Voice For Liberty

Tag: Kansas Association of School Boards

  • Kansas, once home to education equality, now lags in freedom

    At one time Kansas played a leading role in education equality, as Topeka was home to the school that produced the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision by the United States Supreme Court.

    Today, however, Kansas lags in educational freedom and choice. The public school lobby in Kansas does everything it can to stomp out any spark of educational freedom and choice in Kansas. The two organizations at the forefront of this effort — the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA, the teachers union) and the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) — expend huge amounts of energy and money to protect their entrenched interests. Their interests, unfortunately, run contrary to the interests of Kansas schoolchildren and their parents.

    The following announcement from the Alliance for School Choice provides more information about the problem at the national level.

    (Washington, D.C., May 16, 2009) — In commemoration of tomorrow’s 55th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, Alliance for School Choice Interim President John Schilling issued the following statement:

    “Fifty-five years ago, citizens of all race, religion and socioeconomic status were given hope that educational equality would soon come to America. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education sent a clear message that every child is entitled to equal educational opportunities.

    Unfortunately, gains towards equality have been far too slow.

    Our nation’s education system today faces one of the most severe crises in American history — a crisis that impacts families, communities, and our already-suffering economy. Despite historic increases in education spending, 5 million children attend 10,000 failing schools. One child drops out of school every 26 seconds. This year’s high school dropouts will cost our country more money than the state budgets of California, Texas, and New York — combined.

    Today, however, it is not discriminatory laws that prevent equality and opportunity, nor is it a lack of overall funding. Our educational crisis stems from the unwillingness of entrenched special interests and the policymakers beholden to them to put the interests of children first. This historic anniversary reminds us that now, more than ever, is the time to ensure that all options are on the table to help disadvantaged students obtain a quality education.

    To ensure that American children — particularly those in low-income families — have access to high quality education, we must put the interests of special interests aside and embrace initiatives that truly provide hope and a quality education to children — especially those in low-income families. School vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs accomplish these goals by allowing parents to make the best decisions for their children’s education.

    Today, 10 states and the District of Columbia offer private school choice programs. In total, 18 programs serve 171,000 children — an 89 percent increase in student participation over just five years. More Democratic legislators are joining their Republican counterparts to sponsor and approve school choice legislation than ever before, making the fight for vouchers and scholarship tax credits truly bipartisan.

    School choice is one of the most researched and studied education reforms of our lifetime. The results are clear: school choice works. Allowing parents to select the best schools for their children — public or private — yields higher parental satisfaction, increased student achievement, and improvements in public schools.

    So today, as the nation celebrates the promise of equal educational opportunity on the 55th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, we call on state legislators across the country to stand up and support school choice. We call on local leaders to protect and strengthen existing school voucher and scholarship tax credit programs. And we call on Congress to fully reauthorize the federally-funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.”

    Monroe School 2009-01-24 04

  • KNEA, the Kansas teachers union: more taxes are needed

    The public education spending lobby in Kansas is always looking for more tax dollars.

    A recent edition of the Kansas National Education Association newsletter Under the Dome for March 30, 2009 lays out the education spending lobby’s plans.

    This group is fearful that an upcoming meeting of the consensus revenue group may produce bad news for Kansas revenue. It’s thought that the state may need to reduce spending or increase taxes.

    Spending, according to this newsletter, has “already been cut to the bone.” So the KNEA proposes “adjustments to the revenue stream” as follows:

    • Reject all new tax cuts.
    • Freeze the implementation of current tax cuts that are being phased in.
    • Decouple from particular parts of the federal tax code.
    • Consider modest tax increases.

    Which of these approaches does the KNEA prefer? No single measure would be sufficient: “The best approach might be a combination of all of the above.”

    KNEA believes that Kansas has a “structural problem” in its tax system. The newsletter explains in length, but the basic problem that KNEA sees is that Kansans are not taxed enough to support all the things KNEA wants to do.

