Here’s a great column from the Hutch News. “I suppose it is politically useful to pretend there is a magic formula out there which will provide a better system of education at a reduced price. It is the same approach as pretending one can lower taxes and collect more revenue, that one can remove large sums of money from the highway budget and not affect road quality, that the number of prison guards can be reduced and not affect safety or performance, or that we can fix KPERS on the cheap by borrowing a lot of money. “The...
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
Walk with Game On March 27-30
Are you ready to make your voices heard for the sake of the children in your community? We’re going to be doing our third 60-mile walk from JOCO to Topeka March 27-29 with a final walk and press conference the morning of Monday, March 30. If you’d like to help organize the effort for your community, comment or message us. Otherwise, mark your calendar and plan to join us. More details to come. Here’s a video from last year’s walk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_3EbCov8Js...
Read more
Leave a Comment Eagle provides context for school funding numbers
Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to reduce school funding for the current year by $28 million, or 1.5 percent, after previous promises to safeguard education dollars has sparked debate. Some lawmakers and residents have expressed anger over the cut to the schools’ current-year budget, but others agree with the governor that school spending ought to be reined in and say this offers an opportunity to reform the state’s school finance formula. Here are some numbers to consider when discussing school funding. $3,811 That’s the amount of base state aid per pupil after the governor’s reduction, a decrease of about...
Read more
Leave a Comment Proposals to change courts aimed at school funding
We’re connecting the dots again today. The courts have been ordering the state to increase funding for schools. Our governor and legislature would currently prefer to lower taxes, even if it results in a decreased revenue stream, and fund schools according to what we can afford under that scenario. But the courts are holding them to the constitutional requirement that they provide suitable funding for public education (9 times so far). They’re frustrated by that and would like to change how justices are selected. (They changed how appeals court judges are selected last year.) Bills to change judicial...
Read more
Leave a Comment