Kansas lawmakers want school library books rated for ‘appropriateness’
Though he wouldn’t name the specific books, Rep. Adam Thomas knows objectionable material lurks on the shelves of Kansas’ public school libraries.
Though he wouldn’t name the specific books, Rep. Adam Thomas knows objectionable material lurks on the shelves of Kansas’ public school libraries.
The Kansas Supreme Court issued a two-page order Tuesday releasing jurisdiction of the Gannon v. State school finance case after concluding the Legislature complied with mandates to resolve violations of the Kansas Constitution by suitably funding public education.
A renewed assault on public education, defended Monday by Republicans on the House K-12 Budget Committee, would set the stage for districts to be stripped of accreditation. The bill wouldn’t hold private schools to comparable accreditation standards.
Kansas and Missouri public schools enroll thousands of fewer students compared to before the pandemic, in part, because of a homeschooling boom and declining birth rates.
The task force created by the Kansas Legislature to resolve funding challenges in K-12 special education endorsed a four-year plan Friday adding $82.7 million annually in appropriations to local school districts.
Rep. Kristey Williams and Sen. Renee Erickson agreed there was little value in convening a task force to study the state’s shortfall in funding public school special education programs because the financial issues were too complex for such a group to unravel and the only remedy suggested by education advocacy groups was too simplistic to warrant examination.
The Kansas Chamber released a legislative policy agenda Thursday endorsing a proposed single rate state income tax, opposing expansion of Medicaid health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans and supporting investment of state tax dollars in private K-12 education.
A new state law that goes into effect next fall lets Kansas students attend schools outside the districts where they live, as long as there is space available.
Top priorities of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Senate President Ty Masterson collide in January when the Kansas Legislature convenes for the 2024 session.
Officials at R.V. Haderlein Elementary in Girard forced an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut his hair, despite objections that he grew it out to connect with his cultural heritage.
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