Why are academics slipping?
September 17, 2025
On Tuesday the Kansas City Star published an opinion editorial by Patrick Tuohey, who is a senior fellow at the Show-Me Institute.
Tuohey took the Blue Valley School District to task for their academic performance given their current funding.
Here’s an overview of Tuohey’s article:
Blue Valley schools are flush with cash. Why are academics slipping?
A recent U.S News And World Report ranking listed several Blue Valley schools as among the best in the region. While welcome, the district’s academic outcomes appear to have eroded for some time — despite growing budgets and strong reserves.
. . .
This isn’t a funding problem. All told, Blue Valley is sitting on $315 million in reserves. Nearly a third of that is flexible and available for day-to-day needs. There’s also a $20.3 million contingency fund. Enrollment is flat and property values are up. At some point, caution turns into stockpiling.
Tuohey’s article has fewer than 800 words, but a planned graphic was missing from the published article, which is definitely a picture worth more than 1000 words.
Tuohey’s graphic shows Blue Valley District average ACT scores by graduation year with a downward trend since a peak in 2016.
What changes are needed at the Blue Valley School District to turn this around?