By TISA MASON FHSU president

The future of rural Kansas stands at a crossroads. Decades of declining and aging populations have stripped our communities of the critical human capital that fuels and sustains economic prosperity. A series of informal conversations between North Central Kansas Technical College President Eric Burks, Northwest Kansas Technical College President Ben&nbsp;Schears, and I&nbsp;rapidly&nbsp;became a shared vision for what we, working in close collaboration,&nbsp;could do to contribute to a brighter tomorrow for the communities we serve.&nbsp;

In January, that shared vision evolved into a comprehensive plan for a voluntary strategic affiliation to align the efforts of our three institutions. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-January, that plan was proposed and unanimously and enthusiastically approved by the three governing boards that oversee our institutions. We are deeply grateful to the Area of Board Control, the governing body for Northwest Tech, the NCK Tech Board of Trustees, and the Kansas Board of Regents.&nbsp;These&nbsp;endorsements&nbsp;provided invaluable early momentum to our affiliation plan.&nbsp;

In late January, our plan was submitted as Kansas House of Representatives Bill 2290. Fortunately, we enjoyed the strong support of several organizations and leaders in our community. We were blessed to include in our legislative packet strong written endorsements from the City of Hays, The Kansas Chamber, the Chamber in Hays, and Mark Hess, the Vice President of Sales and Services with Hays-based Hess Services, Incorporated.&nbsp;

On February 21, 2023, HB2290 was brought before Chair Steven Howe’s House Higher Education Budget Committee. At the hearing, we were honored to be joined by Dr. Sheree&nbsp;Utash, the President of WSU Tech, who strongly endorsed the proposed legislation on behalf of the Kansas Association of Technical Colleges. With no opposition submitted or presented to the committee, the affiliation plan bill was unanimously approved.&nbsp;On March&nbsp;2, HB2290 was passed by the full Kansas House of Representatives. The bill was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on March 6.&nbsp;

We are overwhelmed and immensely thankful for the tremendous support we’ve received since introducing&nbsp;this plan in early January.&nbsp;While there remain several stages this legislation must pass, we are confident that this is the right affiliation plan at the right time for rural Kansas. We believe&nbsp;our efforts will forge stronger connections between our three institutions, our students, and the communities and businesses we serve.&nbsp;

Please follow our strategic affiliation initiative and share your feedback and questions online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/president/affiliation/">fhsu.edu/affiliation</a>.

By TISA MASON FHSU presidentThe future of rural Kansas stands at a crossroads. Decades of declining and aging populations have stripped our communities of the critical human capital that fuels and sustains economic prosperity. A series of informal conversations between North Central Kansas Technical College President Eric Burks, Northwest Kansas Technical College President Ben&nbsp;Schears, and I&nbsp;rapidly&nbsp;became a shared vision for what we, working in close collaboration,&nbsp;could do to contribute to a brighter tomorrow for the communities we serve.&nbsp;In January, that shared vision evolved into a comprehensive plan for a voluntary strategic affiliation to align the efforts of our three institutions. Over the course of a couple of weeks in mid-January, that plan was proposed and unanimously and enthusiastically approved by the three governing boards that oversee our institutions. We are deeply grateful to the Area of Board Control, the governing body for Northwest Tech, the NCK Tech Board of Trustees, and the Kansas Board of Regents.&nbsp;These&nbsp;endorsements&nbsp;provided invaluable early momentum to our affiliation plan.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In late January, our plan was submitted as Kansas House of Representatives Bill 2290. Fortunately, we enjoyed the strong support of several organizations and leaders in our community. We were blessed to include in our legislative packet strong written endorsements from the City of Hays, The Kansas Chamber, the Chamber in Hays, and Mark Hess, the Vice President of Sales and Services with Hays-based Hess Services, Incorporated.&nbsp;On February 21, 2023, HB2290 was brought before Chair Steven Howe’s House Higher Education Budget Committee. At the hearing, we were honored to be joined by Dr. Sheree&nbsp;Utash, the President of WSU Tech, who strongly endorsed the proposed legislation on behalf of the Kansas Association of Technical Colleges. With no opposition submitted or presented to the committee, the affiliation plan bill was unanimously approved.&nbsp;On March&nbsp;2, HB2290 was passed by the full Kansas House of Representatives. The bill was referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on March 6.&nbsp;We are overwhelmed and immensely thankful for the tremendous support we’ve received since introducing&nbsp;this plan in early January.&nbsp;While there remain several stages this legislation must pass, we are confident that this is the right affiliation plan at the right time for rural Kansas. We believe&nbsp;our efforts will forge stronger connections between our three institutions, our students, and the communities and businesses we serve.&nbsp;Please follow our strategic affiliation initiative and share your feedback and questions online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/president/affiliation/">fhsu.edu/affiliation</a>.

