Sam Brownback declares war on Kansas: This is how extremists gut a state – and democracy
It is not uncommon to see the developments named from what they move or sometimes destroy. Subdivisions with names like Wild Creek Place probably contain neither a trace of the “wild” nor the remains of a stream. I suppose that more descriptive names such as Flat Asphalt Junction simply do not have the same level of call.
I came to see the names of the Kansas legislative committees in the same way. Under the ultra-conservative leadership of the Legislative Assembly, committees such as education (House and Senate), the Education Budget (Chamber), Trade, Work and Economic Development (House) and the Local Government (Senate), to name only a few, seem to be cruelly named from what ultra-presenter marked for disinterest or destruction.
Governor Sam Brownback’s march zero income tax, combined with legislation designed to weaken public services and eliminate local government control, avoids the very aspects of the government on which these committees are concentrated. Public education certainly seems targeted to be greatly completed by, if not squarely, private education.
We also see it in other states. For some time, the model legislation of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and other libertarian / ultra -presenter organizations has been used as a model of invoices in states with different levels of ultra -conservative control. Such models have been developed on everything, taxation and fiscal policy, energy and the environment, health and social services.
Looking only in education, in 2015, 172 measures were introduced in 42 states on the basis of the legislation of the ALEC model, according to the Center for Media and Democracy. The general objective is to “… transform public education of a public and responsible institution which serves the public into an audience which serves private profit for profit.” Public education generally comprising an important part of state budgets, this adapts well to the ultra -conservative legislation focused on the considerable narrowing of the government and the reduction of taxes.
In Kansas, one of the last bills inspired by such model legislation is HB 2741, intended to provide the State with a new formula for financing public schools. The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) provides a good summary of the bill here. The need for a new formula began during the 2014-2015 legislative session with the repeal of the previous school financing formula and the implementation of the temporary two-year grant financing mechanism, intended to fill the void while the legislator operates on a new formula. I should note that the Block grant has also effectively reduced dollars available for school districts for daily operations.
HB 2741 was deposited shortly before the legislative break and is now located in the Chamber’s credit committee. One of the most controversial things in the bill is to establish Kansas Education Freedom Act, creating a private school savings program and essentially diverting public school dollars already limited to private schools. This would allow parents to use 70% of state aid per student for their district to pay private (religious) schools, online schools, home studies or tutors.
Although the bill obliges these students provided “teaching in at least the matters required by the law of the State”, it does not require any type of evaluation or responsibility measures of students. And the Treasurer of the State of Kansas, not the Kansas State Education Department, would receive regulatory monitoring of finance and academics linked to the private school savings program.
These “accounts of freedom of education” as described in the bill present many similarities with the aspects of the model legislation on the model of the Aclec savings law. For example, giving surveillance to the treasurer of the State follows the suggestion of ALEC according to which financial and academic surveillance does not have to fall under the department of a state in charge of education. Model legislation defines this surveillance department as the “State Department of Public Education or an organization chosen by the State [italics added]. “”
The declared objective of HB 2747 is to “provide the financing of” teaching “”. However, the bill limits teaching to “… these school district functions which have a direct impact on the supply of education services. The term “instruction” does not include the following school district functions: the central administration of the office; improvement in capital, construction, reconstruction or reshaping;
Although general state aid to “teaching” activities increase under this bill, it is reduced or eliminated in relation to the “non-instruction” functions specifically mentioned above. And although KASB’s analysis suggests that HB 2747 is initially an increase of 4% of general state aid compared to the block grant (still inadequate and no more than the previous financing formula), after the dollars “harmless maintenance” disappear two years later, it would actually be a decrease. This offers ultra -presenters the opportunity to assert that they have increased “educational” funding (important in an electoral year) while reducing the overall spending of the State in matters of public training (necessary if they continue this crazy march to zero income tax).
