Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #KSLeg

Most recents (24)

Settle in, Kansas K-12 friends. I want to share a #ThrowbackThursday 🧵 to reminisce about the creation the school finance formula. 1/
I’ll skip the backstory on our legal battles prior to the Gannon lawsuit other than to remind that our Kansas constitution has had a clause regarding the funding of public schools (originally referred to as common schools) since inception. All K-12 decisions track to that 2/
Although the Montoy case was settled in 2006, the #ksleg never reached the settlement amount due to the Great Recession. That’s when I began to focus on advocacy for our public schools. My kids were young & directly affected. 3/
Read 15 tweets
In a secret audio recording of Republicans in Hutchinson, Ellis County GOP chairman outlines plans — tinted by hints of violence and the assurance that God is on their side — to turn Kansas into a conservative sanctuary #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2023/05/15/chu…
This is the first in a weeklong series that examines the influence of religious beliefs on state government — restrictions on transgender residents, anti-abortion propaganda, tax dollars for private schools, a refusal to acknowledge systemic racism #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2023/05/15/chu…
At the Hutchinson meeting, a divine calling was made clear: Republicans must purge the state of anyone who disagrees with their extremist positions on the LGBTQ community, reproductive health care, education and race #ksleg kansasreflector.com/2023/05/15/chu…
Read 6 tweets
Tax credit "scholarships" are tax avoidance for wealthy Kansans, not charity. Donations to public schools & other charities are tax deductions, but voucher supporters need extra incentives to prop up their programs which hurt KS students. An expansion is in #SB83. #ksleg #ksed
Our state also prohibits the collection of any information about who is participating in this tax scheme. This program should be ended, not expanded. #ksleg #ksed
"Despite voucher tax credits’ charitable facade, the reality is they allow wealthy families to opt out of paying for public education and other public services, and to redirect their tax dollars to private and religious instruction instead. #ksleg #ksed
Read 6 tweets
🧵
So many different Right-$ groups inflating evidence for #schoolvouchers it’s impossible to ✋🛑 all of them. #txlege #gapol #neleg #INed #ksleg

But here’s the general pattern, using this EdChoice table as an example (there are many more):
1/ 🧵
First is the absence of abysmal negative OH, and IN results by teams led by Figlio and Berends, respectively.

Those studies use panel data and methods and find terrible statewide at-scale voucher effects—hugely relevant to legislation today.
2/
chalkbeat.org/2018/8/9/21107…
But #schoolvouchers advocates drop them from tables like the 👆 because they’re not lottery-based studies. It’s true that lotteries are gold standard evaluation tool—but have well-known limitations re: scale and generalizability—key issues today.

Any case, you don’t drop them
3/
Read 13 tweets
Kristey Williams is getting roasted at the Augusta Theatre by parents, teachers, counselors, the school board and more.
#ksleg #ksed
"We need Jesus before science and math." Kristey Williams
#ksleg #ksed
"When you were publicly promoting people for the school board did you have involvement in the new charter school your board members and supporters are leaving for" Audience question
#ksed #ksleg
Read 12 tweets
This is a thread about how out-of-state lobbyists (continue) to misuse data to present bad-faith arguments to and peddle influence the #KSleg.

It started with this post: by @HaswoodForKS on HB 2430

(Also: #RockChalk & go #KUbball today!)

If you want a quick recap of this committee hearing this week, read this excellent summary by the @KansasReflector:

kansasreflector.com/2023/03/03/kan…
Watching testimony, I noticed a huge disparity between the ~50 opponents to the bill that would criminalize homelessness & punish cities that refused to do so.

I also noticed that only 1 organization was speaking FOR the bill, which I expanded upon here:

Read 28 tweets
I’m technically still a student at @UnivOfKansas.

And I’m willing to voluntarily sign a pledge or swear an oath that…

kansasreflector.com/2023/03/02/sen…
1) All people *should* be treated equally; and

billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-source…
2) Until we account for historic injustices—as evidenced by racial and ethnic disparities in our economic, education, criminal justice, and healthcare systems—we cannot have equality; so

nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Read 5 tweets
Kansans who believe in their neighborhood schools & the idea that our public schools are part of the foundation of our communities & our future, need to pay attention to what is happening in Topeka over the next 2 months #ksleg #ksed
Some Kansas legislators, helped by dark money groups, are pushing for nonpublic school vouchers that will take money from our neighborhood schools, while also giving huge tax breaks to the very wealthy
These critics are spreading misleading information about Kansas student test results, how much schools are funded and they falsely claim that public schools are resisting accountability
Read 8 tweets
You can also watch from home as Republicans in the #KSleg try to criminalize homelessness:

youtube.com/live/JyWyClSum…

"Love Thy Neighbor, but first charge them with a misdemeanor" -- Conservative Jesus
@judgeglock is the Texas carpetbagger giving proponent testimony before the #KSleg.

