Here is SBOE member Janet Waugh’s take on HB 2292, which will be heard tomorrow. Please contact your Representative and House Speaker Ray Merrick (ray.merrick@house.ks.gov) and urge them to vote NO!

Janet Waugh
March 21 at 1:29pm ·
I sent the following letter to all legislators in my district with a copy to all my superintendents yesterday. It is my understanding this bill will be voted on in the House tomorrow. I encourage everyone to contact legislators right away. We must do everything we can to stop this attack on education. Our kids and their futures are worth it!

Dear Friends:

I am writing you about the bill regarding English Language Arts & Mathematics that passed the House Education Committee Friday I would like to remind each of you about Article Six of the Kansas Constitution which states that “State Board of Education which shall have general supervision of public schools, educational institutions and all the educational interests of the state”.The State Board is by law charged to review standards every seven years. We are currently in the process of reviewing & developing standards in both of these areas. The current standards were approved in 2010 and we plan to have new standards approved by the end of 2017.

Our Commissioner, Dr. Randy Watson, recently sent an invitation to Senator Abrams & Representative Highland, chairs of the Senate & House Education Committees, asking them to appoint someone from each of their committees to serve on both the English Language Arts & Mathematics committees.

When our standards are revised and approved in 2017, local boards of education then have the opportunity to select the curriculum they feel will best serve their districts. I’ve heard several of you say how much you dislike Federal mandates. Well, the same is true for local boards of education. They dislike both Federal & State mandates. During my service on the State Board of Education, I have always remembered how much I disliked these mandates when I served on the Turner Board of Education. I encourage you to remember that our state has always had a great deal of pride in local control by our districts and I have tried to remember that every time I vote on something at the State Board of Education level.

Thank you for your service and if you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Janet Waugh, Member District 1
Kansas Board of Education

UPDATE: This bill did not pass when it was voted on in the House.