Tag: Dave Trabert
Senate Tax Committee preserves revenue-neutral, adds protest petition to control property tax increases
The Kansas Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation restored the revenue-neutral transparency protections to a bill passed by the Kansas…
Senate Tax Committee approves capping annual valuation increases to 3%
The Kansas Senate Tax Committee cleared the first hurdle for major property tax reform in the state by approving a…
Senate Tax Committee mulls constitutional amendment to limit real estate valuation increases
For the third year in a row, the Kansas State Senate is considering an amendment to the Kansas constitution that…
New book offers 8 Things to Know about Running for School Board to would-be candidates
One out of three Kansas students are below grade level in reading and math. Only 18% of high school graduates…
2024 education spending out-paces inflation, but instruction spending stays flat
According to data from the Kansas Department of Education, school districts statewide increased total spending by about 4% in the…
Kansas school districts operating cash fund balances jump to $1.3 billion
It is an article of faith among superintendents, teacher unions, and the Kansas Association of School Boards that education —…
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…
SB 428 reinforces school board members’ ability to conduct needs assessments
Senate Bill 428 (SB 428), currently in front of the Kansas Senate Committee on Education, would force district administrations to…
Education establishment gearing up for new lawsuit over SPED funding
The State Supreme Court in 2019 determined that the Legislature met the Court’s definition of adequate funding of schools, including…
Democrats push property tax hike on cars, farms, businesses
With the legislative session just around the corner, Kansas House Democrats are pushing a big property tax increase on cars…
K-12 bureaucracy ignores flaws in special education funding formula, calls for more money
Despite testimony that some K-12 funding related to special education (SPED) services is not counted toward SPED funding, the Kansas…
Education bureaucracy pushing the status quo in hearings
Legislative hearings over this and last week are focusing on how to improve outcomes in Kansas education, perhaps unsurprisingly, the education…
Kansas City Star rejects opinions with which it disagrees
When Colleen Nelson was the editorial manager for the Kansas City Star, she made sure that alternate views (i.e., not…
Kansas School Board Resource Center to help districts close achievement gaps
In an effort to help school board members effectively address the state’s student achievement crisis, the Kansas Policy Institute, the…
Fordham study finds positive impacts of Ohio’s EdChoice program
A new study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute should allay concerns that school choice programs won’t benefit marginalized students. …
Special education formula doesn’t count all the funding
School funding advocates met at the Capitol in Topeka recently to make the case that special education in Kansas is…
Book exposes how the Kansas education bureaucracy works against students
One in three students in Kansas is below grade level in reading and math, but instead of addressing the problem,…
Public invited to candidate forums on education, taxes, spending, regulation
The Kansas Policy Institute is sponsoring two events this week of interest to candidates and taxpayers, focusing on important public…
Unions oppose employee rights with false claims re: Janus
Several labor unions opposed legislation to ensure public employees’ rights under Janus v. AFSCME was opposed by unions this week…
New school board members need permission to attend KASB conference
The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) annual convention kicks off this weekend, but newly-elected school board candidates need permission…
JoCo Health tells schools to mask unvaccinated kids
Once again refusing to follow the science and CDC recommendations, the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment is telling…
KC Star spreads disinformation about school board meeting
Last week, YouTube removed a video of the May 17 Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education meeting for “spreading…
Blue Valley to spend $40k plus benefits on COVID contact tracer
It’s all good news on the COVID-front in Johnson County, but school districts continue to plan for apocalyptic levels of…
Olson flip-flop kills education choice, school funding bill
An education funding bill that included expanding a tax credit scholarship program and providing parents education savings account options for…