May 2015 – Page 110 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Legislative update from Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.

Veto session
Revenue numbers
Budget
KanCare
Schools respond to block grants
Budget reductions for KDOT

Veto session
The legislature is back from a three week break and still has plenty to accomplish before the 90-day session adjourns in mid-May.

Moving forward the House and Senate will have to find solutions to the state’s revenue shortfall and agree to a budget for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years. Your input is invaluable to me during this process so please do not hesitate to contact me by calling my office at 785-296-7691 or emailing me at [email protected].

Revenue numbers
The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group announced last week the state revenue will be lower than originally thought.

The estimating group includes the Legislative Research Department, Division of the Budget, Department of Revenue, and three consulting economists from state universities. Based on the steady decline of revenue reported by the state, the group lowered its estimates. They now predict the state will only collect $5.7 billion in revenue.

The state cannot spend more than it takes in, so the budget must be balanced before the end of the fiscal year. As of now, the governor has yet to offer a sustainable solution to address the shortfall. Kansas cannot afford to continue on this path.

Budget
The legislative session is nearly over, and there has still yet to be any meaningful action on the state 2016 and 2017 budget. As it stands now the proposed budget is structurally imbalanced and will require more than $220 million in budget cuts or new taxes for 2016 and 2017 fiscal years.

The governor suggests funding the budget by:
• Raising taxes on alcohol by 4 percent.
• Raising taxes on cigarettes by more than $1.50 per pack.
• Reducing the state’s investment into public employee’s pensions.
None of the governor’s revenue proposals offer stable long-term solutions for the Kansas budget. I will oppose any proposal that places the tax burden unfairly on the back of middle class and working Kansans.

KanCare
Two years ago the state privatized the administration of Medicaid through a program called KanCare, and the privatization has proven to be ineffective and costly. This week the KanCare Oversight Committee met to receive an update on the program. The committee was informed of two concerns:

• Over the past two years the three KanCare companies have collectively lost more than $170 million. As for profit companies, they are in business to make money, so it is likely that disrupting changes will be made in the future at the expense of Kansans’ health.
• The position of inspector general has been vacant for almost a year. The governor is responsible for appointing a qualified individual to independently manage and oversee that each company is complying with the necessary rules and regulations.
Services for those Kansans most in need are not being provided and coverage is being denied because as a private business, these companies are dedicated to making a profit at the expense of those who use their services.

Schools respond to block grants
Kansas schools are being forced to make difficult budgetary decisions as a result of the governor’s block grant program which cut more than $51 million from K-12 education.

Some districts are exploring alternative funding by raising local property taxes while others are trying to make ends meet by cutting schools days short, ending the year early, limiting classroom resources, and reducing staff size. I voted no to implementing a block grant policy because the future of our state cannot be sustained if our children’s education is not protected.

Budget reductions for KDOT
The governor’s proposed transfers from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Highway Fund will reduce the fund by more than $1 million a day. A recent report released by the Kansas Department of Transportation indicates that the transfers will bankrupt the fund.

Taking money from the fund, a proven job creator will delay necessary projects for local communities across the state and will contribute to the continued disintegration of our roads, threating the safety of Kansas drivers.

Seven honored at KCKCC’s 19th annual Mid-America Education Hall of Fame event

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Endowment Association’s Mid-America Education Hall of Fame honored seven individuals and organizations recently. (KCKCC photo)

by Kelly Rogge
After taking a brief hiatus, the Kansas City Kansas Community College Endowment Association’s Mid-America Education Hall of Fame event was back this year celebrating some of the best contributors to education in the Kansas City area.

“This is the first time we have done it in the spring,” said Patrick McCartney, executive director of the Endowment Association of the April 23 event at KCKCC-TEC. “This was also the first time we did not have a sit down dinner, which is a big change. I thought it went very well, and we have had excellent feedback.”

The Mid-America Education Hall of Fame was started in 1996 by the KCKCC Endowment Association as a way to recognize individuals, organizations and corporate supporters in the community who have made notable contributions to education. Hall of Fame inductees are selected based on a demonstrated commitment to education, their effort to improve the quality of life in the community through a commitment to education, increasing educational opportunities for others and supporting significant changes that have improved the quality of education, a spokesman said.

