KNEA

Survey finds Kansans with little knowledge of school spending
18
Dec
By Bob Weeks

Survey finds Kansans with little knowledge of school spending

As in years past, a survey finds that when Kansans are asked questions about the level of school spending, few have the correct information. From Kansas Policy Institute. Survey Finds Kansans Misled on School Spending December 14, 2015 -- Wichita -- Kansas Policy Institute released a new Survey USA Poll of 509 registered voters in Kansas showing a significant disconnect between voters' perception of Kansas school spending and true expenditures. The survey found 47% of Kansans believe per-pupil funding has dropped more than 5% in the last 5 years. Another 15% believe it has dropped less than 5%. In fact,…
Read More
What are opinions of the level of Kansas school spending?
23
Oct
By Bob Weeks

What are opinions of the level of Kansas school spending?

Part of the difficulty in understanding and debating school spending in Kansas is the starting point, that is, the lack of factual information. From 2012, a look at a survey that revealed the level of knowledge of school spending by Kansans. When asked about the level of spending on public schools in Kansas, citizens are generally uninformed or misinformed. They also incorrectly thought that spending has declined in recent years. These are some of the findings of a survey commissioned by Kansas Policy Institute and conducted by SurveyUSA, a national opinion research firm. In a press release, KPI president Dave…
Read More
Kansas teachers earn pension credit while working for union
06
Sep
By Bob Weeks

Kansas teachers earn pension credit while working for union

An audit finds that a handful of Kansas teachers have accumulated KPERS service credits while working for teachers unions. Should Kansas schoolteachers who take time off to work for teachers unions accumulate state pension benefits credits at the same time? An audit from Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit finds this has been happening. The audit is titled "KPERS: Evaluating Controls to Detect and Prevent Fraud and Abuse." The full audit report is here, and highlights are here. In summary, the audit found this: There were teachers who weren't teaching, but who were working for an "education association." Each school…
Read More
28
Jul
By Bob Weeks

For McGinn, a liberal voting record is a tradition

Based on votes made in the Kansas Senate, the advertising claims of Sedgwick County Commission candidate Carolyn McGinn don't match her record. In a radio advertisement, Carolyn McGinn says she is conservative. In a mailer, she touts her "fiscal conservative leadership" in the Kansas Senate. But voting records don't match these claims. Several voting scorecards in recent years show Senator McGinn ranking low in terms of voting for economic freedom issues. These issues generally concern taxation, wasteful spending, and unnecessary regulation. In recent years, a freedom index has been produced by Kansas Policy Institute. In 2012 the Kansas Economic Freedom…
Read More
Kansas news media should report, not spin
25
Apr
By Guest Author

Kansas news media should report, not spin

A Hutchinson News editorial contained an uninformed opinion of which special interest groups are working for the best interests of Kansans. Following, Dave Trabert of Kansas Policy Institute explains that influence may be shifting from media, unions, the education establishment, cities, counties, and school boards to those with different views -- those of limited government and economic freedom that empower citizens, not an expansive government and its beneficiaries. The editorial referred to is Goodbye Democracy, Hello Wealthocracy. Media spin a threat By Dave Trabert Kansans are bombarded with claims that range from innocently incomplete to quite deliberately false. Increasingly, the…
Read More
We can predict the loser in the Kansas school lawsuit
06
Mar
By Bob Weeks

We can predict the loser in the Kansas school lawsuit

No matter which side wins the Kansas school finance lawsuit, we already know who loses: Kansas schoolchildren. The last time schools won a suit, the state lowered its standards for schools. Talking about school spending is easy, even though most Kansas public school spending advocates refuse to acknowledge the totality of spending. (Or if they acknowledge the total level, they may make excuses for the spending not being effective.) Advocating for more spending is easy. It's easy because the Kansas Constitution says the state must spend on schools. Parents want more spending, and so do teachers, public employee unions, and…
Read More
WichitaLiberty.TV February 23, 2014
24
Feb
By Bob Weeks

WichitaLiberty.TV February 23, 2014

In this episode of WichitaLiberty.TV: There are efforts to have the Kansas Legislature expand the open records law to include the spending records of several taxpayer-funded agencies, but the City of Wichita wants to keep the records secret. Then, did you know the Kansas teachers union has a media response team? Finally, Arthur Brooks makes the moral case for free enterprise. Episode 32, broadcast February 23, 2014. View below, or click here to view at YouTube.
Read More
Our Kansas grassroots teachers union
10
Feb
By Bob Weeks

Our Kansas grassroots teachers union

Letters to the editor in your hometown newspaper may have the air of being written by a concerned parent of Kansas schoolchildren, but they might not be what they seem. It's fashionable for school advocacy groups to bash their critics as mere lackeys of a top-down driven power structure. It is the advocates for school spending -- teachers, parents, children, school principals -- that are the true grassroots, they say. So it might be surprising to learn that Kansas' largest teachers union has a plan and mechanism for distributing its message. It's called the KNEA Media Response Team, and it…
Read More
14
Nov
By Guest Author

KNEA: supporting institutions at children’s expense

From Kansas Policy Institute. KNEA: supporting institutions at children’s expense By Dave Trabert The Kansas National Education Association’s slogan is “Making public schools great for every child.”  It may be a coincidence that their slogan seems to emphasize institutions over students, but many of their actions quite deliberately put institutional interests first.  My belief has nothing to do with individual teachers.  Kansas is blessed with thousands of dedicated teachers who get up every morning thinking of ways to help students and they deserve citizens’ gratitude and support for everything they do.  My comments are not directed at teachers, but at…
Read More