From our friends at Educate Lawrence: Educate Lawrence encourages you to contact your Kansas House representative immediately to vote against HB 2227. HB 2227 would move all local general elections from April of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years, with the primary moved from February to August. Breaking from a tradition of local spring elections since 1968, this change will be disruptive by having school board members take office during the middle of the school and budget year. HB 2227 now goes to the full House for debate, likely this week. These are some reasons to oppose...
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Action Alert – February 24 – SB 196 (expanded for-profit charters) and SB 211 (local elections in fall)
ACTION ALERT ON TWO BILLS Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee will work/vote on SB196 the For-Profit Charter School bill. Have you contacted the Senate Ed Committee yet? The ALEC charter bill from last year had a hearing on 2/14/14 and is back again. Please contact committee members and urge them to vote NO on Senate Bill 196. Here is the committee email list: Steve.Abrams@senate.ks.gov, Tom.Arpke@senate.ks.gov, Anthony.Hensley@senate.ks.gov,Dan.Kerschen@senate.ks.gov, Jeff.Melcher@senate.ks.gov, Ralph.Ostmeyer@senate.ks.gov, Pat.Pettey@senate.ks.gov, Dennis.Pyle@senate.ks.gov, Vicki.Schmidt@senate.ks.gov, Caryn.Tyson@senate.ks.gov, Kay.Wolf@senate.ks.gov Kansas already allows charter schools. This bill represents an attempt to create a new system for a rapid expansion of charter schools in Kansas, which...
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Leave a Comment Milwaukee voucher school dumps student
The corporate tax credit scholarship bill under consideration by the legislature provides a mechanism for funneling money from the state general fund to nonpublic schools, with no accreditation requirements and no accountability. It serves the same basic function as a voucher. See this letter from a school utilizing the Milwaukee voucher system, the nation’s longest-standing voucher system. http://occupyriverwest.com/us/stop-dumping-students Voucher School Takes Money, Dumps Student | Occupy Riverwest occupyriverwest.com Voucher schools have long been known to ?dump? children with special educational needs and at-risk behaviors, even after accepting taxpayer money to educate those students....
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Leave a Comment Charter school expansion is not the answer
Here’s another example of how school “choice” is not the answer and should not be pursued by the Kansas legislature. “This data is very clear. First, Kansas is already a high achieving state, despite having more low income students than most states. Second, statistically having more students in charter schools makes no difference in achievement, and in some cases has a modest negative correlation. Third, Kansas already does better in achievement in almost every case than similar states, regardless of charter school enrollment. . . [H]igh charter school enrollment doesn’t help states with higher poverty do better. In...
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