Kansas Parents Worry Schools Are Slipping Amid Budget Battles

JANFU · May 31, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/u...n-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Dinah Sykes, a parent of two boys in a suburb of Kansas City, started noticing changes to her children’s public schools a few years ago. Class sizes were growing. The school library had stopped buying books.

So she used her position as the president of the parent-teacher association to start a new tradition: Instead of bringing cupcakes to class for their birthdays, students were asked to bring a book to donate to the school library.

Ms. Sykes is a Republican who once voted for the governor from her party, Sam Brownback. But now, she said, she is so concerned that public schools are endangered by the state’s budget crisis that she is running for a seat in the State Senate, challenging the incumbent senator in the Republican primary in August.

Just another example of incompetence and treating the children of poor families as 2nd class citizens.
Looks like he will have trouble in the next election.
From tax cuts that were a disaster, to this. Why do Republicans insist on tax cuts that do not generate the expected revenue? And this was year after year. And what did they do, continued down the same path.
Expected job growth is lagging.

Links to cuts and revenues.
Kansasâ€™s tax cut disaster explained in five charts - Think NC First

These Kansans predicted Gov. Brownback’s tax-cut disaster exactly four years ago

These Kansans predicted Gov. Brownbackâ€™s tax-cut disaster exactly four years ago | The Kansas City Star

Brownback signs large state tax cut | CJOnline.com

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said Brownback and conservative Republicans were now owners of tax reform the state couldn't afford. They should be held accountable if tax cuts so diminish tax revenue that state programs were gutted in the future, he said.

"Governor Brownback completely choreographed this fiscally irresponsible plan from start to finish," Davis said. "There is no feasible way that private-sector growth can accommodate the price tag of this tax cut, which means our $600 million surplus will become a $2.5 billion deficit within just five years."

However, Brownback administration officials said the law would leave $1.1 billion in the pockets of Kansans during the next two years. Officials circulated documents indicating tax changes would add 23,000 jobs by 2020. They also said their internal economic analysis indicated 35,000 people will move to Kansas in response to tax policy reform.

OrphanSlug · May 31, 2016

Kansas did this to themselves, entirely, by electing and then re-electing Brownback and other State Republicans.

They will find themselves in the same boat with Louisiana in no time at all.

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

OrphanSlug said:
Kansas did this to themselves, entirely, by electing and then re-electing Brownback and other State Republicans.

They will find themselves in the same boat with Louisiana in no time at all.

How the hell did he get re-elected? Did the Democrats just not run?

Skeptic Bob · May 31, 2016

That is bad and is something I would expect from Republicans. But nowadays Democrats are doing the same thing. Regardless of which party takes control it seems our kids are getting screwed over. Cutting education is a false savings because you are increasing the odds they will be welfare recipients as adults and decreasing the odds they will be productive tax payers.

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

BrewerBob said:
That is bad and is something I would expect from Republicans. But nowadays Democrats are doing the same thing. Regardless of which party takes control it seems our kids are getting screwed over. Cutting education is a false savings because you are increasing the odds they will be welfare recipients as adults and decreasing the odds they will be productive tax payers.

Is cutting education not political suicide in the US?

SenorXm/Sirius · May 31, 2016

Ms. Sykes is a Republican who once voted for the governor from her party, Sam Brownback.

Yeah when the cuts 1st took hold and were just affecting the poor and middle class people in the cities the 'rural and suburban Republicans' didn't give a crap. But now that the cuts are causing problems and closures in the rural and suburban schools and hospitals they are having a change of heart.

Classic GOP BS. Cut taxes on the rich and then cut the Middle Class and poor services. Of course the rich don't use public schools or hospitals so they don't care about the services. They are just loving the stupidity of the GOP and the Middle Class Republicans who vote GOP and cut their own throats.

This woman is a perfect example of stupid people voting GOP and cutting their own throats.

Skeptic Bob · May 31, 2016

Carjosse said:
Is cutting education not political suicide in the US?

It should be. The trick seems to be to do it in the poorest places where the people have less power. Rahm Emanuel seems to favor that tactic.

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

BrewerBob said:
It should be. The trick seems to be to do it in the poorest places where the people have less power. Rahm Emanuel seems to favor that tactic.

I honestly do not know how people can think cutting education can be a good thing unless you are Japanese.

RetiredUSN · May 31, 2016

SenorXm/Sirius said:
Yeah when the cuts 1st took hold and were just affecting the poor and middle class people in the cities the 'rural and suburban Republicans' didn't give a crap. But now that the cuts are causing problems and closures in the rural and suburban schools and hospitals they are having a change of heart.

Classic GOP BS. Cut taxes on the rich and then cut the Middle Class and poor services. Of course the rich don't use public schools or hospitals so they don't care about the services. They are just loving the stupidity of the GOP and the Middle Class Republicans who vote GOP and cut their own throats.

This woman is a perfect example of stupid people voting GOP and cutting their own throats.

Nice rant! Poor people are just as poor and uneducated as they were 50 years ago. 21 trillions dollars wasted on BS projects filled with high paying cronyism positions to make people like yourself feel self righteous.

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Carjosse said:
How the hell did he get re-elected? Did the Democrats just not run?

Are there any democrats in Kansas?