LETTER: Thank you to the champions backing affiliation initiative

When culture-war battles reach a fevered pitch as they have in this year’s legislative session, a dynamic is created that makes rational decisions difficult.

Legislation passed under such circumstances can result in, frankly, a mess.&nbsp;

As of March 6, the future of Kansas students is at stake under the revamped HB 2218 voucher bill.&nbsp; Now SB 83, the bill is strategic, but not quite rational and not a true compromise offer.&nbsp;

SB83 weds the highly controversial HB2218 voucher bill to funding for increased teacher pay and special education funding.

With only Republican support for SB83, it’s hardly a stretch to believe the move is an attempt to force Governor Kelly into signing the bill and thus secure teacher raises amid a growing teacher shortage and increase special education funding that she requested previously.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Compromise legislation is at the core of American politics; however, compromise means a middle state between conflicting opinions. In this case, some bi-partisan support exists for teacher pay increases and for special education funding as required by federal policy.&nbsp; This makes SB83 more of a power play than a true compromise.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Currently,&nbsp; SB83&nbsp;offers parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of about $5,000 in vouchers for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.&nbsp; Eventually, qualifying students would be those with parental income of less than 300 percent of the poverty line which currently is $180,000 per year for a family of four. &nbsp;

Parents could use the vouchers for accredited and nonaccredited private schools, micro-schools,supporting individual home school activities and other educational opportunities.

Overall, how would students fare if SB83 becomes law?&nbsp;&nbsp;

For rural students,&nbsp;it’s hard to tell, since in more than 60 of Kansas’ 105 counties there are no private schools students may attend.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For rural students, sports, music, and activities that go beyond school are the heart of community life.&nbsp; Moreover, school districts are frequently the largest employer in rural counties. Funding loss caused by vouchers could mean a significant reduction in teaching staff.&nbsp;

There is no body of research to inform us whether rural students would do better under the fragmented system offered in SB83.&nbsp; Yet, it’s a stretch to believe that micro schools and individual learning activities could replace the resources or state certified teachers needed for rigorous STEM and other courses rural schools offer and students need to succeed in 21st&nbsp;century careers.&nbsp;

I grew up in a small, farming community, pulling tax dollars away from rural schools saddens me because I can see the loss this legislative step toward school privatization would bring for students, the rural economy and the values of farm life.

For low- and middle-income urban students&nbsp;SB83 doesn’t offer practical benefits because the $5,000 voucher wouldn’t cover tuition at many private schools in urban areas and, if it did, it wouldn’t cover additional transportation costs or after school childcare.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For high income students&nbsp;whose family income is near the $180,000 cap, a voucher would merely cushion private school tuition since these families often are already using private schooling.&nbsp;

SB83 would create two school systems--the taxpayer funded public school system governed by elected school board members and an expensive, disorganized, under-regulated voucher system that may possibly attract many but realistically would benefit few.&nbsp;

