Month: June 2017

Kansas Supreme Court sets deadlines for arguments on school finance law

The Kansas Supreme Court today issued an order setting the deadlines for arguments on whether the legislative school finance law is constitutional.

The state and the school districts will have until Friday, June 30, to submit briefs. Then they will have a response deadline of Friday, July 7. Oral arguments are scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 18, before the Kansas Supreme Court.

The decision allowed Senate Bill 19, the school finance legislation, to go into effect until the court determines whether it is constitutional. The court stated this action “should not be misconstrued as our prejudging that ultimate question.” The Kansas City, Kansas, School Board held a special budget meeting Monday night.

Alan Rupe, attorney for school districts that filed suit in the Gannon case, including the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, said the court’s deadline of June 30 for the Legislature to provide funding has been pushed back until the court issues a new order.

Both sides asked the court to expedite its decision, as the school districts need to know by Aug. 4 what their budgets are. He said he believes there is enough time for the Legislature to go back to work on the school finance bill. That happened before in 2006-2007, he added.

The plaintiff school districts plan to argue that Senate Bill 19, the school finance legislation, is unconstitutional because of its underfunding and its disruption to the equity of school funding, according to Rupe.

While Senate Bill 19 provided more funding to the school districts, the amount in the bill was far below the amount that was heard earlier by a trial court, and that was suggested by the Kansas Board of Education and legislative studies, he said last week when the bill was signed.

State looks to better times financially

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

After flirting with bankruptcy, the Kansas Legislature took the necessary action to restore financial stability to state government. At least that is the way State Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, D- 36th Dist., sees it.

Rep. Moore was among the state legislators who were panelists at the monthly meeting of the Congressional Forum Friday, June 16, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Moore said since 2012, the state has spent all of its reserves and failed to fund transportation and the state pension fund adequately. She said that by increasing the income tax and eliminating the “LLC loophole” for business, the state should be solvent. She said the state income tax will have three brackets rather than only two brackets that Gov. Sam Brownback proposed.

The “LLC loophole,” which allows business owners to escape paying any state income tax, was approved in 2012 by a Legislature that was much more conservative and aligned with Gov. Brownback. The 2016 election yielded a much more moderate Legislature, particularly from Johnson County. Political observers saw this repeal of the “LLC loophole” as a very major defeat for the governor. Gov. Brownback is expected to accept a position in President Donald Trump’s administration as an envoy to the United Nations.

About half of the $6 billion budget that the legislators control will go to fund education. The Kansas City, Kansas, School District received about $139 million from the state for the 2016-2017 school year—nearly half of its $300 million annual budget. The Legislature has suggested that the district receive an additional $9 million for the coming year. The Kansas Supreme Court will have to approve the amount that the Legislature spends on schools. A decision is expected soon.

State Rep. Valdenia Winn, D- 34th Dist., who is a history professor at Kansas City Kansas Community College, and also a member of the Kansas City, Kansas, School Board, said the proposed state funding is not enough.

Only about two-thirds of the students in the district graduate with their class. The Community College must spend a considerable amount of money in holding remedial classes in reading and mathematics. Most of these students are from the Kansas City, Kansas, District. Even some students from Sumner Academy, a college preparatory school, must take such classes, according to J.D. Rios, a former administrator with the school district who is now chairman of the Board of Trustees at the college. In past years, Sumner Academy has been recognized as one of the top high schools in the United States.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. His is executive director of Business West.

Perry selected as league pitcher of the week

The American Association has announced that T-Bones right handed pitcher Chris Perry is the league’s Pointstreak Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 18th.

Perry, who hails from Cary, N.C., and played collegiately at Methodist University (Fayetteville, N.C.), tossed seven shutout innings, giving up just one hit and punching out nine Wichita Wingnuts, in a no decision on Monday, June 12th.

The righty has been in a groove for Kansas City with 20 strikeouts in his last 12 2/3 innings including 11 strikeouts against Wichita on June 6th at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The team went on to sit down 24 via the strikeout that night, breaking the old record of 22 set by Wichita on May 20, 2011, against El Paso.

Perry became the first T-Bone to strike out at least 10 batters in a game since last August, when Jared Messer hit that mark with 10 strikeouts. For the season, Perry is 0-1 in 26 1/3 innings with 36 strikeouts for Kansas City.

– Story from T-Bones