“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....
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
Leave a Comment Rep. Jones recommends cutting education
“Rep. Dick Jones, R-Topeka, said the K-12 public school system was ripe for reductions. “‘We should be brave enough to go ahead,’ said Jones, referencing school district slush funds [known to the rest of us as reserve funds]. ‘There’s a lot of money out there. We don’t have to raise taxes.'” Read more here: http://m.cjonline.com/news/state/2015-05-29/face-weak-may-tax-revenue-house-gop-grasps-budget-cuts-deflate-deficit#gsc.tab=0 ...
Read more
Leave a Comment