An up-down vote in the legislature is only fair when an issue like school vouchers is splitting the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>When culture-war battles reach a fevered pitch as they have in this year’s legislative session, a dynamic is created that makes rational decisions difficult.Legislation passed under such circumstances can result in, frankly, a mess.&nbsp;As of March 6, the future of Kansas students is at stake under the revamped HB 2218 voucher bill.&nbsp; Now SB 83, the bill is strategic, but not quite rational and not a true compromise offer.&nbsp;SB83 weds the highly controversial HB2218 voucher bill to funding for increased teacher pay and special education funding.With only Republican support for SB83, it’s hardly a stretch to believe the move is an attempt to force Governor Kelly into signing the bill and thus secure teacher raises amid a growing teacher shortage and increase special education funding that she requested previously.&nbsp;&nbsp;Compromise legislation is at the core of American politics; however, compromise means a middle state between conflicting opinions. In this case, some bi-partisan support exists for teacher pay increases and for special education funding as required by federal policy.&nbsp; This makes SB83 more of a power play than a true compromise.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Currently,&nbsp; SB83&nbsp;offers parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of about $5,000 in vouchers for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.&nbsp; Eventually, qualifying students would be those with parental income of less than 300 percent of the poverty line which currently is $180,000 per year for a family of four. &nbsp;Parents could use the vouchers for accredited and nonaccredited private schools, micro-schools,supporting individual home school activities and other educational opportunities.Overall, how would students fare if SB83 becomes law?&nbsp;&nbsp;For rural students,&nbsp;it’s hard to tell, since in more than 60 of Kansas’ 105 counties there are no private schools students may attend.&nbsp;&nbsp;For rural students, sports, music, and activities that go beyond school are the heart of community life.&nbsp; Moreover, school districts are frequently the largest employer in rural counties. Funding loss caused by vouchers could mean a significant reduction in teaching staff.&nbsp;There is no body of research to inform us whether rural students would do better under the fragmented system offered in SB83.&nbsp; Yet, it’s a stretch to believe that micro schools and individual learning activities could replace the resources or state certified teachers needed for rigorous STEM and other courses rural schools offer and students need to succeed in 21st&nbsp;century careers.&nbsp;I grew up in a small, farming community, pulling tax dollars away from rural schools saddens me because I can see the loss this legislative step toward school privatization would bring for students, the rural economy and the values of farm life.For low- and middle-income urban students&nbsp;SB83 doesn’t offer practical benefits because the $5,000 voucher wouldn’t cover tuition at many private schools in urban areas and, if it did, it wouldn’t cover additional transportation costs or after school childcare.&nbsp;&nbsp;For high income students&nbsp;whose family income is near the $180,000 cap, a voucher would merely cushion private school tuition since these families often are already using private schooling.&nbsp;SB83 would create two school systems--the taxpayer funded public school system governed by elected school board members and an expensive, disorganized, under-regulated voucher system that may possibly attract many but realistically would benefit few.&nbsp;An up-down vote in the legislature is only fair when an issue like school vouchers is splitting the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Vouchers and what’s at stake for students

Hello from Topeka. We are less than a month before first adjournment and a short break before returning at the end of April. There are several other issues that need to be worked on before we get there.

Here are some of the highlights of things that have been happening on the house side of the Kansas legislature:

Bringing Economic Opportunity so Kansans can Thrive - It's no secret that the economy has been rough on Kansas families and retirees over the last few years. My colleagues and I are fighting to ensure that politics and foreign adversaries stay out of our state investments, long-term residents who have given our state so much can retire securely, and that energy costs can be reduced for Kansans struggling to keep up. House Republicans are hard at work exploring options that cut burdensome regulations and make us a more inviting state for companies to invest in, providing more opportunities to current and future Kansans.

Expanding Medical Student Loan Agreements - Last week, the House expanded medical student loan agreements with HB 2260. These loans allow more students to attend medical school in Kansas, with the agreement that they will work in underserved communities after graduation. We also received a bill from the Senate increasing eligibility of similar loan programs for those looking to pursue obstetrics and gynecology. Many areas in the state struggle to get OBGYN services in a convenient location, which SB 98 aims to alleviate. This bill is going through the committee process right now. House Republicans are finding solutions that grow a robust workforce and ensuring that Kansas is a state where success can be earned in a variety of ways. HB 2260 and SB 98 help achieve our Better Way commitment, developing skilled workers that will serve needs across the state. This is a win for small communities in need of providers and for talented students who can now obtain financial assistance to attend school.

Promoting Firearm Safety - Youth firearm safety is essential to ensuring respectful and careful usage throughout adulthood. HB 2304 passed committee this week to instruct schools to adopt widely-used programs that demonstrate how to be safe with weapons. These age-appropriate programs can be made available to all students.

