“The Kansas House on Monday approved and sent to Gov. Sam Brownback a bill funding the judicial branch for the next two years, although critics of the bill say it is blatantly unconstitutional…[T]he most controversial provision says that if the courts overturn a law enacted last year dealing with the selection of district court chief judges, then all other parts of the bill, including funding for the courts, will be considered invalid as well. “That 2014 law stripped the Supreme Court of its long-standing authority to appoint chief judges and now requires chief judges to be elected by...
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Governor blaming schools for cuts
“This isn’t the only time the Governor’s Office has tried to spin the numbers to downplay and dismiss school funding concerns. Willoughby e-mailed a statement in February criticizing media coverage of Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to trim school districts’ current year funding by about $28 million statewide. “The Kansas City school district is not alone in making cuts. Districts throughout the state have been grappling with funding problems – including the Lawrence school district, which last week announced a proposal to cut and reallocate more than $1.2 million as a result of an expected decrease in state aid....
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Leave a Comment KCKPS responds to release from Governor’s Office
The Kansas City, Kansas issued the statement below in response to a release from the Governor’s office. We are posting it here. KCKPS Responds to Release from Governor’s Office FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:David Smith, Chief of Staff, (913) 279-2242 On Sunday, the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools issued the following statement, in response to a press release issued by Governor Sam Brownback’s office on May 30, 2015: It is disappointing that a spokesperson for Governor Sam Brownback, Deputy Communications Director Melika Willoughby, would issue a press release that contains erroneous and irrelevant information, in an attempt to mislead...
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Leave a Comment Article explains links between attacks on courts and school finance decisions
This article explains the links between the recent bills attacking the courts and their school finance decisions. “After the state Supreme Court ordered the state to spend more on poorer school districts last March, the Kansas Legislature voted to strip the top court of some of its administrative authority, including the power to appoint chief judges in the state’s 31 district courts. Republicans claimed the move was unrelated to the education finance issue, but Democrats, judicial watchdogs, and education advocates saw it as punishment for the schools case. ‘Nobody will admit it, but I have no doubt that...
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