It has been a week for public education in Kansas and elsewhere...time to show our support
I’m hitting send on this before reviewing, so please excuse any typos and I hope it all makes sense.
I’ve been on vacation and trying my best to escape the happenings in Kansas and beyond. With this view, it should be easy…
but there are certain people who are intent on making it hard to ignore what’s happening back at home. In particular, Representative Kristey Williams (R-Augusta) is continuing to wreak havoc on public education, especially special education funding. I’ll get into that more this weekend and I’ll share some videos and other information below for those not wanting to wait for me to return home and fill you in.
Instead, today we are going to focus on the positive! This may be short lived, so soak it in. 😉
I ❤️Public Schools Day
The Kansas Association of School Boards is hosting an I LOVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS day at the capitol in Topeka today. It’s time for all of us to let our legislators know why Kansans love our public schools. You don’t have to be in Topeka to participate. But, if you are, stop by the rotunda in the capitol and fill out a valentine to your legislators letting them know why you love Kansas public schools.
For those of us not in Topeka…
Send a quick email to your legislators with a sentence or two sharing why you love Kansas public schools. Subject should be Kansans Love Public Schools.
Share a specific story about your child
Discuss how important schools are to your community
Share if your child receives special services and how important those are to you
Talk about the various opportunities available to students
Mention how families move to Kansas for our strong public schools
Mention the economic impact of our public schools — employer, economic driver, maintain property values, and so on
Mention the wonderful teachers in Kansas
Point out how private school students benefit from special education and gifted programs in our public schools
You get the drift. With both voucher bills passing out of committee yesterday (we’ll talk more about that later) and the massive shortfall in special education, it’s time to let legislators know before this session is over that Kansans value and depend on strong public schools!
FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS
Hopefully you’ve already recorded your state level (Topeka) representative and senator in your contacts. But, if you haven’t, I encourage you to look them up and record their contact info (email and phone), using this link:
Feel free to include one of the graphics at the end of this newsletter in your email.
More positive action — Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Testimony needed: Deadline is Saturday, February 15 by 1:30.
Governor Kelly signed a proclamation making November 14th, 2023 the first annual Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in Kansas! In 2024, the Kansas Senate joined the children of Kansas in inviting Ruby Bridges to personally come to Kansas on that day in the 70th anniversary year of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education. She said YES! It was an incredible event, with 1000 Kansas school children attending in person, ten schools across Kansas participating via remote livestream and many more schools/families participating in their own ways.
Rep Barbara Ballard has introduced HB 2330 to make Nov 14th RBWTSD in Kansas permanent and this bill has a hearing on Monday, Feb17.
In her newsletter, Representative Mari-Lynn Poskin outlined the information needed in the header of the testimony and who to send the emails too.
SOME THOUGHTS FOR TESTIMONY
Keep it simple. Just state why you think it’s a great way for students to learn about an important moment in history. And here are a few things that could be helpful, but please try to use your own words:
Kansas was the epicenter of the landmark United States Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared racially segregated public schools unconstitutional
Ruby Bridges is a civil rights icon, living history tied to Kansas history
The goal of Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is for students to unite for Day of Dialogue; inspiring youth, and creating positive change in our communities.
Ruby Bridges answered Kansas childrens’ invitation to come to Kansas in the 70th anniversary year of Brown v Board, with in person audience of 1000 children and ten remote live streams to schools across the across the state.
Let’s make RBWTSD permanent in Kansas!
As I said, it has been a week for public education
I’m off to enjoy the next excursion on our vacation, but please listen to these videos from KASB to learn what is going on and they are providing some action items, as well.
Video from last night discussing latest with special education funding and vouchers passing: https://www.facebook.com/KASBPublicEd/videos/643647458020836
Video from Tuesday explaining special education proviso inserted into the budget bill: https://www.facebook.com/KASBPublicEd/videos/932938412289014
Video from Wednesday with a little more clarity on the proviso and action we need to take: https://www.facebook.com/KASBPublicEd/videos/649181497556514
A little more info:
And more from Game On for Kansas Schools:
We have been glad that Rep. Kristey Williams is no longer leading the K-12 Education Budget Committee but as Vice Chair as the House Appropriations Committee she is continuing to attempt to undermine efforts to improve public education. We hope the committee gets an education on the need for significant increases in special education to reduce the millions of dollars districts are taking from their general education budgets to fund mandated SPED services. As Rep. McDonald explains here the false method of calculating SPED funding was debunked last year. Contact members of the House Appropriations Committee , especially if one of them is your Representative. Link to committee in comments.
Here is what Rep. McDonald said in her share: It boggles the mind that one rogue legislator can undermine so much. The legislature soundly rejected Representative Kristey Williams’ magic math last year. This year the K12 Budget Committee debated the Education Budget for days & passed compromise legislation unanimously out of committee. Williams is now vice chair of the Appropriations Committee and in that role she’s wreaking even more havoc on education funding than before. Don’t let her get away with this.
Graphics for: I ❤️Public Schools Day