    It’s difficult to take the KNEA seriously, but it and its allied organizations such as the Kansas Association of School Boards are powerful lobbies in Topeka. But let’s look at a few things.

    Despite the KNEA’s tale of woe, the fact is that spending on public schools in Kansas has been increasing rapidly, much faster than enrollment or inflation. From 2003 to 2009, Kansas general fund spending on public schools increased by 54%. Charts below provide illustration.

    School officials don’t like to talk about this, as it is embarrassing for them to have to admit how much funding the schools really have.

    Then there’s the school lobby’s constant reminder that we need a quality educational system. We do. But there’s nothing that says these schools have to be all government schools. Private schools and charter schools do very well, usually with far less money than public schools. But the KNEA and its allied organizations do not want the state to share public funds with private schools, forcing many Kansas parents to pay for private schools and public schools.

    These non-government schools are rarely unionized. Schools without teachers who belong to unions are not in the KNEA’s interest.

    Furthermore, it’s an open question as to how good are Kansas schools. Rising test scores are claimed. But across the country, states have watered down the tests used to measure progress. Is this the case in Kansas? We don’t know, but we do know this: while measures based on the Kansas tests rise, scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test for Kansas students remain flat.

    We must also remember that the KNEA is a teachers union. Education reformers — and you can almost count President Obama among them — realize that the policies that teachers unions have put in place across the country are universally harmful to schoolchildren. A teachers union, with its narrow interests, is hardly a source we should trust for information about education policy.

    Kansas school spending per pupil outpaces inflation

    Kansas school state aid per pupil outpaces inflation

  • Kansas school lobby: not enough spending, not enough taxation

    In Topeka, the Kansas Association of School Boards rarely misses an opportunity to complain that spending on government schools is too low. The same goes for the Kansas National Education Association, the teachers union.

    Also, taxes aren’t high enough, they say.

    A recent note from KNEA regarding a possible sales tax holiday in Kansas stated: “Our primary concerns are related to the bill’s fiscal note which indicates a loss of more than $57 million in revenue to the state should such a holiday be enacted.” The message goes on to suggest some reforms in Kansas sales tax law, as long as the inflow of dollars is not reduced.

    In another message, we see that the education lobby in Kansas doesn’t understand the fiscal climate in Kansas at all. Here’s what it said:

    Fix the state’s funding system:

    The financial crisis was NOT caused by spending too much money on education.

    The economic downturn is NOT the sole reason for the state’s budget woes.

    Legislators must refuse to give any more tax breaks, must freeze all tax cuts.

    Legislators giving more tax breaks will make our situation worse.

    In the long run, we must fix the tax structure to support needed services in our schools and communities.

    (“Fix the tax structure” is code for figuring out ways to get more tax revenue. )

    The message here is we’re not overspending. Instead, we’re not taxing enough. (You can tell they really mean this because they use all capital letters.) This is despite the fact that school spending in Kansas has been growing very rapidly the past few years. Here’s a chart of per-pupil public school spending in Kansas, along with a line showing how this growth in spending far outstrips inflation:

    Kansas school spending per pupil outpaces inflation

    Sometimes the government school lobby likes to use just the spending by the state, as these numbers are lower. Here’s a chart that shows state aid per pupil, again with a line indicating inflation:

    Kansas school state aid per pupil outpaces inflation

    Despite this growth, the public school lobby works every day in Topeka to get more spending and resists all measures that would let parents decide themselves how to spend this money.

  • Kansas Education Lobby Always Prowling for Tax Dollars

    In Topeka, the Kansas Association of School Boards rarely misses an opportunity to reach deeper into the taxpayer’s pocket. The same goes for the Kansas National Education Association, the teachers union.

    Here’s a report from one of these groups: “In the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee it was KASB lobbyist Mark Tallman representing both organizations in support of the reauthorization of the 20 mill statewide property tax levy for schools. This has to be done every two years. Tallman suggested that a one mill increase in the statewide mill levy would equal about $47 per pupil on BSAPP [base state aid per pupil] and such a modest increase could offset most of the $66 cut that was in SB 23.”