And the reduction in global spending on public education is a main objective of Alec and AFP, as well as Kansas Policy Institute (KPI), the local manifestation of Kansas of this Libertarian / Ultraconvative Intellectual Tradition. The narrow definition of “teaching” and “change of dollars to the class” are the code to reduce the overall financing of daily public schools and have been current points of discussion in Brownback and ultra -conservative legislators.
According to the bill, administration expenses would be reduced, which is already underfanded. General State aid could no longer be used to finance extracurricular activities (only local dollars), defined as “these activities provided or supported by a school district, but which are not required or a substantial part of any study program of this school district”. Athletics would certainly take a hit, but other activities such as the group, the choir, the debate, the student advice or anything else with a parascolary component, limiting or eliminating positive impacts, these activities can have on students.
As with extracurricular activities, only local dollars could be used for food services or related activities, which has an impact on the quality and quantity of food services. But nutritional meals, as well as (and expect to have) a full belly, have an impact on the effectiveness of class learning. The elimination of the general financing of state aid for food services would also endanger local farm programs at school where they were implemented, not only a negative impact on students but also on local economies.
Additional restrictions imposed on capital improvement projects via a) The creation of the joint state construction committee to examine (and limit) projects requiring state improvement aid, b) reduction and in certain cases of elimination of state aid for areas designated without class and c) the requirement of three sealing offers for any construction project by using a negative impact (potentially problematic Rural areas and other special circumstances) would have a negative impact on students. By reducing public spending on capital improvement projects, the burden for this would be further transferred to local communities and the number and quality of projects would probably decrease.
A recent report of the Center for Green Schools of the USGBC, summarized here, concluded that current expenses are already inadequate to meet modern standards and the needs of the district compared to operations and maintenance, renovations and new constructions. We still have a long way to go to get back decades of delayed maintenance which can have a negative impact on productivity / performance and health of students and teachers, and therefore the success of students. This bill would further slow this recovery in the state of Kansas.
The increase in the percentage of public education financing that local communities should provide components in the face of the recent decision of the Supreme Kansas Court in favor of the decision of a lower court according to which the current subsidy of blocks does not just finance all school districts. Righter districts have greater potential to collect local funds for these “non-instructions” functions. Thus, HB 2741 does not seem closer to meet this demand for equity than the block grant.
Interestingly, the Republican Ron Highland representative, one of the two main authors of the bill (the other being Senator Steve Abrams, republican), said that HB 2741 joins recommendations of an efficiency study of $ 2.6 million conducted by the consulting company Alvarez and Marsal. This represents $ 2.6 million spent on a study intended to reduce public spending; $ 2.6 million spent by a state with significant income problems from obsolete and refuted economic policies that lead to income problems. Problems that could have been essentially resolved by simply repealing the governor’s devastating income tax cuts.
Although some of the bills draw recommendations from the study, none of the specific aspects that I have covered here – to move public dollars to private schools and limit the dollars of the State to a close definition of activities related to “teaching” – are in fact in the recommendations of Alvarez and Marsal (at least that I could find). But they are a reflection of libertarian and ultra-presenter ideologies that underlie Alec, AFP and KPI. Although I do not think that the Highland representative and Senator Abrams are currently members of Alec (although many kansas legislators are), they have already attended Alec events and are sympathetic to the public education elimination programs of Alec, AFP and KPI.
It is darker and darker in Kansas since Brownback was elected in 2010. But the Kansans are starting to wake up. Basic organizations like Game on For Kansas Schools, Women for Kansas, moderate Party of Kansas, the consumer coalition and others pass their message through the state, and people listen. More and more Kansans are presented themselves to challenge these ultra -conservative legislators during primary and general elections. I hope that after the elections in the fall, the legislative landscape of Kansas will have changed enough to stop the progress of ultra -corer agendas; Maybe I dare say, even form a coalition to the veto test on certain questions. I also hope that our names as a legislative committee will no longer have to serve as memorials for what is moved or destroyed.
And by the way, HB 2741 is named Creation of the School District Finance Act and the success of students. I guess the Break public education, increased privatization, the success of students Did not have the desired ring. It would certainly have been more descriptive.
