User:Trey.malone3/Kansas Policy Institute

Overview
The Kansas Policy Institute is a free-market think tank based in Wichita, KS. As a member of the State Policy Network, it primarily focuses on state and local policy issues, such as education,  budget and spending,  health care,  and property tax. The President of the KPI is Dave Trabert and the Board Chair is George Pearson.

Mission Statement
According to the website, “KPI is an independent think-tank that advocates for free market solutions and the protection of personal freedom for all Kansans. Our work centers on state and local economic policy with primary emphasis on education, fiscal policy and health care. We empower citizens, legislators, and other government officials with objective research and creative ideas to promote a low-tax, pro-growth environment that preserves the ability of governments to provide high quality services.”

History
Originally titled in 1996 as the Kansas Public Policy Institute, the think tank changed its name to the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy, then to Kansas Policy Institute in 2009. It was founded by a group of Kansans who supported the Cato Institute and wanted to apply that model to Kansas state government. Since then, KPI hosts events across the state, publishes studies that educate policy makers, the general public, and community leaders, and uses traditional and social media to discuss state and local government through the free market perspective. Some sources claim the KPI receives its funding from Wichita-based Koch Industries, but the institute does not publicly discuss any of its donors as it maintains all non-profits are protected from mandatory donor disclosure by the 1958 NAACP v. Alabama Supreme Court case where the court granted nonprofits voluntary donor disclosure.

Education Budget
In 2010, the Kansas Policy Institute raised awareness about the State Unencumbered Fund balances, concluding that state school districts had over $699 million in carryover operating funds. The institute concluded that schools were not spending all of the money they were being given and instead putting money in the bank. This claim drew both positive and negative attention from the media and school boards and the issue  remains a topic of conversation in the K-12 finance debate. However, SB 111 passed the Kansas Legislature in the 2011 session and allows Kansas school districts to more easily access that money to offset declines in base per-pupil aid from the state.

Adjunct Scholars
Along with Dave Trabert, the institute also uses adjunct free market scholars to produce many of its policy briefings, such as:

Jagadeesh Gokhale, PhD., Jonathan Williams, Barry W. Poulson, PhD

Additional Projects
In addition to KPI policy briefings, the Kansas Policy Institute maintains a state-recognized transparency site titled KansasOpenGov. It also has partnered with the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice to promote the “Why Not Kansas?” Campaign to promote the School Choice Initiative.