Tag: Kansas Policy Institute
Opponents of Westwood park sale win election victory
A small park the City of Westwood, Kansas, attempted to sell to developers for an office park and retail outlets…
Legislature passes KORA cost containment bill
In a rare unanimous vote, the Kansas House and Senate both passed a bill aimed at containing costs under the…
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…
SB 259 promises income tax reductions based on increases in state revenue
Senate Bill 259 proposes a path to a flat income tax in Kansas based on increases in state revenues above…
Cities, counties sitting on more than $5 billion in cash reserves
City and county lobbyists are flooding the state capitol, pressuring legislators not to grant Kansans property tax relief. They tell…
Legislature proposes less funding for literacy training
Leaders of the Kansas House Committee on Higher Education Budget are declining to answer questions about stripping $8 million in…
Economist says DOGE on the right track, state-level efforts needed
Former chief economist for the Office of Management and Budget under the first Trump administration Dr. Vance Ginn said the…
Senate approves 3% limit on real estate valuation increases, but the House may not consider it
The Kansas Senate yesterday passed a constitutional amendment that, if approved by the House, would allow voters to decide whether…
KASB attempts to deceive legislators in the SB 47 fiscal note
Having a good BS detector is essential for serving in the Kansas Legislature, especially for interpreting fiscal notes that accompany…
Education tax credit legislation would give parents school choice
The Kansas Senate is taking up a bill that would provide an education tax credit for parents who choose to…
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…
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…
New legal hotline for Kansas school board members
Members of boards of education in Kansas seeking legal advice related to their duties have a new, no-cost option thanks…
Kansas mom wins preliminary victory in sugaring lawsuit
A single mom in Hays, Kansas, is one step closer to owning her dream business after winning the first round…
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 —…
AUDIT: STAR Bonds program continues record of failure
Three years ago the Kansas Department of Legislative Post Audit evaluated the STAR Bonds program overseen by the Kansas Department…
Commerce Department dodging questions about programs — again
The Kansas Department of Commerce is refusing to answer questions about the number of grants it has awarded over the…
Lansing resident won’t substantiate criticism of school board member Amy Cawvey
Jackie Kennedy of Lansing used part of her allotted time at a recent USD 469 school board meeting’s Public Comment…
Kansas should adopt new budget process and spending limits, KPI economist says
Kansas is spending too much and needs to reform the way it creates the yearly budget, was the message Dr.…
Study finds wide disparity in county spending per resident in 2022
A new study by the Sentinel’s parent company, Kansas Policy Institute, shows massive differences in county government spending per resident…
Tax hike coming for the middle class if Trump tax cuts aren’t extended in 2025
President Joe Biden has often said he would not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000. He said it…
Districts that leave KASB can still participate in insurance pool
Emails obtained by The Sentinel show Kansas school districts that choose to leave the Kansas Association of School Boards can…
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…