Protecting Fundamental Rights - House Republicans will always stand for the fundamental rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My colleagues and I are looking to expand freedom, so Kansas can remain such a wonderful place to work, live, and raise a family for generations to come.

Fairness in Women's Sports - HB 2238 is continuing to be talked about across the state and in the media. This legislation ensures that young women and girls who work hard and dedicate themselves to their athletic endeavors get a fair shot at success. Across the nation, there are constant examples showing why this legislation is necessary. Sports are a great way for young Kansans to show off their skills and determination, earning awards and scholarships in the process. With the passage of HB 2238, we are fulfilling our Better Way commitment to preserve opportunity for the youth of our state.

You can read about all the bills that passed so far in the legislature online at <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/">kslegislature.org </a>and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">Kansas Legislature’s YouTube</a> channel.

I'm located at 186-W, which is the northwest corner of the capital. My assistant again this year is Terry Benitis. If you would like to contact me, Email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov, phone during the session (785) 296-7463 or you can always try my cell number at (785) 302-8416. 

If you have a young person who would like to come and spend the day as a Legislative Page, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work on what is a good day for that to happen.

Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.

Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, is the Kansas state representative of the 110th Dist. which includes:&nbsp;

* Graham, Norton, Phillips and Rooks Counties * Ellis County: Cities: Catharine, Ellis, Munjor and Schoenchen Townships: Big Creek (part), Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Freedom, Herzog (part), Lookout, Victoria (part) and Wheatland

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1678110420754.jpeg" alt="Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. (Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. (Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)</figcaption>
 </figure>RAHJES REPORT March 6, 2023Hello from Topeka. We are less than a month before first adjournment and a short break before returning at the end of April. There are several other issues that need to be worked on before we get there.Here are some of the highlights of things that have been happening on the house side of the Kansas legislature:Bringing Economic Opportunity so Kansans can Thrive - It's no secret that the economy has been rough on Kansas families and retirees over the last few years. My colleagues and I are fighting to ensure that politics and foreign adversaries stay out of our state investments, long-term residents who have given our state so much can retire securely, and that energy costs can be reduced for Kansans struggling to keep up. House Republicans are hard at work exploring options that cut burdensome regulations and make us a more inviting state for companies to invest in, providing more opportunities to current and future Kansans.Expanding Medical Student Loan Agreements - Last week, the House expanded medical student loan agreements with HB 2260. These loans allow more students to attend medical school in Kansas, with the agreement that they will work in underserved communities after graduation. We also received a bill from the Senate increasing eligibility of similar loan programs for those looking to pursue obstetrics and gynecology. Many areas in the state struggle to get OBGYN services in a convenient location, which SB 98 aims to alleviate. This bill is going through the committee process right now. House Republicans are finding solutions that grow a robust workforce and ensuring that Kansas is a state where success can be earned in a variety of ways. HB 2260 and SB 98 help achieve our Better Way commitment, developing skilled workers that will serve needs across the state. This is a win for small communities in need of providers and for talented students who can now obtain financial assistance to attend school.Promoting Firearm Safety - Youth firearm safety is essential to ensuring respectful and careful usage throughout adulthood. HB 2304 passed committee this week to instruct schools to adopt widely-used programs that demonstrate how to be safe with weapons. These age-appropriate programs can be made available to all students.Protecting Fundamental Rights - House Republicans will always stand for the fundamental rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. My colleagues and I are looking to expand freedom, so Kansas can remain such a wonderful place to work, live, and raise a family for generations to come.Fairness in Women's Sports - HB 2238 is continuing to be talked about across the state and in the media. This legislation ensures that young women and girls who work hard and dedicate themselves to their athletic endeavors get a fair shot at success. Across the nation, there are constant examples showing why this legislation is necessary. Sports are a great way for young Kansans to show off their skills and determination, earning awards and scholarships in the process. With the passage of HB 2238, we are fulfilling our Better Way commitment to preserve opportunity for the youth of our state.You can read about all the bills that passed so far in the legislature online at <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/">kslegislature.org </a>and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">Kansas Legislature’s YouTube</a> channel. I'm located at 186-W, which is the northwest corner of the capital. My assistant again this year is Terry Benitis. If you would like to contact me, Email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov, phone during the session (785) 296-7463 or you can always try my cell number at (785) 302-8416. If you have a young person who would like to come and spend the day as a Legislative Page, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work on what is a good day for that to happen.Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, is the Kansas state representative of the 110th Dist. which includes:&nbsp;* Graham, Norton, Phillips and Rooks Counties * Ellis County: Cities: Catharine, Ellis, Munjor and Schoenchen Townships: Big Creek (part), Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Freedom, Herzog (part), Lookout, Victoria (part) and Wheatland

