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SBOE delaying decision on uncertified teachers indefinitely

Here’s a report from KASB on the SBOE’s decision to put off a vote on the use of non-certified teachers indefinitely. A proposal to allow the state’s innovative districts to hire non-licensed people to teach was sent back for more work on Thursday after numerous educators spoke against the plan. Even before teachers, higher education officials and school advocates voiced disapproval of the measure to the State Board of Education, the board put off a vote on the proposal indefinitely. Board Chairman Jim McNiece said he wants the leaders of innovative school districts to meet with the deans...
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KPI distributing misleading information on funding

From our friends at Schools for Fair Funding: Kansas Policy Institute (KPI) is distributing charts and figures that are misleading. For increases for schools in a three year period KPI uses 2013-14 as the base year to compute increases. This is before the court ordered increase in equalization adopted LAST year. This is not a result of the block grant and to infer otherwise is misleading....
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Kasha Kelley misses much of session

We became familiar with Rep. Kasha Kelley last year when she led the House Education Committee and promoted the ALEC agenda (expansion of charter schools, corporate tax credit scholarships, etc.). This year she has missed the majority of the session so far. “Rep. Kasha Kelley has missed most of the legislative session this year, but she told the Traveler recently that she has stayed engaged and made it to Topeka for all substantive issues and controversial votes… The House Journal shows that Kelley was marked absent 32 of the first 53 legislative days.” Read more here: http://www.winfieldcourier.com/news/article_636566b0-de65-11e4-ab50-23af2ae60777.html  ...
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Block grant funding uncertain

“The prospect that Shawnee Mission, or any school district, will receive the money anticipated from their block grants is dubious, at best. For one thing, some of the school districts that have been challenging the adequacy of education financing in Kansas have filed legal action to stop the block grant change from taking effect. A court ruling in their favor could throw the situation back into flux. “Also, a budget passed by the Kansas Senate already spends more than $600 million than the state anticipates receiving in revenues. Many legislators and analysts expect that gap to grow even...
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