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Education committee appointee advocated not funding sports, band, school, dances and graduation ceremonies

Schools commission appointee/KPI paid lobbyist Dave Trabert authored a policy brief last year in which he advocates eliminating state funding for any activity which is governed by a drug testing policy. Producing well-rounded students is apparently an undue burden on the state. “Since the ‘educational interests of the state’ as referenced in the state Constitution are not defined, it is left to legislators to ultimately determine. There are many divergent opinions among Kansans as to what should or should not be included, but some local school districts have, in a sense, already weighed in on the issue. We...
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Lobbyists who have opposed funding for Kansas schools and promoted ALEC policy named to education commission

Kansas legislative leadership once again illustrates how they view education policy. Speaker Merrick has appointed free market/tax policy analyst/president of the Kansas Policy Institute Dave Trabert and Kansas Chamber of Commerce President Mike O’Neal to the education commission to be established under the harmful education finance bill passed at the very end of the legislative session. Both have opposed additional funding for schools and pushed for the corporate tax credit scholarship and other harmful education policy. http://cjonline.com/news/2014-06-10/trabert-oneal-appointed-schools-commission...
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Further education cuts looming

Steve Rose’s most recent piece notes that further cuts to education are looming. There is an unfortunate link between current tax policy and education funding. He also points out what we have reluctantly concluded, “There are two camps of tax-cutters in the Legislature. Both are enemies of public schools and universities. And if there is expense cutting, K-12 schools and universities will be the most obvious targets. They make up the vast majority of state expenses.” We hope he is wrong when he says people won’t wake up until we have another round of cuts. Read more here:...
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