Blog

 UPDATE: After this bog was posted on January 2, the Kansas Policy Institute informed KASB on January 3 that a statement would be issued regarding the first question in the opinion survey reported below. KPI indicated a portion of the question was based on a misunderstanding of current law regarding Local Option Budget authority. The Kansas Policy Institute recently released a public opinion survey (PDF Version) asking a series of questions about school funding, local advocacy and litigation, school standards and support for charter schools and private school vouchers.  Responses indicate public support for many of KASB’s core...

“Last week we ran a story about a poll on school finance issues conducted by the conservative think tank Kansas Policy Institute, including reaction from education advocates who said the questions were loaded with false or misleading information that appeared aimed at eliciting a negative response. At the time, KPI defended the wording of the question, as did the polling firm SurveyUSA. Since then, however, another education advocacy group, the Kansas Association of School Boards, has weighed in with more information, prompting KPI to concede that one question was misleading.” http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/first-bell/2014/jan/5/kpi-admits-to-faulty-poll-question/  ...

Peter Hancock provides a helpful explanation of the history of possible outcomes of the pending Gannon school funding case. http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/first-bell/2014/jan/6/top-three-ways-supreme-court-could-avoid/...

Wisdom from a mom in North Carolina, where legislators adopted several aspects of the ALEC education agenda last session and cut education funding leading to decreased pay for teachers. “There is so much more to do. We have to let our teachers know we have their backs. Although parents divide along so many lines—religious or secular, liberal or conservative, vegetarian or meat-eating, working in or outside the home—most of us deeply value our public schools. Together, we will test Margaret Mead’s belief ‘that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.’ Our children face a...