almost $16,000 per student this year, not $11,000 as Kobza told the board. State revenue accounts for 73% of total revenue, 9% comes from federal sources, and 17% is local revenue.
Kobza implied that local...
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