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Editorials & Backgrounders

The only legislative excuse we haven't heard has to do with an assignment-chewing dog !

By Christy Levings
June 2004

In classrooms across Kansas students are expected to finish their work, do their best and cooperate with their peers to
reach solutions.

Is it a lack of information?

No, they have five years of studies, data, and commission recommendations by two governors, State Board of Education recommendations and court rulings that all clearly outline the need for large increases in education funding.

Is it an inability to understand the issues?

No, our staff and members as well as the combined work of various education coalitions are there each and every day to provide testimony and answer questions on the needs and work issues of Kansas schools and educators.

Is it a lack of time to complete their assignments?

No, they have the equivalent of a semester to get the job done. How understanding would your district be if you did not get a semester's worth of work done and simply went home with it incomplete?

Our elected officials must be held to high standards. Should they be allowed to slack off because the work is hard? When students complain of hard work, we don't excuse them.When students say they have too much work, we don't excuse them.

Why should we hold our elected officials to a different standard? Remember, they asked to do this job and they get paid while they are in session to get the job done.

I, for one, am tired of the excuses for no work being completed and the lack of commitment by some elected folks. I heard a legislator say he couldn't support new taxes because he thought it might cost several thousand jobs statewide.

So by their inaction nearly 40,000 Kansans do not know what will happen to their jobs next year. If he thought it was going to help the Kansas economy to hurt one of the major employers in each community, then maybe he needs extra tutoring in economics.

We all need to be tired of this kind of nonsense and recognize how important Kansas schools are to the economy of this state. Remember, that unlike our classroom, we choose the members of the Legislature based on their abilities and their past track records.

We get to pick who's in this class! We must use the primary in August and the election in November to tell some candidates that we are tired of their lack of good work and that our communities expect them to support public education.

Only then may they continue in office. Candidates should know that representing your area of Kansas in the legislature is not a pass/fail class and you demand to be represented by people who can make excellent grades on their decisions for Kansas public education.

Kansas NEA is using all of its legal, legislative and communication resources to protect our members' rights and income, and to keep them informed as the actions of the Legislature and the courts continue to play out.

I encourage you to visit our Web site regularly throughout the summer months for up-to-date information and carefully read our mailings and publication.

The work of our Association is vital for your protection and for the future of Kansas public education. We are committed to protecting, representing, and informing each of you, the outstanding education professionals who make one of the highest quality school systems in the United States a reality for Kansas students.

Christy Levings is the president of the Kansas National Education Association. An elementary teacher on leave from the Olathe School District, she lives in Osawatomie.

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