Lynn Rogers Archives - Voice For Liberty

Jul

A look at a David Dennis campaign finance report

It's interesting to look at campaign finance reports. Following, a few highlights on a report from the David Dennis campaign. He's a candidate for Sedgwick County Commission in the August Republican Party primary election. The report was filed July 25, 2016, covering the period from January 1, 2016 through July 21, 2016. These reports are available online at the Sedgwick County Election Office website. Keith Stevens, $200 A longtime Democrat community activist, always on the side of higher taxes and more government spending. Suzanne F. Ahlstrand, $250 Gary & Cathy Schmitt, $100 Jon E. Rosell, $100 Charlie Chandler, Maria Chandler,…

Northwest High prank, some underlying facts

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Northwest High prank, some underlying facts

Instead of pranking, Wichita public school students and their leaders might consider a few facts. KSN News reported on an April Fools' Day prank at Northwest High School in Kansas. The message is that the school is short of funds. The KSN news story reported: "Wendy Johnson, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Wichita Public Schools also said, 'This appears to be someone’s effort at a humorous April Fool’s commentary on the funding crisis that public education is facing in Kansas.'" Also: "USD 259 Board of Education member Lynn Rogers called the prank, 'very ingenious.' Rogers says there was…

May

By Bob Weeks

More parents unhappy with treatment by the Wichita school board

KAKE Television reports on Wichita parents who are not happy with treatment by the school board, writing "Parents associated with Hyde tell KAKE News it's not the decision that's leaving a bad taste in their mouth. They're unhappy with how the Wichita Board of Education treated them during the process." Wichita Eagle reporting on this matter is at Wichita school board votes to transfer two teachers from Hyde Elementary. A contributor to the newspaper's Opinion Line wrote: "While I’m disappointed in the decision by the Wichita school board, I am simply stunned at the lack of respect Lynn Rogers afforded…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Reaction to Kansas school lawsuit decision

Following are several reactions to the decision in Gannon vs. Kansas, the school funding lawsuit. The court ruled the state must spend more on schools. An important observation on the true size of the court-ordered tax increase was offered by Kansas Policy Institute: "Today's mandate of a $654 Base State Aid Per-Pupil (BSAPP) increase forces the state to raise annual spending and taxes by $440 million and, because of the way the Local Option Budget is written, local property taxes will automatically increase by $154 million. In total, the Shawnee District Court would take an additional $594 million out of…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Open records again an issue in Kansas

Responses to records requests made by Kansas Policy Institute are bringing attention to shortcomings in the Kansas Open Records Act. Those who have made records requests in Kansas are probably not surprised that KPI has had difficulty in having its records requests respected and filled. In 2007 Better Government Association and National Freedom of Information Coalition gave Kansas a letter grade of "F" for its open records law. Last year State Integrity Investigation looked at the states, and Kansas did not rank well there, either. See Kansas rates low in access to records. This week KPI president Dave Trabert appeared…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school district discusses unspent fund balances

Last week the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district provided another example of the attitude of the board towards those who have opinions that are not aligned with the policies of the district and public school spending advocates. In this example it was Dave Trabert who appeared to speak to the board. Trabert is president of Kansas Policy Institute. His purpose was to present to the board some options the district has, based on a new state law, for managing its finances so that it could proceed without laying off teachers or eliminating programs. Board president Connie…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school fund balances again an issue

The issue of school fund balances in Wichita and Kansas is a serious issue that deserves discussion. At the same time, we need to make sure we don't lose sight of Kansas school issues that are even more important. But school officials need to be held accountable for their deception of the public, most notably through straw man arguments. When Dr. Walt Chappell, an elected member of the Kansas State Board of Education, used a slot on the public agenda to address the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, his shabby treatment by the board was one…

Jul

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school board: critics not welcome

A recent meeting of the board of USD 259, the Wichita public school district, provided insight as to the insularity of the board members and district staff, and as to how little meaningful discussion or debate takes place at board meetings. At the June 20th meeting, Dr. Walt Chappell, an elected member of the Kansas State Board of Education, used a slot on the public agenda to address the board about the upcoming budget. Chappell received a chilly reception -- to say the least -- from board president Connie Dietz. Chappell has been outspoken in his criticism of the way…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Wichita school district makes transparency effort

Recently USD 259, the Wichita public school district, placed five month's of checkbook register data on its website. This is a good move, and we should thank the district for doing this. But we need to remember that the Wichita school district is very late in making this transparency effort, and the district's past attitudes towards citizens needs to be remembered. In the past, the district has made this checkbook information available each month. It was made available as a pdf document, which is not nearly as useful as an Excel spreadsheet, which is the format of the most recent…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Kansas school spending lobby impossible to satisfy

A new report by the Kansas Policy Institute provides some insight into the voracious appetite of the Kansas school spending lobby for taxpayer dollars: There's never enough. In A Kansas Primer on Education Funding, Volume III: Analysis of K-12 Spending in Kansas this story is told: So the rumors of school funding wars persist, with legislators and taxpayers asking "how much is enough?" and schools pressing for more money with no real end in sight. Speaker Pro Tem Arlen Siegfreid (R-Olathe) shared with me a conversation he had with Mark Tallman, Assistant Executive Director/Advocacy for the Kansas Association of School…