    Despite the fact that some school districts such as Wichita will spend $13,000 per student this year, another $47 is needed, according to the education lobby.

    And they still talk about greedy Republicans not wanting to adequately fund schools.

  • Testimony against taxpayer-funded lobbying

    The following testimony from John Todd explains some of the harmful effects of taxpayer-funded lobbying. Isn’t it terrible that that interests of governmental bodies like the city and county you live in or your local school district are different from your interests? As John explains, local government has become a special interest group, and like other such groups, it must lobby for its own interests.

    February 18, 2008

    House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
    Kansas Legislature
    State Capitol
    Topeka, Kansas 66612

    Subject: My testimony is presented in SUPPORT OF House Bill No. 2775 concerning governmental ethics; requiring the reporting of lobbying expenses by municipalities.

    Mr. Chairman, and members of the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs, my name is John Todd and I live in Wichita, Kansas. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak to you in Support of the passage of House Bill No. 2775 concerning governmental ethics; requiring the reporting of lobbying expenses by municipalities.

    “Government lobbying is toxic to representative democracy,” says Goldwater Institute Chairman Tom Patterson. “It distorts the democratic process by pitting government interest against those of citizens. Letting government agents lobby with taxpayer funds … drowns out the voices of regular citizens, putting private citizens at a distinct disadvantage.” (See Goldwater Institute Policy Report No. 217, January 23, 2007 “Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Implications of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying” by Benjamin Barr at www.goldwaterinstitute.org)

    I have personally witnessed this abuse over the last several years as a citizen appearing before a number of legislative committees. During the 2006 and 2007 legislative sessions government lobbyists and their associations opposed popular reform efforts in the area of eminent domain.

    In previous legislative sessions government lobbyists were successful in blocking two attempts to obtain Municipal Court Reform that would have allowed the election of Municipal Court Judges by the people. A third attempt at Municipal Court reform was opposed by a lobbyist from the Kansas Supreme Court itself, resulting in this measure never making it out of committee.

    Local government in Wichita and Sedgwick County has become “big business” with government spending for our city, county, and local school district at nearly $1.4 Billion. In addition to their taxpayer-funded associations like the League of Kansas Municipalities, the Kansas Association of Counties, and the Kansas Association of School Boards, these government entities employ their own taxpayer-funded lobbyists.

    At a minimum, the passage of House Bill #2775 is a start towards making taxpayer-funded government lobbying more transparent and accountable to the people. I would request that you study the report “Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Implications of Taxpayer-funded Lobbying” by Benjamin Barr posted on the Goldwater Policy web page, as referenced above, to consider additional taxpayer-funded lobbying reform that is needed in Kansas.

  • Wichita school bond issue not the only proposed tax increase

    As the residents of Wichita consider whether to vote for the $350 million school bond issue proposed by the board of USD 259 (Wichita public school district), be aware that the bond issue and its associated increase in property taxes is not the only tax increase the public schools in Kansas would like to have. The following article from Karl Peterjohn explains.

    Tax Funds Being Spent To Push For Kansas Tax Hike
    By Karl Peterjohn, Kansas Taxpayers Network. Released September 20, 2007.

    Your tax dollars are being used to push for an increase in Kansas income taxes. Do you want your tax money spent on raising your taxes?

    This tax hike plan was initially reported by in the Hawver’s Capitol Report (www.hawvernews.com) state capitol newsletter August 27. The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is seeking another statewide income tax hike. This tax hike would be used to provide more state tax dollars to the 296 Kansas public school districts.

    What is not clear is how big a tax hike is being sought by the government school spending lobby. KASB is a large organization with over 30 employees operating out of its posh, marble floored offices with a multi-million dollar budget in west Topeka near Wanamaker Road. KASB is funded with tax dollars coming from 295 Kansas public school districts with only one district not having a KASB membership.

