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Texas court rule’s state education funding unconstitutional

Look out Texas! Here comes Kansas? As a Texas court rules the state’s funding of schools unconstitutional, we are reminded that this state is not an education/economic model Kansas should seek to emulate. Great, great news from the Equity Center! Litigation Alert Judge John Dietz Declares Texas Public School Finance System Unconstitutional State District Court Judge John Dietz issued his final decision today in the landmark public school funding trial, Texas Taxpayers & Student Fairness Coalition, et al. v. Michael Williams, et al. In his ruling, Judge Dietz found the system to be inequitable, unsuitable, and inadequate in...
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Kansas PTA Press Release: research candidate’s positions and vote

Kansas PTA Press Release 8/26/14 With elections right around the corner, debate over education policies has begun among the candidates. Kansas Parent Teacher Association represents over 20,000 members across the state and has been advocating for a quality public education for Kansas students since our beginning in Kansas City, KS in 1914. We continue our work today as the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the state working for all children and families. Kansas PTA believes that every child must be provided with a well-rounded, high-quality education, which will ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach...
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NY Charter organization spending $31 million on new offices

This one’s from New York. Is this what we call efficient use of taxpayer dollars for nonprofit charters? “The new offices will cost [Eva Moskowitz of Success Academy Charter Schools] organization $31 million over 15 years, according to its most recent financial report. The same report shows Moskowitz received an eye-popping $567,000 during the 2012-2013 school year. That’s a raise of $92,000 from the previous year, and more than double the $212,000 paid to Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. . . The move to Wall Street took effect just months before the much-publicized battle between Moskowitz and Mayor de...
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Florida charter applications cause for concern

Is this what we want for Kansas? Florida is no model when it comes to charters. “Among those vying to open new charter schools, which are privately operated but publicly funded: • A group that managed three new charter schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties that opened this year — and then shut down on the first day of school. • The founder of two charter schools that failed in 2007 amid accusations of stolen money, shoddy record keeping and parent complaints, according to state and local records. A state investigation later chastised school directors for “virtually...
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