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Blue Valley District Supporter
Voters of Blue Valley:

It is vitally important that we stay alert and involved to maintain the excellent school district we are accustomed to as patrons in this community. We must continue supporting, encouraging, and nominating Board of Education members who share our interest in the quality school district that benefits our children and enhances our property values.

Do you wonder why Pam Robinson’s opponent was endorsed by Americans for Prosperity? (Two AFP mailers endorsing Pam’s opponent were sent in the final days before the election.) Who are the people behind AFP, anyway? An internet search reveals:

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is an American conservative political advocacy group founded by billionaire businessman and conservative/libertarian political activist David Koch, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Fighting for lower taxes, less government, and an end to ObamaCare, Americans for Prosperity is America’s largest center-right grassroots organization.

Also, why was Pam Robinson’s opponent posting links on her campaign Facebook page to Kansas Policy Institute material? What is KPI’s agenda? According to one knowledgeable source, “KPI exists solely to promote a right-wing ideology that includes the de-funding and, ultimately, privatization of K-12 education.” From the Topeka Capital Journal online:

Kansas Policy Institute misreads data to mislead the public; working to:
-Defund and privatize Kansas public schools through vouchers.
-Eliminate income taxes and cut corporate taxes
-Destroy public pensions

So what interest do AFP and KPI have in OUR Blue Valley Board of Education? We need to think about that.

Board of Education elections are nonpartisan for good reason. No matter our political beliefs, we all want Board members who are like-minded toward the goal of educational excellence. This isn’t an Obamacare issue, or a gun-control issue, or a Republican/Democrat/Libertarian issue – despite what AFP and other meddlers want us to think. These divisive partisan issues should not come into play in any school board race.

Did you know that in the current 2015 legislative session, a bill was introduced to move local elections (including Board of Ed) from spring to fall and to make them partisan? The part about making them partisan has been removed (thanks to voter outrage) but legislators are still considering the bill to move local elections from spring to fall. There has been much opposition to this by local school districts across the state, along with the KNEA (National Education Association) and KASB (Kansas Association of School Boards), but that has not stopped Kansas legislators from moving this bill forward.

Why do they want to move Board of Education elections to the fall? This would result in seating new Board members in the middle of a school year! Here’s why: Local elections are currently separated from partisan politics. The voters who turn out for these elections (albeit frighteningly low numbers of voters) aren’t at the polls to vote for Presidential or House/Senate races. They are at the polls because they care about who represents them LOCALLY, on the school board, or the community college board, or at the water district. Some in the Kansas legislature want increased partisan turnout in fall elections to have its obvious influence on local elections.

If you want to follow some non-partisan groups who share our determination to keep excellence in public education and keep partisan politics out of school districts, here are sources we recommend:

http://www.mainstreamcoalition.org
http://gameonforkansasschools.com
http://www.kansasbudget.com

Please consider “Liking” this Blue Valley District Supporter page (if you haven’t already) and invite your fellow Blue Valley District Supporters to do the same. We’ll provide updates via this page on future efforts to support our district through the political process.

Thank you for being an advocate of the public education system that brings such vibrancy to our community. Thank you for being a Blue Valley District Supporter.

<This post was a collaborative effort by several Blue Valley District Supporters.>