Every Kansan should read this article and understand that the three efforts outlined are related and part of a game plan playing out in several states. We note that the removal of Representative Rooker from the House Education Committee and the attacks on the teachers unions are both efforts to silence education advocates.

“Statehouse leaders aren’t reserving judgment on education issues until the courts decide on the constitutionality of K-12 state funding.

“Instead, conservative legislators and others in Topeka are signaling through their comments and actions a keen interest in curbing spending, weakening teachers unions and using public tools to aid private schools…The ideas being floated gloss over the fact that the finance formula is complex because education is complex, requiring weighted funding to balance demographics and geography. Nor does the recent talk include boosting the base state aid per pupil from the current $3,852 back to $4,400, where it was when the Great Recession hit. It once seemed fair to expect such a restoration would occur once the economy and state revenues rebounded. No more.”

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/opinion/editorials/article5021766.html#storylink=cpy