This year’s list of honorees include:

• Mila L. Banks. Banks started her teaching career in 1944. After 34 years of service, she ended her teaching career in 1978. However, she continued to maintain an active role in Lincoln High School, her church and civic activities. In a Kansas City Star article regarding Banks on her 100th birthday, Glen Rice said “many of those who populated her classroom are now a who’s who of prominent African-Americans and other minorities.”

• Cynthia Lane. Lane, who holds a doctorate in education, is described as an innovative leader for the Kansas City, Kan. Public Schools. Under her leadership, the district has implemented more rigorous college and career benchmarks and assessments, a laptop initiative at the high school level and a focus on post-high school success. She is a mentor for 3,300 staff and has consistently been the voice for 20,000 students.

• Carol Levers. Levers is the director of libraries in Kansas City, Kan. When she and her husband arrived in the United States from apartheid South Africa they had few resources, no work permit, and two small children. In her native South Africa, apartheid laws prevented her of a good education. Those early experiences helped Carol recognize obstacles to learning, and made her determined to remove those obstacles wherever she found them.

• Shirley Wendel. Wendel has been involved in nursing education for more than 40 years including as faculty, director of nursing and as dean of nursing and allied health at KCKCC. As the dean of nursing and allied health, Wendel, who holds a doctorate degree, expanded and grew two new programs – physical therapy assistant and respiratory therapy. During the same time period she also served on the committee to develop the KCKCC fitness center.

• Hannah Lofthus. Through her work at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School, Hannah Lofthus prepares students to be intellectually curious, economically independent and confidently self-directed. They learn not to be afraid to take calculated risks in pursuit of their aspirations and understand a life devoid of failure is a life half lived.

• Learning Club of KCK. The Learning Club of KCK provides tutoring and enrichment experiences for children of KCK. They provide exposure to opportunities for children who may come from homes with stressful situations and whose needs are not being met through other programs.

• Saturday Academy. The Saturday Academy works to increase the number of underserved and minority students pursuing careers in allied health related areas and to increase students understanding and use of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

“I think people liked having the opportunity to mingle with the inductees for a longer period of time than they had in the past,” McCartney said. “It was also a terrific opportunity to showcase KCKCC-TEC.”

McCartney said because of the change in location and the fact that the event was held in the middle of the week, he expected a drop off in attendance. However, he said the drop off was not significant.

“We really didn’t see that big of change. We expect it to grow in the future, and the location is great because we can fit even more in that room,” he said. “The inductees were awesome, and they had great stories to tell. Their stories had an impact, and you could tell that these were people who are dedicated to what they do. That is the purpose of this award, to showcase individuals who make a contribution to education. We were very pleased with how the event went.”

For more information on the Mid-America Education Hall of Fame, call Patrick McCartney at 913-288-7166 or Dawanna Fangohr at 913-288-7675.

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.

KCKCC golfers take 5 of top 6 spots in national tourney qualifying

Kansas City Kansas Community College will vie for NJCAA Division II national tournament honors with a team of, from left, head coach Shrader, Alex Forristal, Seve Sites, Montana Fasching, Charlie Rinehart, Marc McClain and assistant coach Alex Otting. (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College is headed for the NJCAA National Division II Golf Tournament at Goose Pond, Ala., May 19-23.

The Blue Devils gained the national tournament by totally dominating the three-team NJCAA Regional VI championship at Hillcrest Country Club Friday and Saturday.

Led by Olathe East sophomore Alex Forristal, the Blue Devils swept five of the top six individual finishes for a combined 54-hole total of 891. Allen County was a distant second at 966 with Coffeyville third at 1000.

Forristal took medalist honors with an even par 216 on rounds of 73, 71 and 72 with Marc McClain of Bonner Springs runnerup at 70-77-74-221. Piper’s Montana Fasching (75-73-80) shared third with Matt Dickey of Allen County at 228 with KCKCC’s Seve Sites of SM Northwest fifth (78-80-73-231) and Charlie Rinehart of Piper sixth (78-79-76-233).

KCKCC coach Gary Shrader was particularly pleased with the consistency of his Blue Devils.

“We didn’t have to count a score in the 80’s which was a season’s first,” Shrader said.

“Hillcrest is a very tight, long, tough golf course, very mature with tree-lined fairways and we did a good job of keeping the ball in play. Our emphasis was to play team golf and don’t go high on any hole. It’s a team that’s just got better with every tournament.”

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director for KCKCC.