Kansas PTA Legislative Update - March 23, 2013

Action Alert – H Sub SB22 - Enacting the corporate education tax credit scholarship program act

Please contact your Kansas House Representative by 9:00AM on Monday, March 25th and ask them to VOTE NO on H Sub for SB22

Kansas PTA Legislative Update - February 14, 2013

2013 Legislative Session

Kansas PTA Advocacy Day, Tuesday, February 19 
In the spirit of Parent Leadership Month, join the effort to speak for Kansas kids. You don’t have to be an expert, just a caring parent, to make an impact!

Does Money Matter in Education?

Read here for a critical analyses of high-quality, peer-reviewed journal articles that statistically examined the relationship between changes in the level or distribution of funding and the level or distribution of outcomes. The report provides sound evidence that "money matters, resources that cost money matter, and more equitable distribution of school funding can improve outcomes."
 

Kansas PTA Legislative Update - January 29, 2013

2013 Legislative Session – Week 2 Recap

In this issue…

What is Pay-Go?  “Pay as you go,” or pay-go for short, is a self-imposed procedural rule that requires a lawmaker who wants to boost spending for a program or agency to offset equal cuts elsewhere.

School Efficiency Task Force. The Governor’s Task Force released their final set of recommendations on school efficiency, several of which are being incorporated into legislation this session.

Judicial Selection. The legislature is working several bills that could strip Kansans of a rigorous, non-partisan merit selection process and allow the Governor to appoint members of the Kansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, subject to state senate confirmation. .

Teacher Professional Organizations. Two bills are moving through the Legislature which could change the nature of teacher’s present bargaining rights and professional advocacy potential.  

Other Pending Bills & Events.

Kansas PTA Legislative Update – January 18, 2013

The State of Public Education in Kansas is Front and Center in the 2013 Legislative Session

Court Ruling on School Finance

Beginning last Friday, the announcement of the courts’ decision on the Gannon -vs- Kansas education finance lawsuit was the precursor to a legislative session filled with education issues.  

1966 Revisited

Lawrence, KS - Pardon me while I brush the dust off my hands and clothes, but I've been down in the basement of the News Center digging through what used to be called the newspaper "morgue," which is where we keep copies of every edition the Journal-World has ever printed. Thank goodness for microfilm. I was down there sifting through papers from the fall of 1966 to find out what people were thinking and writing about when Kansans were voting on a constitutional amendment that would overhaul the governance of K-12 education.

Kansas PTA Legislative Update – January 16, 2013

National PTA Gun Violence Prevention Agenda. For decades, the National PTA has called on parents, educators, community members, and government to prioritize gun-free schools and gun violence prevention to ensure a safe learning environment for all students. Today (Wed, Jan 16), National PTA confirmed its agreement with President Obama emphasis on the need to offer safety training and comprehensive mental health services as well as to implement:

Brownback's plans defy court order on schools

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday called for a fresh round of aggressive cuts in Kansas' income taxes and changes in the state constitution to rein in the judiciary, outlining proposals for a GOP-dominated Legislature in defiance of both a budget shortfall and a court order on education funding.

Brownback also used his State of the State address to defend massive income tax reductions enacted last year and reaffirm that his goal is to eventually eliminate income taxes. But his plan for further reductions is tied to a proposal to keep the state's sales tax at its current rate, rather than letting it drop in July as previously planned.

Brownback: Keep state sales tax at current level, cut more income taxes; change judicial selection

Despite dwindling revenues because of tax cuts, and a court order to increase school funding, Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday called for more income tax cuts, and changes in the way appellate judges are selected.

But to reduce state income taxes, Brownback wants to keep the state sales tax at 6.3 percent. Democrats said that constituted a tax increase because under current law, the state sales tax is set to fall to 5.7 percent on July 1.

In his State of the State address, Brownback, a Republican backed by large majorities in the House and Senate, said the keys to growing the economy are lower income taxes and reduced government spending.

Brownback also wants

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