Legal woes may shut down Kansas schools

Bakersfield Californian ^ | 6/16/05 | John Hanna - AP

[microgood]

I refuse to be optimistic about any legislature, State or Federal, ever standing up to the courts, mainly because I think they agree with what the courts are doing, there is no other explanation that makes any sense.

Makes sense. I can see the legislature saying "We did not want to raise your taxes, but the mean, nasty courts made us."

[familyop]

Kansas is the most socially left State that I've ever been in. Feminism and homo-activism have been rampant there for a long time--even after some Republicans recently started getting elected. Taxes are very high there. And long ago, the socialist politics of eastern Kansas killed agriculture in the western half of the State.

[familyop]

"If the Kansas public schools shut down, the real winners will be the kids and the taxpayers."

Yes...big time. Kansas has produced little more than graduates who take jobs in other states for a long time. For most of its 20th Century history, it was very mobbed up and socialist.

[traviskicks]

it is sickening how this story is written. sobbing about the children and such...

[traviskicks]

FYI, an update...

[The_Reader_David]

Well the obvious fix, since the Kansas Constitution provides appellate juridiction to the Supreme Court 'as provided by law' is to pass a statute making the state budget not a matter of which the Supreme Court has appellate juridiction, retroactive a few years.

Of course we'd need enough folks with the backbone to override Sibelius's veto.

[Total Package]

The courts did the same thing here in Ohio about 12 years ago. The legislature still has not done anything. The courts ruled the way we fund education here in Ohio unconstitutional; ie. the state spends about 12 billion a year to little.

[Born Conservative]

[Amelia]

FYI

[Stellar Dendrite]

Kathleen Sebelius is a dangerous socialist.

[Stellar Dendrite]

LOL, come on. Where in Kansas do you live?

[moog]

little more than graduates who take jobs in other states for a long time

That sounds like something wrong besides schooling to me.

[familyop]

Yes, I'd meant to convey the message, little more for quite some time than graduates who take jobs in other states. Property and car taxes were really high. There's not much more going on in the State than education, and the newspapers have lamented "brain drain" for quite a few decades.

[moog]

Newspapers claiming brain drain??? That kind of sounds like doubletalk to me:).

[planekT]

...The court also said it could order much larger spending increases in the future...

Note to Kansas Legislature. An immediate liquidation of these tyrants posititions is needed now.

[Dianna]

The courts did the same thing here in Ohio about 12 years ago. The legislature still has not done anything. The courts ruled the way we fund education here in Ohio unconstitutional; ie. the state spends about 12 billion a year to little.

New Hampshire was in this same situation when I lived there...about 7 years ago. I don't know if they ever found a solution. I think Kentucky might have caved in and equalized funding (i.e. take money away from wealthier districts and give it to poorer districts). I believe this is the ONLY way to satisfy the courts.

[Total Package]

(i.e. take money away from wealthier districts and give it to poorer districts). I believe this is the ONLY way to satisfy the courts.

The Ohio house has passed a real fix but it is just a start. The house has decided to give about 16,000 school vouchers to parents of student in failing schools. We here in Ohio are now waiting on the Senate to do there job.

[kittymyrib]

They wouldn't have this problem if there were separation of state and school. What right have the judges to order higher taxes? Too bad that schools now are feeding the children all three meals a day and babysit them all day. Parents may have to feed their own kids...many of them illegals who have no business in our schools in the first place.

[Amelia]

I think Kentucky might have caved in and equalized funding (i.e. take money away from wealthier districts and give it to poorer districts). I believe this is the ONLY way to satisfy the courts.

I was reading an article the other day that said Europeans who study our educational system are appalled at the way we do our funding - they give more money to the poorer districts because generally the poorer students need more remediation & extra help to do as well as those from higher socioeconomic groups.

Of course, their education systems are much more centralized than ours.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I refuse to be optimistic about any legislature, State or Federal, ever standing up to the courts, mainly because I think they agree with what the courts are doing, there is no other explanation that makes any sense.

I'm afraid you're right.