“Meanwhile, as the big promises about charters have remained unfulfilled, real costs have been accruing. According to school finance expert Bruce Baker, the expansion of charters has weakened traditional public schools and created inefficiencies like duplicative administrative costs. Increased competition has led to many schools, charter and otherwise, closing down — an outcome that Robert Slavin of Johns Hopkins University has called ‘very damaging to kids.’ And in places like New Orleans, where traditional public schools have been almost entirely replaced by charters, residents have expressed frustration with unelected and unrepresentative governing boards that routinely violate state transparency...
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Self-government Can’t Function in Secret
Legislative leadership acted more like despots than representatives of the people of Kansas in multiple ways this session. They stacked committees to manipulate the legislative process, they stifled dissent and threatened legislators who sought to vote their consciences and their constituencies, they stifled dissent, and on the final day of the session violated the First Amendment. Yet Wagle, Denning and Ryckman have been re-elected multiple times. Wake up, Kansas. People in their districts need to understand the damage they’re inflicting on the rest of the state, and people outside their districts need to understand how important leadership elections are....
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Leave a Comment Why We Are Concerned About Charter Schools
We see stories of charter school academic failure and financial fraud almost every day. We don’t share all of them, but they continue to inform our position that Kansas charter law is appropriate and that charter schools have largely failed their original mission and require oversight and accountability. https://www.10news.com/…/50-million-in-state-funds-reported… Originally posted to Facebook on 06/03/2019....
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Leave a Comment Gannon VII Decision Issued!
We are pleased to report the Kansas Supreme Court has issued its Gannon VII decision this morning and has held the latest state funding plan is constitutional. The Court will retain jurisdiction to ensure that we don’t have to go through another 10 years to try to enforce this decision as when the legislature reneged on the promises of Montoy, starting during the recession but then continuing for years after. From the decision: “With that imprecision in mind, we hold the version of KSEEA in place with the adoption of S.B. 16 substantially complies with our orders expressed...
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