Blog

We disagree. We think our legislators and governor should focus more on education policy that actually works and what Kansans want rather than following the recommendations of ideologues and corporations from other states. We opposed multiple ALEC education bills last year and are preparing to do the same in 2014:http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/capitol-report/2013/dec/17/brownback-says-perception-of-alec-influe/...

While we are happy to see any mention of the need to increase school funding, we are concerned that the governor is suggesting payment for full-day kindergarten should be phased in over five years and note that the statewide $16 million increase is less than the annual operating budget cuts faced by Shawnee Mission School District between 2009 and 2012.http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/16/4696294/brownback-seeks-to-increase-state.html...

Issues are arising in Texas regarding accountability and transparency with private companies skirting prohibitions on commercial entities running public schools. There are some in Kansas who would like us to follow this model.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/us/when-private-firms-run-schools-financial-secrecy-is-allowed.html?smid=tw-share&_r=2&...

More real facts on school funding, and it isn’t good news. When legislators left Topeka in June, they thought they had funded the school finance formula at $3,838 per pupil in fiscal year 2014 and $3,852 in FY 2015. http://www.khi.org/weblogs/budget-blog/2013/dec/11/kansas-budget-pupil-just-went-down/...