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January State Board News

A Note from Peg

I don't even know where to begin, except at the end. As Janet Waugh adjourned the January, 2003, State Board of Education meeting, she said, "I'm glad it's over."

John Bacon, who represents District 3, responded, "It's only begun."

'Nuf said.

Board Disorganizes

On the 11th vote, following almost a day and a half of contentious exchanges, the State Board of Education chose Janet Waugh, District 1, and Sue Gamble, District 2, as chair and vice chair, respectively. The vote was 7-3, with Waugh, Gamble and Bruce Wyatt, District 6, voting no.

In offering his motion, Steve Abrams, District 10, said: "You won't compromise so we're going to give it to you."

Gamble explained her "no" vote because she thought that the solution being offered would not help the Board accomplish its goal of operating in an efficient, clear manner.

It had become clear that the Board was split into 2 main camps (or teams, as Connie Morris, District 5, described them), and the Waugh-Gamble ticket did not include a "representative" from the "other team."

Here is a run-down of the failed motions that preceded the 11th, successful one:

1. Janet Waugh - chair for 2 years. Failed 5-3-2 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Willard yes; Wyatt, Van Meter, Morris no; Abrams, Bacon abstain)

2. Waugh - chair - 2 years. Failed 5-0-5 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt yes; Willard, Van Meter, Morris, Abrams, Bacon abstain)

3. Waugh - chair - 2 years. Failed 5-2-3 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt yes; Willard, Morris no; Van Meter, Abrams, Bacon abstain)

4. Waugh chair 1 year, Bacon vice chair 1 year, switch 2nd year. Failed 5-5 (Abrams, Bacon, Van Meter, Willard, Morris yes; Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt no)

5. Waugh - chair - 2 years. Failed 5-1-4 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt yes; Morris no; Van Meter, Abrams, Bacon, Willard abstain)

6. Waugh chair 1 year, Bacon vice chair 1 year, switch 2nd year. Failed 5-5 (see #4)

7. elect chair and vice chair as co-chairs, alternate meetings. Failed 5-5 (Abrams, Bacon, Van Meter, Willard, Morris yes; Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt no)

8. Waugh chair, Willard vice chair - 2 years. Failed 5-3-2 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt yes; Morris, Bacon, Van Meter no; Abrams, Willard abstain)

9. Abrams chair, Waugh vice chair - 2 years. Failed 5-4-1 (Abrams, Bacon, Van Meter, Morris, Willard yes; Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt no; Waugh abstain) (Waugh abstained after Morris suggested that a motion would pass if she absented herself from voting.)

10. Waugh chair, Gamble vice chair, switch 2nd year. Failed 5-5 (Abrams, Bacon, Van Meter, Morris, Willard yes; Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt, Waugh no)

Discussions which occurred between the various motions ranged from John Bacon commenting that the "other" 5 "typically back the union," to Gamble reiterating that she believed a two-year term was in the best interest of the working of the State Board, to Morris asking for "strong leadership" to "keep the Board on task" and to "ensure her personal safety."

Votes 1-6 occurred at the beginning of the meeting on Tuesday. Waugh, serving as temporary chair (because of State Board policy that provides that last year's chair or vice chair presides at the reorganization meeting until a new chair is elected or until an impasse is declared) declared an impasse and continued with the agenda.

After impasse was declared, Abrams, usually joined by Bacon and sometimes joined by Willard and/or Morris and/or Van Meter, abstained on every vote taken by the Board.

Following a lunch break, votes 7 and 8 were taken. Again declaring impasse, Waugh returned to the agenda. The pattern of abstentions continued.

On Wednesday morning, the Board could not get 6 votes to approve the agenda.

After 45 minutes of discussion, the Board agreed 10-0 to approve an agenda which had consideration of Board chair and vice chair as the first agenda item. Votes 9 and 10 followed.

At about 10:30, Abrams nominated Waugh and Gamble for 2 year terms and the motion passed.