He JUST arrived in #Kansas via the new #KCI airport:

Glock is from the @InstituteCicero.

This is their all-white board that has decided it's their mission to tell #KSleg legislators to vote for criminalizing homelessness.

ciceroinstitute.org/authors/judge-…
Read 11 tweets
Kansas House votes overwhelmingly (116-6) to pass bill 2279, which requires groundwater management districts to do more to preserve the Ogallala Aquifer.

It says GMDs need to identify spots with the worst depletion and submit water conservation action plans to the state. #ksleg
The six representatives who voted against this bill:

-Brett Fairchild, St. John Republican
-Scott Hill, Abilene Republican
-Michael Houser, Columbus Republican
-Trevor Jacobs, Ft. Scott Republican
-Samantha Poetter Parshall, Paola Republican
-Bill Rhiley, Wellington Republican
Rep. Fairchild was also the lone vote against this bill in the House Water Committee. At that time, he said his concerns were about it causing more paperwork/cost for GMDs.

Of the six House reps who voted no, Fairchild is the only one whose district actually overlaps with a GMD.
Read 9 tweets
So, I asked ChatGPT to list some things that public schools are required to provide for students that private schools are not required to provide.
A #Thread 🧵
#ksleg #ksed "#schoolchoice" #vouchers #SegregationCoupons #FullyFundSPED

Public Schools are required to provide...
1) Free education to all students, regardless of family income or background.
2) Special education services to students with disabilities.
3) Compliance with state and federal laws, such as those prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin.
4) Meals to students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
5) Transportation to and from school for eligible students.
6) Curriculum alignment with state standards
7) Graduation and dropout rate reporting to the state
Read 10 tweets
How does school choice work? Here's a super brief summary🧵

Basically: instead of the state funding your local public school based on enrollment, it would set aside the per-student $ and connect it directly with your child instead of the school. #ksleg #ksed #novouchers 1/12
Two basic versions of school choice are vouchers (which work like "coupons" worth the amount of per student funding the state has given) and education savings accounts (which work the same way). #ksleg #ksed 2/12
To take advantage of the program, you have to 1) pick another school and 2) be accepted into that school.

But, there are challenges to both of these (read on). #ksleg #ksed 3/12
Read 13 tweets
🧵Laura Kelly's Highway Patrol is in a shambles. It is easy for the #KSLeg to look at pay as the reason for low recruitment numbers, but the more likely and historically relevant reason is morale. Let's dive into this well-written article by Brad Cooper.👇 sunflowerstatejournal.com/khps-sworn-off…
Pay was hiked on July 1 by this Legislature. In fact, in conference, I nearly doubled the increase. Starting pay at the KHP is now $27.61/hr. The Wichita PD is $25.31. Yet, the KHP had one of its most pathetic class sizes ever. Wichita PD was 10x the size: ksn.com/news/wpd-train…
So it must be that global pandemic or defund the police movement that started this recruiting problem? KHP went from the largest class sizes in history to a handful in a matter of six months. Meanwhile in 2020 Wichita PD had their largest in history: kwch.com/2020/08/11/wpd…
Read 19 tweets
Kansas governor's race update: With all precincts unofficially in, per the SOS website, Gov. Laura Kelly leads Republican AG Derek Schmidt by 14,255 votes #ksleg

Third party candidates, FWIW, sit at roughly 30k votes combined
The rules and regs amendment is currently being rejected by about 6,000 votes

In the AG race, Kris Kobach has increased his lead on Dem Chris Mann to 22,000 votes #ksleg
Our story on the current status of the Kansas governor's race #ksleg

cjonline.com/story/news/pol…
Read 3 tweets
A short Kansas election 🧵 before bed. Image
Sharice Davids winning by double digits, again, after Republicans tried gerrymandering #KS03 is a sign of just how bad things are getting for Republicans in the state's most populous County. And a sign that Amanda Adkins is a truly terrible candidate.
JoCo Dems also picked up 3 state House seats in the county, and lost 3 more by such small margins (<250 votes) that if they don't flip thanks to late-arriving mail ballots, are probably likely to flip in 2024.

Fun fact: JoCo has added ~25K registered Dems since Nov. 2020.
Read 14 tweets
Polls are now closed in 101 of 105 Kansas counties, except in the four counties on Mountain Standard Time

SOS office said earlier we should start seeing results trickle in about an hour #ksleg
I lied, Butler County early voting is in #ksleg
Just in: AP has called the U.S. Senate race for Jerry Moran #ksleg
Read 25 tweets
Kansas voters, read up!

