Great news! HB 2326 would have changed teacher negotiations to allow districts to offer teachers individual “take it or leave it” contracts. Rep. Boldra amended HB 2326 to contain the consensus negotiations bill supported by the superintendents association, the school administrators association, the school board association and the teachers union. Several legislators said it was wrong to tell those parties to negotiate a bill, and then refuse to accept the bill they support. The bill as amended passed. We remain wary of changes to this bill later in the session, but celebrate this vote. After an initial vote...
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Rep. Mast moves to vote quickly to avoid hearing from constituents
On February 24 in the House Social Services Budget Committee, Rep. Mast moved to eliminate funding for the Parents as Teachers program. Notably, she said they needed to vote quickly because they might start hearing from constituents. Rep. Clayton tweeted, “Argument was made: if we don’t vote for a motion now, we would hear from constituents. Guys, our constituents are the whole point.” The motion passed. The public did learn both of the proposed cuts to Parents as Teachers as well as Rep. Mast’s statement, and after hearing from many constituents, the committee did a motion to reconsider...
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Leave a Comment Senate Education Committee passes minority report PNA bill
On February 24, the Senate Education Committee passed a negotiations bill which mirrors the minority report from the K-12 Efficiency Commission (signed by paid lobbyists Mike O’Neal and Dave Trabert who have consistently opposed strong education funding and policy, Sam Williams and Dennis Depew and not the majority of the commission) rather than passing the bill supported by the school boards association, the superintendents association, the school administrators association and the teachers union. Voting for the bill were Senators Melcher, Fitzgerald, Tyson, Pyle, Abrams and Arpke. Senators Hensley, Baumgardner, Schmidt, Pettey, and Kerschen voted against the bill. Please thank...
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Leave a Comment Legislature stifling dissent
“Along the way, conservatives pushed new policies seen by some as stifling political dissent. “Public employee unions are now barred from deducting money from members’ paychecks to help bankroll political activities, which tend to be directed against conservatives. State money can no longer be used to lobby for gun control. And lawmakers have pushed repeatedly to overhaul the makeup of a state Supreme Court that’s ordered the Legislature to spend millions more on schools and that the legislative majority sees as hostile to the death penalty…Republican state Rep. Don Hineman of western Kansas said attempts to muffle dissent...
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