Morris Raises Immigration Issue

A usually routine consent agenda item turned into a major issue at the State Board on Tuesday when Connie Morris, District 5, pulled the item from the consent agenda.

USD 501, Topeka, requested a waiver to hire for their Parents As Teachers program a parent educator who did not meet the educational requirements but was fluent in Spanish, to serve Spanish-speaking parents. 5 other such waivers have been granted in the past by the State Board, according to agency staff.

Morris, in a handout distributed to Board members and the audience, expressed concern that this waiver would "provide a precedence of floodgate magnitude."

"Being an educator myself, in a district that averaged 10% non-English speaking student enrollment, I am certainly cognitive of the obstacles in overcoming language barriers in the classroom and other school settings. However, lowering the standards expected of educators is not the answer."

"I have conducted extensive research into immigration. It is my understanding that there are only a few cases in the state of Kansas where families could possibly be residing in the state legally without having to show a working competence in the English language."

In her oral comments, and when questioned by other Board members if she meant that the person in question would be working with illegal immigrants, Morris further explained that "according to the Constitution, one must pass competency in English language to reside legally."

"I find it offensive and highly inaccurate that you think this person would obviously be working with illegal immigrants and presume that legal immigrants have a working knowledge of English," commented Sue Gamble, District 2.

Morris offered a motion to deny the waiver. That motion failed, 2-5-3 (Morris, Van Meter yes; Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt no; Willard, Abrams, Bacon abstain)

Wagnon then offered a motion to approve the waiver. That motion failed 5-1-4 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt yes; Morris no; Van Meter, Willard, Abrams, Bacon abstain)

On Wednesday, Gamble made a motion to reconsider the previous action. It passed, 10-0. The motion to approve the waiver passed 8-2 (Waugh, Wagnon, Gamble, Rupe, Wyatt, Bacon, Abrams, Willard yes; Morris, Van Meter no)

In other action (yes, there was some) the Board:

• Approved a recommendation from the Professional Practices Commission to deny an emergency substitute certificate
  
• Approved accredited status for
  o USD 290, Ottawa Middle School
  o USD 387, Altoona-Midway HS
  o USD 389, Eureka Jr/Sr HS
  o USD 496, Pawnee Heights HS and PH West
  
• Approved QPA waivers for
  o USD 432, Victoria, on site team
  o USD 372, Silver Lake, align cycle
  o USD 463, Udall, align cycle
  
• Approved 37 certification waivers for
  o USD 244, teacher out of field, mathematics
  o USD 259, 3 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 304, teacher out of field, computer studies
  o USD 308, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 320, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 330, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 375, teacher out of field, French
  o USD 383, 3 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 385, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 400, teacher out of field, history
  o USD 419, 2 teachers out of field, library media & math
  o USD 427, teacher out of field, library media
  o USD 443, teacher out of field, library media
  o USD 453, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 501, 5 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 605, 2 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 610, teacher out of field, special education
  o USD 611, 7 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 613, 2 teachers out of field, special education
  o USD 616, teacher out of field, special education
  
• Accepted recommendations from Certification Review Committee for
  o 7 requests approved
  o 2 requests denied
  
• Accepted recommendations from Evaluation Review Committee for
  o KSU, continuing accreditation through 12-31-07
  o WSU, accreditation with probation through 12-31-04
  
• Approved a request for bond election from USD 497, Lawrence

The first item was approved 8-0-2 (Abrams, Bacon abstaining); the rest were approved 7-0-3 (Abrams, Bacon, Van Meter abstaining)

KNEA Legislative Contacts

Blake West, President
Peg Dunlap, Director, Instructional Advocacy
Mark Desetti, Director, Legislative and Political Advocacy
Terry Forsyth, Director, Political Action

The KNEA Lobby Team consists of elected leaders and staff. The Lobby Team welcomes member feedback on issues before the Legislature and on this site.