Author: David Hicks
Employment of non-teachers rose since 2015 in Kansas while outcomes and enrollment decline
The hiring of non-teachers (administrators and all other employees who are not teachers) has continued an upward trend in Kansas…
USD 434 Santa Fe Trail administration won’t answer questions on declining student achievement
State assessment scores at Santa Fe Trail USD 434 overwhelmingly lagged behind state averages this year, but despite repeated efforts…
Shawnee County schools offer different approaches to upcoming Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment debuts in Kansas K-12 this fall. The bipartisan legislation signed into law in 2022 allows students to transfer…
Kansas lawmakers send governor another tax cut bill
After multiple vetoes, the Kansas Legislature believes “Groundhog Day” has ended, and Governor Laura Kelly says she will sign its…
“Scoop and Score” makes false claim, won’t substantiate rosy economic impact of bringing the Chiefs to Kansas
Much like quarterbacks use the “silent count” in noisy situations near vocal opponents, the organizers of “Scoop and Score” working…
Cowley County dog trainers win appeal; case on warrantless searches will proceed
The Fourth Amendment lawsuit filed by award-winning bird dog trainers Scott Johnson and his wife, Harlene Hoyt of Cowley County,…
Critics throw flag on billion dollar scheme to lure Chiefs across border
“The rich tradition and history of the Chiefs are beloved across the entire Kansas City region and throughout Kansas. The…
KPI urges Legislature to pass constitutional amendment to limit property valuation increases
The Kansas Legislature, in its upcoming Special Session, should approve a constitutional amendment limiting the annual increases in property valuations,…
More than $50,000 in overtime paid to 95 public employees in 2023
More than $50,000 in overtime was paid to 33 municipal employees in Kansas in 2023. There were 28 county workers, primarily…
Clock ticking on Leavenworth County Treasurer Office probe of $10,000 theft
In 2019, about $10,000 went missing from the Leavenworth County Treasurer’s Office. Then-Treasurer Janice Van Parys determined it was taken…
The promise of Brown v. Board of Education is still “unfulfilled”
The 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing state-sanctioned segregation in schools…
New state assessment at odds with Legislature’s improvement targets
Deputy Education Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor revealed that a new state assessment plan will be given to students during the…
Prairie Hills / Sabetha USD 113 now in land transfer dispute with Nemaha Central
Its long-running financial disagreements with school districts in Jackson Heights and Vermillion over its closure of the Wetmore School was…
Former Manhattan mayor defends city’s taxes, salary increases
Manhattan city taxpayers have seen their property taxes increase by 25% since 2019. Since 1997, taxes increased by 351%; that…
Study shows Kansas tax burden is the 12th highest in the nation
While taxpayers await another threatened veto of tax relief, a new analysis shows Kansas has the 12th highest tax burden…
A-F Grading for Kansas schools results show continued declines in 2023
The new “A-F Grading for Kansas Schools,” based on 2023 state assessment scores, shows nearly half of Kansas public schools…
Kansas Supreme Court convenes special session in Lansing
The state Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases at the Lansing Middle School Auditorium before an estimated crowd of…
Governor vetos sugaring bill, siding with bureaucrats over entrepreneurs
Governor Laura Kelly dashed the hopes of sugarers around the state as she vetoed SB 434, which would have eliminated…
Veterans Treatment Court offers vets a second chance
Sedgwick County’s Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) opened last September, one of several such courts in Kansas providing alternatives to jail…
HB 2036 tax relief bill awaits Gov. Kelly’s signature
Finally, on the last day of the regular session, both chambers of the Kansas Legislature passed Senate Substitute for HB…
Kansas, 10 other states sue Biden Administration over latest student loan forgiveness plan
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, along with the attorneys general of ten other states, is suing the Biden Administration over…
Lawmakers approve SB 434 exempting sugaring from cosmetology license requirement
Practioners of sugaring around the state are a governor’s signature away from being able to ply their ancient trade without an…
SB 546 would end two business subsidies, cut corporate tax rate
Corporate income taxes in Kansas would be reduced to 5.75%, and two business subsidies — Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK)…
Alabama CHOOSEs to become 11th state to approve universal school choice
With the stroke of her pen, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed into law the state’s Creating Hope & Opportunity for…