Why aren’t the Republicans calling for the removal of performance and efficiency panel member Dave Trabert, who not only is a paid lobbyist for a group focused on tax policy and “free market principles” but who has argued for consolidation. See this: “Consolidation is a four-letter word in Kansas, although the current total of 286 districts is a far cry from 9,284 that existed in 1896.44 Kansans have survived a great deal of consolidation over the years and there may well be room for a bit more, especially given academic limitations of extremely small districts. As shown in...
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Republicans call for removal of Vratil from efficiency commission
This is absurd. John Vratil’s statements have been taken out of context in warning rural Kansas that consolidation is a real threat when budgets shrink. This tactic to try to scare rural Kansans into thinking that Davis and Vratil are out to shut down their schools shifts the conversation about the real problem facing rural Kansas schools, which is the dual problem of declining enrollment and decreasing funding. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/sep/10/republicans-call-removal-former-legislator-educati/...
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Leave a Comment KASB report explains school funding facts
For those of you seeing the Brownback ad citing KASB as the source for the statement that education funding is up, here’s the rest of the story the ads aren’t telling you. Please read this entire document. “These figures illustrate why school leaders continue to express deep concerns about the adequacy of school funding, despite increases that have been provided in certain areas. When measured against changes in the cost of living, funding for educational programs that can actually be spent on teachers, administrators and student support programs has declined by $500 million since 2009, and even the...
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Leave a Comment Mailings and billboard attempt to deceive
More postcards are coming. Help your friends and neighbors understand the reality behind them. “What the billboard and mailers don’t explain is that the lawmakers favored the increased funding. However, they ended up voting against that particular bill because it also eliminated state-mandated due-process rights for teachers and granted tax credits for business donations to private schools. Those policy changes were tacked onto the bill late in the legislative process – at the urging of groups such as AFP. . .Still, the billboards and mailers are a tacit, albeit incredibly cynical, acknowledgment by the chamber PAC and AFP...
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