February 6, 2008
House Education Committee goes on bill introduction spree
The House Education Committee received information from the Board of Regents but also took bill introductions. Among the bills introduced were:
- A bill to stop “course creep” in teacher education programs but capping the number of courses required. There is often a desire on the part of various advocacy groups to ask for a required course for their particular issue.
- A bill to allow school districts to “partner” with universities to provide pedagogy training for provisionally licensed teachers.
- A bill to provide parity for school psychologists’ board certification with teachers’ National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. NBPTS does not provide board certification for school psychologists.
- A bill to legitimize the American Board for the Certification of Teaching Excellence (ABCTE). ABCTE hopes to license teachers through a multiple choice test.
We’ll be looking for each of these bills to be released and will review them all very carefully.
Senate Education Committee takes up mandatory kindergarten; post-disaster funding
The Senate Education Committee discussed SB 399, a bill which would lower the compulsory attendance age from 7 to 6 and require attendance in kindergarten. While most Kansas children attend kindergarten, current law does not allow the enforcement of attendance. If a child registers for school but fails to come, truancy laws do not apply.
The bill contains an exception for religious groups but it was written to require well-developed programs for those children excepted. Senators had some concerns about how restrictive the exception is and will likely be looking at changes.
Also discussed was SB 426, the Senate version of the bill to provide education funding relief for districts impacted by natural disasters. The House and Senate versions of the bill are different in that the House version would apply to any school district and the Senate version is applicable only to specified districts.
After discussing the bill for a while, Senators decided to put off a final decision until they received information on how Hoisington was treated after the disaster that hit their community.
Senate Elections Committee looks at disclosure; recorded votes
The Senate Elections Committee took up two bills today. SB 505 would require candidate to disclose the employer of any person making a contribution of more than $150. Currently they must only list the occupation. There apparently has been some concern that if many employees of the same firm were making contributions to the same candidate, that firm might have undo influence on the candidate once elected. The Ethics Commission reported that 31 states currently have such a requirement. Senators seemed skeptical.
The committee also discussed SB 428 which would require that elections to nominate a replacement for a vacant office. Such elections are handled in district conventions. Precinct Committeemen and women vote to nominate a candidate for elected office when the office is vacated during a term. Senator Julia Lynn, a member of the committee, pointed out that she was chosen in such a convention when Senator Kay O’Connor resigned her seat.
Current law requires voting by the committee men and women to be done by secret ballot. This bill would require that all such votes be done by either signed ballots or roll call. The bill was introduced by Senator John Vratil (R-Leawood) who said that constituents had concerns about the voting by people elected to represent them at the district conventions.
Despite the weather, Kansas Democrats overwhelm caucus sites!
33,000 civic-minded individuals show up to support presidential candidates!
Were you out at a caucus last night? Kansas Democrats stood outside in a freezing drizzle to have a say in who will represent them in the upcoming presidential election.
All across the state venues proved too small for the crowds. At one site in Lawrence the overflow crowd was split into two locations and nearly 2,200 persons gathered in the livestock pens at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Excitement and enthusiasm was high. Democrats registered hundreds of new voters. And after all the hype and hyperbole of Super Tuesday, the race for the Democratic nomination remains no more certain than it was on Monday.
Kansas Democrats overwhelming chose Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Obama took nearly 73% of the vote to New York Senator Hillary Clinton’s 26%. Nationwide, Obama took Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, North Dakota, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Alabama and Georgia. Clinton took California, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Obama currently holds an edge in the delegate count but the race for the nomination is still considered neck and neck.
On the Republican side, Arizona Senator John McCain surged to front-runner status with victories in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee won in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and West Virginia while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney took Massachusetts, Utah, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota.
Kansas Republicans did not participate on Super Tuesday and will hold their caucuses here on Saturday, February 10.
Calling all KNEA Republicans! Make your voice heard at a caucus on Saturday!
WHEN:
February 9, 2008
Open by 9:00 am
Call to order at 10:00 am
WHERE:
65 locations throughout the state.
Got to http://ksgop.org to find locations or watch your local newspaper. Choose the location in your Congressional District that is most convenient for you.
REGISTRATION:
You must be registered to vote as a Republican by Jan. 25, 2008 – no voter registration at the door.
17-YEAR OLDS:
You must be 18 by February 9, 2008 and registered to vote by January 25, 2008 in order to participate. 17-year-olds may be observers.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://ksgopcaucus.org/
Caucus Preparation: What is the party position on education?
As you consider participation in the Kansas presidential caucuses, wouldn’t it be great to know what your party is promoting for education and where the individual candidates stand?
Wonder no more!
The national party positions are hammered out every four years at the national conventions. We have the “education plank” of the Republican Party platform here for you to read for yourself.
Click here to read the 2004 Republican Party Platform Education Plank.
NEA has provided us with a handy candidate comparison on education issues. Just remember that some of the candidates have now dropped out of the race and may not be considered at the caucuses.
Click here to view the Republican Candidate Comparison chart.
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