“Hardy said USD 413 is hurt by the adequacy question remaining unresolved. Districts are seeing increased costs without an increase in money to meet those costs. At the same time, special education is underfunded as well so the local districts are both making up the shortfalls in regular state aid and special education funding from local funds, Hardy said. School districts had been hoping the base state aid per pupil would be raised closer to the amount it was before the recession budget cuts in 2009. Currently, the base state aid for pupil is $3,838. It was $4,400...
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Action Alert – March 11, 2013 – Senate bill to move school board and other local elections to November
Action Alert: Contact Senate Ethics and Elections Committee members and urge them to oppose this bill or at least remove school boards from it. Via amendments yesterday the elections have been shifted to odd years instead of even years, vacancies would be selected jointly by Democratic and Republican precinct members and keeping community college elections in the spring. We believe school board elections should also remain in the spring. It makes no sense to have school board elections in the winter with primaries in August when the the school-age population is away on summer vacation. Newly elected board...
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Leave a Comment Sen. Lynn’s troubling comments about Gannon and separation of powers
“From a Legislative Branch perspective, it was perhaps not as bad as it could have been because the core issue of ‘suitable’ or ‘adequate’ spending was remanded back to the trial court for utilization of a different formula. . . Looming over it all, however, is still the fundamental disagreement when it comes to judicial authority to even rule on a school finance plan meeting constitutional muster, something a strong majority of us elected by and answerable to those who pay for it believes is our exclusive responsibility. The saga continues and we’ll see where it ends up,...
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Leave a Comment Possible link between moving local elections to November and ALEC agenda to take assault on state government to the local level
We see a link between bills in the Kansas House and Senate to move local elections including school board elections to the fall and a new ALEC agenda to take their assault on state government to the local level. Kansans should not be making it easier for ALEC to manipulate state and local elections. “The extension of its techniques to city councils and municipalities across America offers Alec the chance to open up a potential source of funding that might help it solve its budgetary crisis. There are almost 500,000 local elected officials, many with considerable powers over schools...
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