This photo is from our last walk to Topeka in 2016 when Kansans sick of years of legislators who listened to Koch-funded lobbyists more than their own constituents on education and tax policy made their voices heard.
Yesterday, we were reminded of those days as we testified against HB 2119, an ESA (voucher) bill that has no academic standards for the schools and vendors receiving money under the program. Take a look at the lists of proponents and opponents of the bill. We’ll be watching to see whether this bill passes out of committee.
Proponents
- Kansas Policy Institute
- Americans for Prosperity
- Heritage Foundation
(all three above are Koch-funded free-market anti-public education organizations)
- Berean Academy (non-accredited Christian private school)
- Frontier Peace Advisors (libertarian organization)
- ExcelEdInAction (Florida based education “reform” company)
- EdChoice (national education “reform” company)
- Joy Eakins (former Wichita school board member)
- Wade Moore (dean of a 75-student private school in Wichita already participating in tax credit scholarship program)
- Heidy Rodriguez (Dodge City parent whose children have already been enrolled in Catholic school for 15 years)
Opponents
- Game On for Kansas Schools
- Kansas PTA
- Kansas Association of School Boards
- Charles Steffes (USD 252 Southern Lyon County board member and parent)
- Kim Brown (Piper board member and parent)
- Meghan Hemenway (parent and co-president Rising Star Elementary PTA)
- Stephanie Noyes (former private school teacher and private and public school parent of children with special needs)
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State
- National Coalition for Public Education
- Shawnee Mission School District
- Five Shawnee County Public School Districts
- Mainstream Coalition
- Blue Valley School District
- Education First Shawnee Mission (parent advocacy group)
- OPEN (Olathe Public Education Education Network parent-led advocacy organization)
- KNEA
- Spring Hill School District
- Kate Doerksen (Maize USD 266 Board of Education President)
- Goddard School District
- Steve Nordby (Principal Garden City High School)
- James Schmidt (Vice President Geary County Schools USD 475)
- Kansas Association of Retired School Personnel
- Olathe School District
- Megan Langford (parent and public school advocate in SMSD)
- Topeka School District USD 501
- Holly Coleman (parent in SMSD)
- Karl McNorton Seaman School District board member
- Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators
- Kansas State Board of Education
- Greg Tice (USD 267 Renwick school board member)
Who are the committee members listening to?
You can download our testimony:
Originally posted to Facebook 2/9/2021.