Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Bryan Lowery: "Brownback signs school finance bill" @ Wichita Eagle



[Excerpt] ... Brownback said that school districts will have flexibility to increase teacher pay in order to attract teachers.

House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, said individual school districts could still decide to offer due process hearings but are freed from a state requirement.

“I think what’s being missed in this whole thing is the local control aspect. The school districts hire the teachers and negotiate the contract,” he said.

Wagle disputed that the policy, which was added to the bill without any hearings, had not been thoroughly vetted.

“We have talked about tenure reform for many, many years,” she said. Wagle added that teachers should not be treated as a special class.

Both the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity called for the governor to sign the bill.

Jeff Glendening, state director of AFP, was present at the bill signing, which he called a great day for Kansas students.

“I think having the ability for Kansas students to know that they have a good teacher and for parents to know that their kids have got a good teacher in the classroom is very important,” he said. Merrick walked by and patted him on the shoulder as he explained this point.

AFP’s foundation is chaired by David Koch, executive vice president of Wichita-based Koch Industries.... 


Read more at the Wichita Eagle.

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