RAHJES REPORT: March 6, 2023

Some enter this world&nbsp;eager&nbsp;to dig. From the time they&nbsp;first go&nbsp;outside, they&nbsp;find a stick or&nbsp;spoon&nbsp;and&nbsp;investigate&nbsp;what lies beneath&nbsp;them.&nbsp;

A few&nbsp;dirt lovers&nbsp;mature into&nbsp;agriculturists&nbsp;or big equipment operators. Others&nbsp;seek&nbsp;ancient life hidden&nbsp;in earth’s layers.&nbsp; Discovering&nbsp;fossilized&nbsp;teeth, bones and imprints&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a way&nbsp;to travel&nbsp;through time.&nbsp;

​For those who&nbsp;don’t&nbsp;evidence of ancient life&nbsp;in their own yard or pasture,&nbsp;visit a&nbsp;local history museum to see what&nbsp;amateur paleontologists have&nbsp;shared. A trip to the Trego County Historical Museum offers&nbsp;a close look at&nbsp;fossilized remains of cretaceous sea creatures as well as prehistoric bison,&nbsp;imperial elephant, and mammoth&nbsp;bones from&nbsp;the Pleistocene&nbsp;Era.&nbsp;Local&nbsp;Purinton&nbsp;family members and others loaned this collection that permits visitors to&nbsp;stand&nbsp;up&nbsp;close&nbsp;and personal&nbsp;to&nbsp;regional&nbsp;creatures&nbsp;that&nbsp;existed&nbsp;during&nbsp;multiple geologic eras.

Guests&nbsp;enter&nbsp;the&nbsp;museum&nbsp;doors&nbsp;in 2023, but a&nbsp;short&nbsp;walk&nbsp;transports&nbsp;them&nbsp;back in time&nbsp;over&nbsp;80 million years.&nbsp;Eyes widen&nbsp;as they&nbsp;spy&nbsp;remains of&nbsp;mosasaurs, squid, and other&nbsp;creatures that thrived in an ancient sea covering&nbsp;the middle of this continent. One&nbsp;display&nbsp;showcases&nbsp;a mouthful of fossilized&nbsp;teeth left behind by&nbsp;Ptychodus mortoni, an oyster crushing shark.&nbsp;Only a foot away rests the&nbsp;remains of&nbsp;a large&nbsp;inoceramus,&nbsp;a&nbsp;clam&nbsp;commonly found in this area. &nbsp;Those who&nbsp;wander Big Creek’s banks&nbsp;find&nbsp;fossilized&nbsp;bivalve&nbsp;remains&nbsp;that fit in their palms, but this one&nbsp;enormous&nbsp;example&nbsp;is a&nbsp;doozy&nbsp;.&nbsp;Whoever found it&nbsp;labored hours&nbsp;to&nbsp;release&nbsp;it from its rocky crypt.

While&nbsp;this big&nbsp;clam sieved&nbsp;seawater&nbsp;in its search for&nbsp;nutrients, fish swam&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;and pooped.&nbsp;On the same ranch&nbsp;where&nbsp;searchers&nbsp;found the clam,&nbsp;they also&nbsp;found&nbsp;shark teeth, fish jaw bones, and&nbsp;more&nbsp;clams.&nbsp;They discovered&nbsp;light-yellow,&nbsp;limestone ovals the size of quail and chicken eggs, now identified as&nbsp;fossilized fish dung&nbsp;that&nbsp;scientists call&nbsp;coprolites.&nbsp;Clearly,&nbsp;these deposits&nbsp;didn’t&nbsp;exit&nbsp;little fish.

