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Legislature still working against judicial branch

“But as the package moves through the House of Representatives, Kansans should ask themselves at least two questions: First, is this package true to the will of the people when they voted to change their constitution and place all administrative authority under the Supreme Court and to eventually unify all Kansas courts? Second, if Kansans start down the road where judges feel compelled to help bargain away the Court’s authority, where does that road end? Will otherwise fair and impartial judges be asked to decide court cases the way some legislators want them to be decided — in...
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Budget cuts and increasing expenses are real in Hays USD 489

“We would offer that had the Kansas Legislature and governor been interested in honoring the funding levels they established and wrote into law, USD 489 would not be experiencing a fiscal crisis. Responding to a Supreme Court finding they weren’t adequately supporting K-12 public education in 2006, lawmakers had promised to increase gradually the base state aid per pupil to $4,492. They never got there. Aid peaked at $4,400 in 2009 and has dropped to $3,838. If the Hays district was paid $4,492 in BSAPP this school year, there would have been an additional $2.9 million to run operations....
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Kansans beware cookie-cutter legislation from ALEC and others promoting national agenda rather than working for Kansans

“Voters should keep close watch on how the sausage-factory works in their backyards. And legislators like Pilcher-Cook should spend less time on these orchestrated schemes and more time helping to better the lives of Kansans, many of whom need protection from these cookie-cutter carpetbaggers.” Kansas legislators have introduced several ALEC education bills this session. Kansans need bills to address Kansas issues, not cookie-cutter bills to promote a national agenda. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/03/16/4890210/editorial-protect-the-people-from.html#storylink=cpy    ...
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Contact senators to oppose S Sub HB 2141 moving local and school board elections to November and making other changes

We believe the bill to move school board and other local elections is an attempt to politicize them. Party precinct committee members should not choose school board members, they should not be elected in November and take office in the middle of the academic and fiscal year, and there is no reason to eliminate Option C for school board elections. We also believe that if this bill passes, it will later be amended to put back the explicitly partisan provisions that have been removed for now. This bill already passed the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, so now...
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