    In the 2007 legislative session KASB registered 13 lobbyists to push for more spending and additional property tax authority during the 2007 legislative session. In addition to this taxpayer funded lobbying group, many of the KASB member school districts also have their own taxpayer funded lobbyists at the statehouse too.

    This tax hike scheme would provide additional tax funds to substantially expand the already budgeted $122 million to pay off the final year of the Kansas Supreme Court’s Montoy school finance lawsuit. That budgeted amount will provide roughly $275 per pupil or over $5,000 more per 20 student classroom next year. For KASB, that is inadequate. The school districts want more money in addition to the increased local property tax increases authorized by the legislature this year for all 296 Kansas public school districts. Your tax dollars are helping raise your property taxes.

    This isn’t the only fiscal battle your tax funds are helping finance. There has been a major open records battle trying to get the recalcitrant school districts funding this lawsuit to report how much money has been spent for this litigation.

    Kansas taxpayers face automatic tax hikes due to property tax appraisal valuation inflation as well as higher income taxes through inflation generated bracket creep in our state income tax. KASB and other taxpayer funded lobbyists regularly fight any proposals to make it harder to raise state and local taxes in Kansas.

    Many Kansans are unhappy about these tax hikes that no elected official has to vote for. More Kansans would be outraged if they knew their tax money is being spent to promote higher taxes as well as more state spending. This year the state’s General Fund budget grew 10.4 percent but that is not enough for these groups.

    There are roughly 70 school districts, cities, counties, and other governmental bodies lobbying legislators at the statehouse. Efforts by legislators to stop this abuse have failed often due to the powerful push from these taxpayer funded lobbying organizations.

    When the senate’s local government committee chairman Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, held hearings on a bill to stop this taxpayer abuse last year the room was filled with tax funded legislators opposing this bill. The bill was killed by bipartisan senate leadership and never even got debated on the senate floor. So taxpayers are left with this question: How much of your tax dollars are the lobbyists spending at the statehouse trying to raise your taxes?

  • Report from Topeka, July 1, 2005

    Thank you again, Karl Peterjohn of the Kansas Taxpayers Network, for your insights into the Kansas Legislature’s special session.

    The Kansas house begins their 10:30 AM session with a constitutional amendment to reassert their fiscal powers in a key vote for this special session. Last Sunday a similar amendment failed getting only 73 of the 84 (2/3) votes needed to be submitted to voters.

    Yesterday’s house vote on school finance tied the $140 million in additional funding to the passage of an amendment in the constitutional battle between the court and the other two branches of Kansas government. Yesterday, the governor declined to state her position on the constitutional amendment proposals but many legislators believe that she is holding house democrats away from any amendment.

    The vote last Sunday was critical since the senate had already passed this amendment and house approval would have allowed Kansas voters to have a voice in this crisis. Kansas voters continue to be largely disenfranchised in this process.

    What has been missing from the school finance debate is perspective. Sadly, the figures tossed about by the various sides do not reflect numbers that most Kansans can easily relate to understanding. Should government school spending be raised by $161 million or $86 million?

    The regular legislative session approved a $142 million increase that was roughly five percent of total state funding. Let me try to make this number more understandable. If this increase was spread evenly across the state (it will vary district-to-district) it would result in a per pupil increase of almost $320 a year!

    The court mandated another $143 million beginning today (the first date of the 2005-06 school year and the 2006 state fiscal year) that would raise this figure to over $640 per pupil. The cost of this spending will be over $620 for the average family of four in Kansas this year or just over $155 per person.

    The Rockefeller Institute reported recently that state revenue figures are growing at a rate of almost 12 percent for the first quarter of this year over the same period in 2004. State revenues have not grown fast enough in Kansas to support spending increases above the $100 million figure depending upon the final numbers for the fiscal year that ended only yesterday. In Kansas, this growth rate in tax collections is roughly half this rate. Kansan continues to lag behind the rest of the rest of the country and soaring state spending will be a growing boat anchor restraining this state’s economy.

