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We are very disappointed that the governor and legislative leaders keep using the “in the classroom” argument, though it has been rejected by the two efficiency commissions that looked at it. It is being used to cast doubt on the need for school funding and is irresponsible. “Brownback has previously complained that districts aren’t spending 65 percent of their operating budgets in the classroom, a goal once championed by the founder of Overstock.com. “But there is no research showing a relationship between the 65 percent threshold and improved student outcomes. Even a school efficiency task force that Brownback...

12/29/2015 ­ The Winfield Daily Courier: Courier Views “The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld its own constitutional authority. By ruling against a law that would have diminished that authority, the court told the legislature to stay in its place. Several new conservative voices, including those of Justice Caleb Stegall and House Speaker Ray Merrick, have implied that the court, too, should stay in its place. “Without being specific, they suggest the principle of separation of powers should keep the courts from ‘interfering’ with school funding. “This might be considered consistent. “But when it comes to the Constitution’s requirement for ‘suitable’...