We agree completely! “Some of the Republicans who control the Kansas House thought it would be smart to try to turn an easy school-funding fix into an epic ideological conquest. Bad idea. . . [O]ther policy issues still could unnecessarily complicate passage of the essential funding bill and invite push-back from the courts. . . Senate leaders also may combine the restored funding with new initiatives. Such bundling fits the worrisome legislative trend of holding money hostage to policy reforms – as exemplified by the Senate-passed bill linking crucial funding for the Kansas court system to unwise and...
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Legislature urged to offer clean Gannon finance bill
“A coalition of 48 Kansas public school districts Saturday urged the Legislature to work directly on bringing K-12 education funding in line with a Kansas Supreme Court order and avoid entanglement in a ‘hodgepodge of bad’ education reform ideas.” http://cjonline.com/news/2014-03-22/school-finance-litigants-seek-bill-narrow-remedy We agree....
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Leave a Comment Kansas teacher pay ranks 42nd in nation
“The NEA report indicates that average salaries for teachers in Kansas are the 42nd lowest in the country, though the rankings don’t factor in cost of living differences among the states. A year earlier, the state was ranked 41st. ‘I think that’s my concern,’ said state board member Janet Waugh, a Democrat from Kansas City. ‘I think that speaks to us not recognizing the value of a teacher.’ ‘The majority of teachers I know could make a lot more money in the private industry,’ she said. Waugh said she believes school boards are raising teacher pay to the extent...
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Leave a Comment House GOP leaders say they didn’t intend to include charter provisions
“Republican leaders in the Kansas House on Friday said they didn’t intend to include an expansion of charter schools as part of a school funding bill intended to address the Supreme Court’s ruling on school finance. And while they said they intend to introduce a new bill without the charter school provision, education groups said they still have major concerns about other provisions of the bill, such as merit-based pay for teachers, changes in teacher licensing requirements and offering corporate tax breaks for funding private school scholarships.”http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2014/mar/21/charter-school-provision-mistake-gop-leaders-admit/ We haven’t seen the new bill, but it sounds like there will...
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