February 3 - 10, 2006
This week’s links:
PTA Legislative Conference features education lobbyists
The Kansas Parent Teacher Association held its annual legislative conference in Topeka on Monday and starting things off were Gary Brunk of Kansas Action for Children, Mark Desetti of KNEA, and Mark Tallman of KASB. Brunk focused his remarks on the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights and other efforts to restrict the state’s ability to raise revenue and fund programs while Desetti and Tallman addressed the Legislative Post Audit study and other bills currently before the Legislature. PTA members are strong advocates for public schools and natural allies of KNEA and KASB. Desetti and Tallman traditionally review the legislative session at the PTA conference.
House School Finance Committee continues Post Audit discussion
For two days this week, the House Select Committee on School Finance reviewed and heard testimony on portions of the Legislative Post Audit Cost Study.
Tuesday: The Regional Cost Index
The Legislative Post Audit Division worked to determine if there was a regional factor that would impact salaries as school districts work to recruit and retain teachers. The study looked at three issues that were deemed to be “out of the district’s control.” Those are: the regional cost of living based on housing prices in the district’s county and adjoining counties, the working conditions of the district calculated by considering the poverty of the district, and the community amenities of the region based on proximity to an urban center. If you are far from an urban center, have a challenging student population, or have a high cost of living, your district would need to pay more to attract teachers. If you are close to an urban center, have a less challenging student population, or have a low cost of living, your district could pay less and still attract teachers. At least that is the premise of the analysis. Each of the three issues is analyzed separately and a summary index is calculated for every district.
The Blue Valley and Kansas City School Districts both testified in favor of the proposal. KNEA testified that the concept in the regional cost index was an improvement over the “sweet 17” from last year in that the Post Audit examined salary needs on a regional basis and not on a district by district basis. In addition the LPA study accounts for more than simply the cost of housing by adding in the challenging nature of a particular student population and the draw of community amenities; access to museums, restaurants, and cultural events.
KNEA went on to say:
“The flaw in the proposal is that it does not address the core issue which is teacher salaries and benefits in general. Kansas teacher salaries last year ranked 42nd in the United States. It is possible that our ranking will improve somewhat with the influx of school funds from the special session but it is unlikely that it will rise significantly.”
“Kansas NEA believes that your first priority in this area must be to address the overall level of salaries and benefits for teachers. We would urge the Legislature to first address the underlying teacher salary problem.”
Wednesday: Transportation Weighting
Because there is a general lack of understanding about how the transportation formula works, the Post Audit report seems to have taken many people by surprise.
The study took a very strict look at the formula and applied it rigidly. For example, since under the formula, children living within the city limits whose school is also within the city limits are not eligible for transportation weighting regardless of the distance they might live from school. The result of the study is that many school districts – and in particular urban or suburban school districts – would lose transportation funding.
The Committee heard from USD 259 Wichita, United School Administrators, and Kansas NEA on this issue. KNEA lobbyist Mark Desetti, asked the Committee to consider changes to the formula that would allow funding for children within the city limits, address issues of safety such as crossing arterial roads or highways, and reduce the distance from the current 2.5 miles. Said Desetti,
“The LPA study rigidly applies current law to transportation weighting and has made recommendations accordingly. But the study also recommends that legislators examine the current transportation formula and make some decisions on possible adjustments which might include changing the distance requirement or the “within the city” limitation. KNEA believes that the Legislature needs to address ways in which the state might provide student transportation within a reasonable distance and that the issue of student safety should be addressed.”
Let the wild rumpus begin!
A hearing on the State Board’s charter schools bill
Friday the House Education Committee began a hearing on House Bill 2652, the charter schools bill proposed by Education Commissioner Corkins and endorsed by six members of the State Board of Education. The bill would allow folks who want to open a charter school with public money to circumvent approval by the local board of education by taking their case to the State Board.
Advocates for the bill include Dr. Betty Horton who, when asked what kinds of things they would want to waive under their charter, started by listing the 180 day school year and an opportunity to let students do community service or get workplace experience as part of their education. Since both are already permitted under Kansas law, she honed in on her real desire. Horton told the committee that she wanted teachers to “work longer and harder for the same pay.” She expressed a need for teachers who “don’t look at the clock” and who work not to the end of the day but “until it’s learned.” So what they really want are 24-hour teachers on 8-hour pay; something we once called “indentured servitude.”
Opponents of the bill included Dr. Bill Wagnon, a member of the State Board of Education who made it clear he was representing himself and his constituents and not the Board, and Tony Sawyer, Superintendent of Topeka USD 501.
Wagnon suggested that by overriding the local board’s authority, the State Board would be taking on responsibility for local schools. The Kansas Constitution requires that public schools be under the control of a local school board. Wagnon asserted that the proposal might be unconstitutional.
