Rep. Brad Halbrook calls for wiser approach to state K-12 funding

SHELBYVILLE (Heartland Newsfeed) — State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) recently called for K-12 funding to be more focused following a report on the alarming rapid growth of education in the past two decades.

“We need money for schools but simply throwing money at our school districts isn’t the answer,” Halbrook said in a statement. “Most people understand that funding schools is a civic duty we all have. Even people who do not have kids enrolled in school understand that funding schools has to be a community-wide effort. But the money spent on education should be spent wisely.”

The before-mentioned report that spending has outpaced enrollment by 1200% since 1997. While Halbrook did not call for less spending, he argued that the money needs to go to helping students rather than administrator pensions and failing or redundant programs.

“We need to look at rolling back some of the burdensome state mandates on schools to reduce education costs,” Halbrook said. “We also need pension reform to ease the burden on taxpayers. The issue isn’t do we have enough money – it is what are we doing with the resources we have?”

Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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