Thank you, Ed Tranin! We hope the business community joins us in getting more vocal about the impact of education cuts.
“I didn’t ask for this. As a Kansas small business, I no longer pay taxes on my business profits.
“I moved to Kansas 20 years ago because of the excellent schools. I no longer have children in the Blue Valley district, but I still find it painful to watch the effect of the ongoing school funding crisis. Some districts have had to shorten their school years, and all have had to cut back on programs and services.
“Kansas has one of the nation’s lowest average teacher’s salary, and job protections were stripped. Experienced teachers are opting for early retirement, and new teachers are choosing to start their careers in more stable states. Who could blame them?
“To ease this shortage, the state decided to allow some districts to begin hiring unlicensed teachers. There’s no doubt this will affect the quality of education for years to come.
“An educated workforce is the key to economic growth in our state, not tax cuts for businesses and tax burdens for everyone else.
“We can’t wait for the next election to fix this. Businesses need to step up now and do the right thing to support our community.”
Ed Tranin
Leawood
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article39328263.html