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“At the annual meeting [of the free market ‘think tank’ State Policy Network], which took place in Oklahoma City this past September 24th through 27th, [president Tracie] Sharp explained what she called The IKEA Model. She said that it starts with what she described as a ‘catalogue’ showing ‘what success would look like.’ Instead of pictures of furniture arranged in rooms, she said, S.P.N.’s catalogue displays visions of state policy projects that align with the group’s agenda. That agenda includes . . . cutting taxes . . . and privatizing education. ‘The success we show is you guys,’...

This is what school funding facts look like for districts throughout Kansas. Thank you Goddard school board member Kevin McWhorter for speaking out for the children in your district and all of Kansas, and thank you to theAndover Parent Legislative Council for getting organized and sharing information.  http://www.kansas.com/2013/11/17/3120296/kevin-r-mcwhorter-dont-fall-for.html  ...

Sen. Wagle has publicly stated that if the KS Supreme Court rules in favor of the schools in Gannon, they will pursue changing judicial selection for justices as they did for appellate judges last term. Here’s a great explanation of what’s wrong with that. “Some of our elected state leaders would weaken our courts. They question the judiciary’s role. This is an institution whose purpose is to uphold the Constitution, the same Constitution our political leaders have taken an oath to respect. So it naturally begs the question: Why would some lawmakers choose to reject upholding the Constitution? Their...

“Shannon Cotsoradis, chief executive of the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children, said she thought the initiative was ill conceived. ‘We are deeply troubled by the idea of using millions of dollars in TANF money to pay for literacy work,’ she said. ‘These are dollars that are meant to help the lowest-income families in the state.’ It is ‘counter-intuitive,’ she said, to think that children whose ‘basic needs – food, shelter, utilities – aren’t being met’ due to recent restrictions in TANF eligibility would come to school ready to learn.” We support creative funding mechanisms for education, but...