Here’s a letter to the editor from a Pittsburg USD 250 school board member. Pittsburg-area Game On team, are Rep. Smith and Sen. LaTurner representing you? “Representative Smith was contacted on numerous occasions before the final action by Superintendent Destry Brown urging him to vote against SB7. Some of you may remember the presentation that Superintendent Brown gave on school finance at a recent board meeting and how well he comprehends school finance and its impact USD 250. “With his yes vote Representative Smith opposed members of the school board and the Superintendent of the only school in...
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Kansas has third-largest percentage drop in tax revenue in nation
Other states are enjoying increases in revenue, but not Kansas. “The U.S. Census Bureau released its annual survey of state government tax collections earlier this month, and the results show an overall growth in revenue. State tax revenue across the entire country increased 2.2 percent, up to $865 billion in fiscal year 2014 from $847 billion in 2013. “Kansas had the third-largest percentage drop in total tax revenue during the same time period. According to the survey, the state’s revenue declined 3.8 percent, from $7.6 billion to $7.3 billion.” Read more here: http://cjonline.com/news/2015-04-26/census-report-kansas-had-third-largest-revenue-drop-among-all-states-last-year...
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Leave a Comment Budget problems continue
The state’s budget problems affect its ability to fund schools properly, and the bad news continues to flow. “Another dire budget forecast this week shows that expenses for the budget year beginning July 1 exceed expected revenues by $400 million. “Irresponsible income tax cuts the Legislature passed in 2012 and 2013 created the hole in the state’s general fund. The governor and lawmakers have tried to fill it by shoveling in money from the designated highway fund and with other unwise gimmicks…The tax cuts will cause the state to lose almost $1 billion in revenue for the upcoming...
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Leave a Comment Leave local elections in spring
“Our local elections should remain non-partisan. They should stay in the spring so that voters can focus on really important issues in their communities and not worry about partisan politics… “But this won’t happen, because a bill written by Republican extremists is pending right now in the Legislature to move all elections to the fall — even though no one at the local level in Kansas asked for it. No one… “A decade from now, when we see our local races bogged down in politics, rather than in discussion of important issues, voters will be sorry. They’ll wish...
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