As I write this, three of the five “trending stories” on the Kansas City Star‘s website involve Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and his budget…
In one of the stories the Star absolves KCK’s much discussed 48K piano for Kansas’s budget woes. (Are we getting to them?)
In another Brownback “lied” to Kansas about funding cuts. And in a third he cut education by $44.5 million among “budget woes.”
Now, as they say, the rest of the story.
Last year, the Legislature increased spending on schools. Six months later, the Kansas Department of Education handed Brownback and the legislature a $63.6 million dollar bill above the budgeted increase.
Someone apparently underestimated the fiscal note for the school finance bill passed last year, which is one reason why Brownback wants to scrap the school finance formula.
Even after this week’s hysterically received reduction OF THE INCREASE, school districts will still get $177 million more this year from state funds than last year.
Then too, school districts have grown their reserves significantly over the last few years. Don’t believe this? Check out the list.
So for all the gnashing of teeth, the KCK District will get to keep its $48,000 piano, the 74 Blue Valley employees making more than 100K will not see a cut in their paychecks, and no one will ask why KCK’s super is making $234k when only 5 percent of Wyandotte High’s students are “proficient” in math.
As to the Star editors, unless they can unearth–or, if need be, invent–another 40-year-old altar boy scandal, they will continue firing off maniacal Brownback stories and laying off their redundant employees.
Initially, Brownback counts money paid into KPERS, which includes teachers, as an increase to education funding and has the audacity to call himself the “Education Governor”. Hmmm, ok, that’s a creative way to describe it. Now he cuts the funding to the pension plan and says he has to do it to protect against cuts to education. Seems to be a disconnect here.
Rich, the house is on fire and you are defending the arsonist.
Keep whistling past the graveyard Kansans! Also, keep obsessing over one school district’s stupid decision as if it makes Brownback’s disaster somehow go away.
rich …this is a lie. Stop trying to change the cuts.
you must live inmissouri.
got a bridge to sell you …..you are so wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The piano is merely a drop in the bucket when it comes to schools wasting money.
http://douglascoconservative.blogspot.com/2015/02/courageous-conversations-colossal.html
Geez, this constant reference to a replacing a piano as an obvious example of waste is as comical as it is hypocritical. In the private sector, whether it be a company or a family, assets are depreciated over their lifetime and replaced or repaired when time and use dictate. Companies replace buildings and machinery without blinking an eye. Families do the same with their cars and appliances. Don’t we agree that music is a basic component of an appropriate curriculum for our children? Is a piano in a school really that different from piece of machinery used in the production of a product? Why does a behavior accepted as common practice in the private sector get skewered when it occurs in the public sector? wtf people ???
From reading the author’s posts I get the impression the piano was the only purchase he found to be outrageous.
I suggest the author and his cronies put together some money and buy The Star. The Philadelphia newspapers recently sold for about 25% of what Knight-Ridder had received.
Chance for those politicos who fume at The Star to be the voice of the city.
(crickets)
That’s a hilarious thought, right there. I doubt the idiots could produce even one issue.
Now, on the other hand, were the Koch brothers to buy the Star at a rock bottom price…then we would soon have a mid-west Völkischer Beobachter on our hands.
This site has has devolved into little more than a compilation of “writers” with an axe to grind.
Than find another site.
While delivering the Stratavariuses to the Blue Valley schools, take note of the shambles that are the newest Blue Valley high schools (BV WEST and BV S/W) and if those dilapidated lean-tos don’t make you cry, then you simply aren’t down for the cause, brother. It is disgusting how we’ve let these schools go to seed!