Category: Wichita and Kansas schools
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Kansas school spending lawsuit possible
According to press reports, Schools for Fair Funding — the Montoy school lawsuit finance districts — is examining the possibility of re-opening the school finance lawsuit because of the cuts to education that were made by the 2009 legislature.
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Study of public and private school teachers reveals sharp differences
Last week the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice published research that examines how teachers feel about their jobs. In particular, the study compared how public school teachers and private school teachers viewed their jobs and working conditions.
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Schools need to be more productive
If your blood test comes back with bad results, do you address the problems it reveals — or do you blame the doctor who interprets the test? The U.S. Department of Education just released the latest long-term results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, an important diagnostic tool for measuring the…
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Kansas school funding lawsuit proposed
Dr. John Morton, the Newton school superintendent, said “I am fearful that we have fallen well below adequacy.” He also complained that “we did not get anywhere in proposing a one-cent sales tax increase.” The lesson to learn from Newton’s Morton is that there is probably no level of taxation and spending that would satisfy…
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Wichita school board to take citizen input on budget
“The Board of Education is hosting a Board Night Out community meeting to discuss the 2009-2010 budget on Monday, May 18, 7 – 9 p.m. at Washington Elementary, 424 N. Pennsylvania. Community members are invited to learn about the district’s budget and to provide feedback, which will be used as the BOE finalizes the budget.”
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Kansas, once home to education equality, now lags in freedom
At one time Kansas played a leading role in education equality, as Topeka was home to the school that produced the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision by the United States Supreme Court. Today, however, Kansas lags in educational freedom and choice. The public school lobby in Kansas does everything it can to stomp…
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School finance attorney criticizes budget cuts
You had to see this one coming. The Kansas school spending lobby has been wondering out loud if cuts to school funding would prompt a renewal of the Kansas school funding lawsuit.
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Kansas City charter school succeeds in urban environment
USD 259, the Wichita public school district, doesn’t want them. The Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) — the teachers union — doesn’t want them either. But where they’re able to exist, charter schools usually do a good job. They often excel. And where they don’t do a good job, they usually go out of business.
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KNEA call for action overstates case, misleads Kansans
Today’s edition of Under the Dome Today contains a call for action. This newsletter is the update of legislative action provided by KNEA, the Kansas National Education Association. For those of you who might think that an organization with such a lofty name is dedicated to the betterment of the education of Kansas schoolchildren, I…
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KNEA: No shared sacrifice
Despite the fact that Kansas school spending has been increasing rapidly in recent years, and despite the fact that K-12 education has been spared the large cuts that most other state agencies are facing, it’s still okay to whine. That’s the attitude of KNEA (the Kansas National Education Association, the teachers union).
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Wichita BOE’s Nolan expresses concern
At Monday’s meeting of the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, board members expressed frustration over the mishandling of a construction contract. It’s not clear where fault lies, or whether the board has any interest in finding where that fault should be laid.
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Kansas school districts sitting on $1.36 billion
In its first story since the hiring of investigative journalist Paul Soutar, the Flint Hills Center for Public Policy takes a look at the Kansas school budget process, specifically the large amount of unencumbered cash held by Kansas school districts. It appears that the Kansas system of school finance is complicated. “Kansas Board of Education…