News from alternative media around Kansas for January 11, 2010.
KU stonewalling with protests
(Kansas Liberty) Not only do our state’s K through 12 schools resist efforts to become more efficient, so does our state’s flagship university: “Two weeks ago University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little complained in a Lawrence Journal World report that it was costing the university more than 1,000 hours of work to analyze how the school could implement recommendations to increase efficiency at the school.”
Vratil-Kelly team creates suspicion
(Kansas Liberty) “In an unlikely pairing, Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood, and Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, are working to promote a constitutional amendment that would require the state to put dollars into a ‘Rainy Day Fund’ in years when the state is prospering financially. Vratil and Kelly are promoting a Senate Concurrent Resolution that would mandate legislators set aside funds up to 7.5 percent of total of the state general fund during years when the state’s total revenue exceeds the previous year’s revenue by 3 percent or more.” Actually, the pairing may not be so unlikely, as Vratil has one of the senate’s most liberal voting records on fiscal issues.
NPR depiction of tea party movement alienates conservatives
(Kansas Liberty) “National Public Radio caught widespread attention this week after it posted a cartoon on its web page chiding and degrading the tea party movement. The left-wing promoting cartoon titled “Learn to Speak Tea Bag” is viewable on the news station’s opinion page.”
Kansas Legislators Hear Capitol Preview
(State of the State Kansas) Coverage of a meeting of citizens with South-central Kansas legislators.
JoCo Legislators: ‘Is there any tax you’d vote to raise this year?’
(Kansas Watchdog) Video coverage of a forum in Johnson County. “On Saturday at the Legislator Tax Forum held in Overland Park by Johnson County Republicans, Chris Stigall from the KCMO 710 Morning Show prodded seven legislators to answer this question: ‘Is there any tax you’d vote to raise this year potentially?’”
Wichita-area Legislators Hear From Citizens Before Session Starts
(Kansas Watchdog) “Citizens from South Central Kansas gave their legislators plenty of ideas and opinions to take to Topeka for the upcoming 2010 Legislative session. State Representatives and Senators from Wichita and the surrounding area listened as 31 citizens expressed their interests and opinions for nearly two hours Tuesday evening in the jury room of the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita.”
Wichita School Board Approves Spending Up to $250,000 to Sue for More Funding
(Kansas Watchdog) “In its first meeting of the New Year the USD259 Wichita School Board voted to support the effort by Schools for Fair Funding (SFFF), ‘to reopen the Montoy litigation and/or initiate new litigation against the State of Kansas …’ The vote was unanimous and will cost the district as much as $250,000, $5 per pupil, for fiscal year 2010.”
Revenues dive raising alarm about more budget cuts
(Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas’ projected budget deficit grew again in December, as state revenue collections fell $23 million short of projections. New figures released Wednesday by the Kansas Legislative Research Department show December tax revenues and other state income totaled about $513 million, or about 4.3 percent less than the $536 million that research analysts projected would be taken in.”
Kansas schools to file funding challenge next week
(Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas schools representing more than 141,000 students plan next week to formally ask the state Supreme Court to reopen a decade-old lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of educational funding in the state, their attorney said Thursday.”