Kansas

"Wichita schools have set a record that no parent or teacher wants to see. As of midday Monday, educators and social workers had identified 2,251 homeless children attending Wichita schools this year."

"Westar Energy employees will be in Wichita on Wednesday to help low-income residents apply for assistance in paying their utility bills."

"Wichita and several other major Kansas school districts fought a proposal Tuesday that would take poverty measures out of the school finance formula, focusing instead on test scores. Under Senate Bill 103, districts would no longer be able to count students beyond third grade as at risk' just because they qualify for free and reduced lunch."

"A 2010 study by the Homeless Research Institute, an arm of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, projected that the number of elderly people who are homeless would increase by 33 percent, from 44,172 in 2010 to 58,772 by 2020, and would double to 95,000 by 2050."

"Districts face many challenges in addition to the rising numbers of homeless students, including more low-income students, more students who speak other languages, and rising federal achievement standards. Meanwhile, the state has dramatically cut base funding per pupil in recent years. The Kansas Center for Economic Growth, a new think tank, reported that Kansas has cut more funding per pupil since 2008 than all but seven states."

"Poverty among schoolchildren in Kansas and Missouri is on the rise, according to statistics from the National School Lunch Program. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program tracks student eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals offered to low-income families."