We need to encourage people to view/fill out their sample ballots before they go vote (whether during advanced voting or on election day) this year. The ballot will be long pretty much everywhere. 🧵
On the LWV SB, there are 12 races/issues that are available to choose right now, but that doesn't include the Supreme Court judge retention questions (there are 6 justices up for retention, so there will be 6 questions on whether to retain or not - and the answer is YES, btw)...
...or the KS Court of Appeals judges, District judges, Magistrate Judges, the State Board of Ed (if you live in a district that will have that on the ballot...in JoCo, it will be District 3, and if you can vote for Sheila Albers, you are a lucky duck!)...
Read 16 tweets
You all know me as a firm progressive, but my dad is a staunch Kansas Republican: a thread. 👇1/13
Growing up I had a great life, not wealthy, but supported by a very loving family who adopted me at birth. My mom passed away when I was a pre-teen, and my family struggled with that, be we were ALWAYS there for each other. 2/13
I came out as gay to my dad in the 8th grade, and I could tell it made him uncomfortable, and he never knew how to talk about it, but he said something along the lines of “you’ll always be my son and I still love you”. 3/13
Read 14 tweets
.@joellahoye joined @MomsDemand in Kansas in 2015 after hearing a 911 call from a Colorado woman warning dispatchers about a man carrying a rifle down the street. She was told open carry is legal. Minutes later, the man shot and killed three people. klcjournal.com/lenexa-mom-bec…
That was the last straw for JoElla. She decided to get off the sidelines. And even though the odds were stacked against @MomsDemand volunteers in Kansas, she became chapter leader and started building a presence in the statehouse and helped broker relationships with Rs and Ds.
In 2017, when campus carry was set to become law, the Kansas @MomsDemand chapter helped pass an exemption for public hospitals, mental health centers and nursing homes through the Republican Supermajority in the statehouse and got it signed by a Republican governor.
Read 7 tweets
We have received many questions regarding text message advocacy about the constitutional amendment vote. This thread is intended to answer the two questions we have received most commonly today. #ksleg
First, under current law, text message advocacy about constitutional ballot initiatives does not require paid-for disclaimers.
The constitutional amendment attribution statute only addresses paid communication through newspapers, radio, and TV, or any (paid or unpaid) communication through fliers, brochures, and political fact sheets.
Read 9 tweets
On August 2, Kansans will decide the fate of reproductive freedom in their state as they vote on a ballot measure that, if approved, would eliminate any right to abortion in the state constitution. #ksleg
Anti-abortion lawmakers intentionally placed the amendment on the August primary ballot, when fewer Kansans would turn out to vote than would in the November general election. Republicans are used to turning out for August primaries -– Democrats and unaffiliated voters are not.
Kansas is the ONLY state with a ballot initiative on abortion this year that is not being considered during the general election — a clear indication opponents know that a majority of Kansans support abortion rights, and their hope for victory was a low turnout race.
Read 4 tweets
The August 2nd amendment attempts to change our very constitution in order to invalidate the Kansas Supreme Court’s 2019 decision that protected abortion rights in this state.

#ksleg #abortionrights

⬇️ Image
The amendment would give the Legislature unlimited authority to pass restrictions on reproductive rights — or a complete abortion ban, without exceptions.

2/
This includes allowing a bill that was already proposed this past legislative session, which would criminalize all abortions from the moment of fertilization until birth.

3/
Read 4 tweets
#SCOTUS' decision to overturn Roe V. Wade must be an immediate call to action for Kansas voters. The proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution is damaging for so many reasons, which I'll be discussing more in the final weeks leading up to the vote. But, for today:
The first step is to make sure all eligible Kansans are REGISTERED to VOTE. The deadline is Tuesday, July 12th. NOW is the time to reach out to your friends, family, and neighbors. Are they all registered? Do they have a plan to vote? Time to make sure: iwillvote.com
All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, can—and must—have their voices heard in this election. But that can only happen if folks are aware, registered, and ready to cast their vote in this special circumstance.
Read 7 tweets
On August 2nd, a vote NO ❌ on the constitutional amendment preserves your right to make personal healthcare decisions for yourself - free from government interference.

A vote YES lets extremists in Topeka make decisions about your healthcare, including abortion. #ksleg
The language of the August 2 constitutional amendment is confusing and mentions numerous topics – this is by design. Image
Senate Democrats tried to move the amendment to an election where more Kansans vote. Republicans blocked it.

We tried to protect victims of rape & incest from a total abortion ban. Republicans blocked it.

We tried to make the language less confusing. Republicans blocked it.
Read 4 tweets

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