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Well said, Emporia Superintendent Theresa Davidson. We, too, share the goal of efficient and effective school spending but we are tired of the misuse of the terms “classroom” and “administrative” spending which are loosely defined, exclude/include many types of spending people think of as “classroom” spending and fail to acknowledge the important functions of the different types of spending. “Indeed, the heart of our work in education is all about students and teachers in the classroom. Who can argue the challenge from state policymakers and politicians to ‘put more money into the classroom’? Nothing is more important than...

We agree. “In an Aug. 28 blog post, Dave Trabert of the Kansas Policy Institute noted the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ‘does not charge dues to taxpayers; only individual members pay dues.’ Trabert’s comments would lead readers to believe ALEC is not taxpayer funded. That, of course, is incorrect. “News reports from 2014 and 2015 show Kansas taxpayers paid for legislators to travel to and attend ALEC meetings. At these meetings, which are off-limits to the public and press, legislators and corporate lobbyists sit behind closed doors to draft and approve ‘model’ bills that impact everything from...