“A state commission studying K-12 school efficiency needs a balanced membership willing to approach the issues with open minds. . . Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with the first two appointees selected by Merrick: Mike O’Neal, president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, and Dave Trabert, president of the Kansas Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. Neither has any professional expertise in K-12 education. Both are registered lobbyists representing groups that have been highly critical of the state’s public education system.” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/jun/12/editorial-k-12-agenda/?opinion