Category: Wichita and Kansas schools
-
Not Everyone Agrees With Choice
Recently I wrote about the case of a young girl who is homeschooled, one who gives me hope in the future of youth. (See A Declaration of Independence from Public Schools.) There are people, however, who would deny talented and dedicated young people like Mary the opportunity to be educated in the way their parents…
-
State of Kansas vs. Students
Taxpayers have had to pay over millions to fund both the school districts suing the state for additional state spending, for the state’s defense of this lawsuit, and this does not include the costs for the judicial system. Instead of chasing ambulances it has now become much more remunerative for lawyers in Kansas to chase…
-
Kansas Families United for Public Education (KFUPE) on state aid to schools
As of today (February 2, 2006), the website for Kansas Families United for Public Education (KFUPE) (located at http://fundourpublicschools.com) states, under the heading “The Crisis”: “State aid has failed to keep pace with inflation.” I was puzzled by this statement, as I thought we were spending more and more on education each year. So I…
-
What Is the true state of public education in Kansas?
So what is the true state of public education in Kansas? There are many studies and statistics available. Many contradict the conclusions made by others. Constituencies such as the teachers unions and the education establishment tell us they have only the welfare of the children as their concern, but many times they act otherwise. Who…
-
Augenblick perhaps cheap by comparison
Billions of dollars are riding on the outcome of the state’s two education finance studies, one by the Legislative Division of Post Audit, the other by the national firm of business analysts at Standard & Poors. The Kansas Supreme Court is putting great reliance on the results of these studies in deciding how to resolve…
-
Pricing a Car, Pricing a School?
Only when value is determined by a voluntary exchange does the price send reliable messages to producers and consumers. Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman observed that “Anything that prevents prices from expressing freely the conditions of demand or supply interferes with the transmission of accurate information.” In utter disregard of this principle, Kansas is now…
-
Who lost in the school finance bill?
Today (July 20, 2005) Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed the school finance bill. This bill gives Kansas public schools a lot more money to spend this school year.
-
An enlightening encounter with The Wichita Eagle
I recently had an issue with an article published in The Wichita Eagle, and my encounter with this newspaper was quite revealing.
-
Jayhawk Judgment
Kansas already spends a shade under $10,000 per student in the public schools — the most in the region and above the national average even though Kansas is a low cost-of-living state. Also ignored by the courts were the volumes of scientific evidence that the link between school spending and educational achievement is close to…
-
Gambling for education
In a free society dedicated to personal liberty, people should be able to gamble.
-
How children lose in the Kansas Legislature’s special session
Because the conventional wisdom is that smaller class sizes are good for students, the extra money and smaller class sizes will be saluted as a victory for the children. Editorial writers, school administrators, teachers, and those who don’t care to confront facts will thank the Kansas Supreme Court and Kansas Legislature for saving the children.
-
Kansas Attorney General Has it Right
TOPEKA — Alan Cobb, director of the Kansas chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, today released the following statement in response to the briefs filed in the State vs. Montoy case currently before the Kansas Supreme Court: “As questions and concerns swirl about whether or not the Kansas Supreme Court can order a statewide…