​Not only did&nbsp;fossil hunters&nbsp;find sea creatures, they also discovered&nbsp;Pteranodon bones.Imagine traveling&nbsp;through&nbsp;time to spy a&nbsp;37-pound&nbsp;flying creature,&nbsp;riding hot air currents.&nbsp;It had abeak&nbsp;similar&nbsp;to&nbsp;a pelican’s&nbsp;so it could “scoop fish in&nbsp;its&nbsp;jaws and swallow them whole.”&nbsp;It would take a large beak to swallow the fish that left behind the coprolites displayed nearby.&nbsp;

Slide&nbsp;a few feet&nbsp;west&nbsp;of the sea creatures&nbsp;to&nbsp;time-travel&nbsp;millions of years&nbsp;forward&nbsp;to&nbsp;whenwaters&nbsp;had&nbsp;receded and the&nbsp;area&nbsp;morphed&nbsp;into&nbsp;a Pleistocene&nbsp;grassland.&nbsp;During that time, prehistoric&nbsp;bison&nbsp;and&nbsp;various&nbsp;mammoth species&nbsp;grazed this&nbsp;region.&nbsp;According to Sept. 9, 1974 University of Nebraska Museum Notes, “12 to 14-foot-tall mammoths ate from 800 to 1200 pounds of grass a day.&nbsp;Mastodonts&nbsp;such as&nbsp;Megabelodons&nbsp;joined&nbsp;these land mammals and&nbsp;browsed&nbsp;area&nbsp;leaves.”&nbsp;One&nbsp;Trego&nbsp;County farmer&nbsp;hit something while&nbsp;plowing. He&nbsp;discovered femurs and a partial tusk&nbsp;of&nbsp;a mastodont&nbsp;labeled an Imperial Elephant.&nbsp;Visit the Trego County Historical Society&nbsp;and&nbsp;marvel at&nbsp;the size of these leg bones.&nbsp;