    A couple of interesting insights in hallway discussions at the statehouse. A number of legislators are pointing out how similar the increased spending figures are to the projected state revenues from expanded gambling. It is interesting to note that Kansans would be sending an additional $3-to-4 million a week to the state to finance the increased gambling revenues. Critics of expanded gambling continue to complain that no one is projected the loss in state revenues from decreased sales and other excise tax collections if gambling is expanded.

    One of the largest school districts in Kansas, the Shawnee Mission School District has decided to drop its membership in the powerful school spending lobbying organization, the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB). The Shawnee Mission district’s representatives to the KASB have served as its president and had an assigned seat on the organization’s board of directors. The Johnson County school districts have been upset by the legal challenges to the 2005 school finance bill that provided additional spending authority to
    the Johnson County school districts. KASB lobbyists have been strong advocates for the spending growth that is hampering economic growth in this state.

    Fiscally responsible Kansans need to let their legislators know how they feel about the constitutional amendment and the soaring state spending. The legislative hotline’s 800 number is working: 800-432-2924. I believe that there is strong legislative support for putting specific restrictions in place to prevent the Kansas Supreme Court from ordering the closure of public schools too.

    Please feel free to forward this to fiscally responsible Kansans.

    Karl Peterjohn
    Kansas Taxpayers Network

  • Regarding School Finance from Senator Karin Brownlee

    By Senator Karin Brownlee, Republican from Olathe

    What is the higher priority? Should the Legislature send $143 million more to schools or preserve the form of government our forefathers carefully designed over two hundred years ago? The separation of powers doctrine is fundamental to maintaining our free society because it maintains a balance of powers with the judiciary unable to control the budget. That is until last Friday when the Kansas Supreme Court blurred the lines and came out with a ruling that the Kansas Legislature should appropriate an additional $143 million to the K-12 schools, for starters. The Court expects $568 million more after that.

    A few school districts in Kansas sued the state because of their perception that the state is under funding them. This suit worked its way through the Kansas courts to the point that the state Supreme Court in January mandated the Legislature to address some specific areas to ensure an equal education for all Kansas students. The Legislature responded by voting to send an additional $142 million to our schools with some of the additions targeting the specific needs. This is the largest increase to schools since 1992. Out of our $4.9 billion budget, about $2.6 billion will go to schools in ’05-’06.

    The school lobby in the Kansas Capitol is possibly the strongest lobby under the dome. I have seen bills pass initially one day only to get squished like a bug the next day on a final vote because the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) and the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) deemed the bill a threat to their way of life. Because of the strength of this lobby, it is hard to sort fact from fiction when discussing school finance.

    You have probably heard that the base state aid per pupil (BSAPP) has not kept up with inflation. What are the facts? BSAPP is only one part of the school funding formula and there isn’t a district in the state that only receives this amount. It is always multiplied by weighting factors which increases this number significantly. Since the school funding formula was rewritten in 1992, state, local and federal funds increases for K-12 have surpassed the consumer price index (CPI) every year. Kansas spends about 54% of its state budget on our schools. On average, other states spend about 35% of their state budgets on K-12. The next time someone tries to convince you that the Legislature is shortchanging our schools, you might keep these facts in mind.

    Additionally, Kansas students perform quite well when compared to students in other states. Over the past few years, our schools have ranked in the top ten states in many categories. In some areas on nationalized tests, our students are ranked even higher. Lack of quality is not driving the push for millions more to schools.

    I write all of this to make the point that the true need may not be the hundreds of millions of dollars that the state Supreme Court is mandating. Certainly our schools would make use of any money sent their way. However, the need for balance in state spending is critical to maintain a positive climate for families and businesses. Frankly, this struggle is no longer about school funding. The greater need is to maintain the balance of powers and not allow a court to tell the Legislature who gets how much money. That is the exclusive duty of the Kansas Legislature.