“‘The board member is… surprised,’ said Hamm, ‘that the communication was that somehow the board member was convinced that yes, that is true, when we know it’s not.’ “That may be because Newton’s operating budget for the 2015-2016 school year had to be cut by $750,000 in order to stay even. “Dr. Hamm says there appears to be a disconnect. “’We can talk about how much more money is going in, and yes, it is. But, we have a number of needs that are going unmet,’ said Hamm.” Read more here: http://ksn.com/2015/07/24/newton-superintendent-responds-to-brownbacks-board-member-reference/...
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Teacher drain is a warning
“Brownback and the Legislature should treat the reports on the teacher exodus as a wake-up call. Kansans value public education. They want schools staffed by talented, enthusiastic professionals. “The governor and lawmakers must give schools adequate, stable funding and stop proposing laws that teachers find offensive and punitive. Until that happens, the drain will continue.” Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article28659634.html ...
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Leave a Comment SMSD now skeptical of funding under block grants
SMSD conditionally supported the block grant funding saying it would provide funding certainty. That certainty is proving elusive. “Citing state budget numbers that simply don’t add up, Shawnee Mission Superintendent Jim Hinson said on Thursday that the school district expects to receive less than its promised allotment under the block grant bill passed in March and that it was making contingency plans in hopes of avoiding employee furloughs or other cost cutting measures in the middle of the school year.” Read more here: http://pvpost.com/2015/07/24/hinson-warns-reduction-in-state-aid-for-shawnee-mission-highly-likely-district-prepared-to-dip-into-reserves-41192...
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Leave a Comment Kansas corporate tax credit scholarship program was an ALEC bill
Here’s the boilerplate ALEC corporate tax credit scholarship bill that was modified and became Kansas law in the final hours of the 2014 legislative session, despite not being passed when considered on its own. The program was expanded this spring. Note the lack of academic accountability. http://www.alec.org/model-legislation/the-great-schools-tax-credit-program-act-scholarship-tax-credits/ We submitted testimony against the bill when it was heard (and failed to pass out of committee). Here’s a portion of our testimony. (Footnotes didn’t copy over but we referred to substantial research.) Our concerns regarding this bill are extensive and stem from the explicit preference among some elected officials to turn over...
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