Sawyer spoke of the successes of Topeka ’s Hope Street Academy and of the attempt by charter school proponents to take over two schools in Topeka. The charter applicants would have displaced students who did not want to attend their “theme-based” school and would have driven up costs for the district by requiring large expenditures in transportation.
The Committee ran out of time before all the opponents could be heard. The hearing will continue on Monday when Mark Tallman of KASB will speak on behalf of both KASB and KNEA, Robert Van Crum will speak on behalf of both Blue Valley USD 229 and Wichita USD 259, and Kathy Cook will speak on behalf of Kansas Families United for Public Education.
Full Senate approves concealed carry without amendments
The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 418, the concealed carry of firearms bill and sent it on to the full Senate. Objecting to passage were Senators John Vratil (R-Leawood) and Roger Reitz (R-Manhattan). Other Senators may have voted no but it was a voice vote and not all voices were audible.
In Committee, Reitz asked Senator Phil Journey (R-Wichita) why he did not insert a provision to prohibit weapons in churches. Journey responded that churches could post a notice indicating that firearms would not be allowed. Reitz suggested that a large sign in the entrance to his church announcing that firearms would not be permitted inside seemed somehow inappropriate.
KNEA has no position on whether or not Kansas should allow concealed carry licenses but does advocate for sensible laws that include protections for children and school employees. We had asked the committee to consider prohibitions in churches, child care facilities, and at all off-campus school activities. None of those amendments were taken up.
Among the troubling provisions:
- Concealed firearms would be permitted at school activities off campus except for athletic activities,
- Concealed firearms would also be permitted in churches and child care centers unless otherwise posted by the church or child care center,
- Kansas would be a “shall issue” state under which the Attorney General would have no discretion in granting licenses (many states are “may issue” states),
- Licenses issued by other states would be valid in Kansas even if the state has lower licensing standards.
In addressing the issue of license reciprocity, a representative of Safe State Kansas pointed out in testimony that, when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer spotted a gun under Timothy McVeigh’s coat, McVeigh offered his New York State concealed carry license as proof that he was allowed to have the gun. McVeigh was told that the license meant nothing in Oklahoma and he was arrested.
A floor amendment by Senator David Wysong (R-Mission Hills) to prohibit firearms in churches failed on a vote of 16-24. Another Wysong motion to prohibit firearms in public libraries failed on a vote of 15-25. An amendment by Senator Greta Goodwin (D-Winfield) to prohibit firearms in Veterans Hospitals or health care facilities for veterans failed on a vote of 13-26.
The bill then passed the full Senate on a vote of 29-11.
Voting NO on the bill were Republican Senators Barbara Allen, Pete Brungardt, Roger Reitz, Vickie Schmidt, Jean Schodorf, John Vratil, and David Wysong and Democratic Senators Donald Betts, Marci Francisco, Greta Goodwin, and Janis Lee.
House Tax Committee considers a sales tax “holiday”
House Bill 2601, a bill which provides a sales tax holiday for school supplies, clothing and computers had a hearing in the House Taxation Committee. The bill would institute a sales tax holiday for specific school related goods during a weekend in either July or August. The research department estimates that the “holiday” will cost the state about $3.7 million in income and that state and local governments would lose about $1 million in income. Representative Virgil Peck who is a sponsor of the bill spoke as a proponent stating that “this bill would be good for Kansas families and Kansas Businesses.” About 12 states now have similar laws. Research cited by one local government lobbyist showed that many retailers raise their prices on Missouri’s tax free weekend to increase their profits and that there is a significant problem with retailers differentiating between tax and non-tax items on the tax holiday weekend. When asked how Kansas would be able to police abuses during the tax holiday, Representative Peck responded that there would be no way to check to see if people were able to buy non-tax free items on the tax holiday weekend.
Other bills getting hearings
House Education Committee:
- House Bill 2625, a bill which would allow different districts to mutually fund construction of a school building, was introduced at the request of school districts in Doniphan County.
- House Bill 2578 allows for 50 scholarships of $6,000 each for students pursuing a teaching license in Special Education. Representatives Pat Colloton (R-Leawood) and Kathe Decker (R-Clay Center ) proposed the bill.
- House Bill 2684 would provide a one time payment of $1,000 to each early high school graduate and a $3,000 scholarship to a technical college.
- House Bill 2711 would establish a set of qualifications for the position of Commissioner of Education.
Senate Education Committee:
- Senate Bill 331 would allow a Technical College to revert to a Technical School.
- Senate Bill 481 extends a provision that allows consolidating districts to receive the sum of both districts’ state funding for three years after the consolidation.
- Senate Bill 330 allows withdrawals from the Learning Quest college savings program in the first year of investment with no penalties.
Type in the bill number and click on “search.”
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