SenorXm/Sirius · May 31, 2016

RetiredUSN said:
Poor people are just as poor and uneducated as they were 50 years ago.

Yeah, no..

But I noticed you didn't say anything about those stupid Middle Class suburbanites whose services are being cut and whose kids are getting a piss poor education.

Yeah you're a typical Republican. Short sighted.

As kids, both poor and MC, fall further and further behind we can just spend trillions on welfare and food stamps because in this global economy the only job they can manage is Walmart greeter.

JANFU · May 31, 2016

OrphanSlug said:
Kansas did this to themselves, entirely, by electing and then re-electing Brownback and other State Republicans.

They will find themselves in the same boat with Louisiana in no time at all.

Methinks this will go Democratic in the next election.
Only way for them to fix stupid

JANFU · May 31, 2016

RetiredUSN said:
Nice rant! Poor people are just as poor and uneducated as they were 50 years ago. 21 trillions dollars wasted on BS projects filled with high paying cronyism positions to make people like yourself feel self righteous.

Nice rant.
So back to the OP.
The State Supreme Court ruling on education funding - cutting from poor areas and not richer areas.

Top Kansas court: State not properly funding poor schools

The court ruled on a new school finance law that revised parts of the state's funding formula but resulted in no change in total funds for most of the state's 286 school districts. It was the third school finance law approved in as many years as Republican lawmakers hoped to keep the court from following through on a threat it made in a February ruling to shut schools down.

Kansas schools have either finished or are winding up the current academic year. The state's inability to distribute more than $4 billion in aid to them would keep them from opening again in August, and summer programs would be canceled. While many districts have cash reserves, the court's opinion said that without an acceptable state funding system, schools "will be unable to operate."

The justices ruled that lawmakers failed to fulfill the court's order in February that funding to poor school districts be improved.

Kansas’s tax cut disaster explained in five charts - Think NC First
Seeing as you in all probability did not open the above link, I have saved you time and effort.

Gaze and wonder why when the plan was not working, why they kept at it.
Is that not stupid, or is it OK as it was a Republican that messed it up??

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Fenton · May 31, 2016

California Students score near the bottom on National Math and English test
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/28/california-students-score-near-bottom-in-math-and-reading.html

Fenton · May 31, 2016

Michigan students score well below National average
It's not just Detroit: Students across Michigan have fallen below the national average in core skills | MLive.com

Eric7216 · May 31, 2016

I have trouble understanding the hostility toward Brownback on this issue. These reports of complaints come up and I research the latest NEA rankings and I don't see the connection.
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/2016_NEA_Rankings_And_Estimates.pdf

This doesn't look like a state problem. Kansas ranks 25th in spending per student. Not bad-roughly the same as their per capita income rankings. Unlike other states, most of that comes from the state. Kansas ranks 18th in the country in % of education funds coming from the state but ranks 34th in the educational funding coming from the federal government and 34th in the educational funding coming from local governments. Not sure how the state government is to blame here. Perhaps the feds and local governments need to pick up the ball.

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

azgreg said:
Are there any democrats in Kansas?

Well it would explain why he got re-elected.

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Carjosse said:
Well it would explain why he got re-elected.

It's my understanding that it's a pretty red state.

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Fenton said:
California Students score near the bottom on National Math and English test
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/28/california-students-score-near-bottom-in-math-and-reading.html

Fenton said:
Michigan students score well below National average
It's not just Detroit: Students across Michigan have fallen below the national average in core skills | MLive.com

"I'll take irreverent posts for $300 Alex."

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

azgreg said:
It's my understanding that it's a pretty red state.

Well even Alberta went NDP last election when they got fed up enough with the PCs bull**** ending a 40 year dynasty. That would be like Texas voting for a Socialist party. Maybe Iowans are have not been burned enough yet.

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Carjosse said:
Well even Alberta went NDP last election when they got fed up enough with the PCs bull**** ending a 40 year dynasty. That would be like Texas voting for a Socialist party. Maybe Iowans are have not been burned enough yet.

I'm not saying it can't happen, hell my state (Arizona) voted for Clinton once. However, it usually takes something momentous to knock a rightest off his perch in a red state.

Fenton · May 31, 2016

azgreg said:
"I'll take irreverent posts for $300 Alex."

Not irrelevant at all

Just adding a bit of objectivity to what has to be one of the most blatant hack partisan threads on this forum

I mean really, as if the Ops author or any of his ilk cared one bit about the education of kids in Kansas or anywhere else for that matter

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Fenton said:
Not irrelevant at all

Just adding a bit of objectivity to what has to be one of the most blatant hack partisan threads on this forum

I mean really, as if the Ops author or any of his ilk cared one bit about the education of kids in Kansas or anywhere else for that matter

You calling out a partisan hack thread is ****ing hilarious.

Carjosse · May 31, 2016

azgreg said:
I'm not saying it can't happen, hell my state (Arizona) voted for Clinton once. However, it usually takes something momentous to knock a rightest off his perch in a red state.

Would cutting everything with no regard for the effects of said cuts count?

azgreg · May 31, 2016

Carjosse said:
Would cutting everything with no regard for the effects of said cuts count?

We'll soon find out, but I'd be surprised if less than 70% of the incumbents get re-elected.

Kansas Parents Worry Schools Are Slipping Amid Budget Battles

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