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And so the game continues. Instead of “cuts”, we can expect “efficiencies” and changes to weightings and the formula per Rep. Hoffman and Sen. Abrams while waiting for thousands of jobs to come flooding into Kansas. What are your legislators saying? “State legislators from Sumner County defended the tax cuts given by Gov. Sam Brownback, and said they believe they will end up helping the state, as they spoke at a legislative update meeting held at the Donut Shop in Wellington Saturday. “Several people at the meeting, sponsored by the Sumner County Farm Bureau, questioned Rep. Kyle Hoffman...

“But they’re unlikely to be heard or even considered, based on comments from House Speaker Ray Merrick, the Stilwell Republican closely aligned with the governor who recently unleashed this gem: ‘Government employees produce nothing. They’re a net consumer. And you got that cost forever and ever and ever because they’re on the KPERS (pension) plan, they’re on all the government insurance and everything.’ “Yet alongside teachers, firefighters, police and other state employees, state legislators like Merrick also participate in KPERS. “Consider his uninformed, insulting remarks more proof of the thoughtlessness that’s helped drive poor decision-making of late in...

The 2015 legislative session is coming, and with it we expect to see the continuing claim that our Kansas schools are failing. So, in addition to pointing out why we need more funding, and the dangers of the education “reforms” that will be pushed, we will also highlight some of the ways our schools are rising above their challenges. Here’s one. “The Lawrence school district is shrinking the graduation rate gap among the highest and lowest achieving groups of students, thanks to an emphasis on fine-tuning classes and curricula so the needs of disadvantaged students and students of...