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...
Read more
Leave a Comment Blog
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....
Read more
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...
Read more
Leave a Comment Heed warning from Indiana on corporate tax credit “scholarships”
Indiana has had its Choice Scholarship program and a voucher program for several years. Kansas should heed its warning as the same approach is being tried here, and last week’s hearing showed House Education Committee leadership wants the Corporate Education Tax Credit Scholarship bill passed. PLEASE CONTACT HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND TELL THEM TO OPPOSE House SUB SB 22. “The voucher program in Indiana was defended as a method that would allow poor Hoosier children to escape from failing schools. Of course, many of us knew that was nothing more than a slogan. There never was a voucher...
Read more
Leave a Comment