​Thank goodness, area&nbsp;museums make&nbsp;it&nbsp;possible&nbsp;to time travel&nbsp;often.&nbsp;This is&nbsp;necessaryfor humans who want to&nbsp;wrap&nbsp;modern&nbsp;brains&nbsp;around hard-&nbsp;to-pronounce names and&nbsp;difficult-to-imagine&nbsp;geologic&nbsp;eras.&nbsp;Visit&nbsp;often as a reminder the world changes over time.&nbsp;To make it more fun, invite&nbsp;a youngster&nbsp;along to see cretaceous and Pleistocene critters.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677794820303.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORIN Some enter this world&nbsp;eager&nbsp;to dig. From the time they&nbsp;first go&nbsp;outside, they&nbsp;find a stick or&nbsp;spoon&nbsp;and&nbsp;investigate&nbsp;what lies beneath&nbsp;them.&nbsp;A few&nbsp;dirt lovers&nbsp;mature into&nbsp;agriculturists&nbsp;or big equipment operators. Others&nbsp;seek&nbsp;ancient life hidden&nbsp;in earth’s layers.&nbsp; Discovering&nbsp;fossilized&nbsp;teeth, bones and imprints&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a way&nbsp;to travel&nbsp;through time.&nbsp;​For those who&nbsp;don’t&nbsp;evidence of ancient life&nbsp;in their own yard or pasture,&nbsp;visit a&nbsp;local history museum to see what&nbsp;amateur paleontologists have&nbsp;shared. A trip to the Trego County Historical Museum offers&nbsp;a close look at&nbsp;fossilized remains of cretaceous sea creatures as well as prehistoric bison,&nbsp;imperial elephant, and mammoth&nbsp;bones from&nbsp;the Pleistocene&nbsp;Era.&nbsp;Local&nbsp;Purinton&nbsp;family members and others loaned this collection that permits visitors to&nbsp;stand&nbsp;up&nbsp;close&nbsp;and personal&nbsp;to&nbsp;regional&nbsp;creatures&nbsp;that&nbsp;existed&nbsp;during&nbsp;multiple geologic eras.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>Guests&nbsp;enter&nbsp;the&nbsp;museum&nbsp;doors&nbsp;in 2023, but a&nbsp;short&nbsp;walk&nbsp;transports&nbsp;them&nbsp;back in time&nbsp;over&nbsp;80 million years.&nbsp;Eyes widen&nbsp;as they&nbsp;spy&nbsp;remains of&nbsp;mosasaurs, squid, and other&nbsp;creatures that thrived in an ancient sea covering&nbsp;the middle of this continent. One&nbsp;display&nbsp;showcases&nbsp;a mouthful of fossilized&nbsp;teeth left behind by&nbsp;Ptychodus mortoni, an oyster crushing shark.&nbsp;Only a foot away rests the&nbsp;remains of&nbsp;a large&nbsp;inoceramus,&nbsp;a&nbsp;clam&nbsp;commonly found in this area. &nbsp;Those who&nbsp;wander Big Creek’s banks&nbsp;find&nbsp;fossilized&nbsp;bivalve&nbsp;remains&nbsp;that fit in their palms, but this one&nbsp;enormous&nbsp;example&nbsp;is a&nbsp;doozy&nbsp;.&nbsp;Whoever found it&nbsp;labored hours&nbsp;to&nbsp;release&nbsp;it from its rocky crypt.While&nbsp;this big&nbsp;clam sieved&nbsp;seawater&nbsp;in its search for&nbsp;nutrients, fish swam&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;and pooped.&nbsp;On the same ranch&nbsp;where&nbsp;searchers&nbsp;found the clam,&nbsp;they also&nbsp;found&nbsp;shark teeth, fish jaw bones, and&nbsp;more&nbsp;clams.&nbsp;They discovered&nbsp;light-yellow,&nbsp;limestone ovals the size of quail and chicken eggs, now identified as&nbsp;fossilized fish dung&nbsp;that&nbsp;scientists call&nbsp;coprolites.&nbsp;Clearly,&nbsp;these deposits&nbsp;didn’t&nbsp;exit&nbsp;little fish.​Not only did&nbsp;fossil hunters&nbsp;find sea creatures, they also discovered&nbsp;Pteranodon bones.Imagine traveling&nbsp;through&nbsp;time to spy a&nbsp;37-pound&nbsp;flying creature,&nbsp;riding hot air currents.&nbsp;It had abeak&nbsp;similar&nbsp;to&nbsp;a pelican’s&nbsp;so it could “scoop fish in&nbsp;its&nbsp;jaws and swallow them whole.”&nbsp;It would take a large beak to swallow the fish that left behind the coprolites displayed nearby.&nbsp;Slide&nbsp;a few feet&nbsp;west&nbsp;of the sea creatures&nbsp;to&nbsp;time-travel&nbsp;millions of years&nbsp;forward&nbsp;to&nbsp;whenwaters&nbsp;had&nbsp;receded and the&nbsp;area&nbsp;morphed&nbsp;into&nbsp;a Pleistocene&nbsp;grassland.&nbsp;During that time, prehistoric&nbsp;bison&nbsp;and&nbsp;various&nbsp;mammoth species&nbsp;grazed this&nbsp;region.&nbsp;According to Sept. 9, 1974 University of Nebraska Museum Notes, “12 to 14-foot-tall mammoths ate from 800 to 1200 pounds of grass a day.&nbsp;Mastodonts&nbsp;such as&nbsp;Megabelodons&nbsp;joined&nbsp;these land mammals and&nbsp;browsed&nbsp;area&nbsp;leaves.”&nbsp;One&nbsp;Trego&nbsp;County farmer&nbsp;hit something while&nbsp;plowing. He&nbsp;discovered femurs and a partial tusk&nbsp;of&nbsp;a mastodont&nbsp;labeled an Imperial Elephant.&nbsp;Visit the Trego County Historical Society&nbsp;and&nbsp;marvel at&nbsp;the size of these leg bones.&nbsp;​Thank goodness, area&nbsp;museums make&nbsp;it&nbsp;possible&nbsp;to time travel&nbsp;often.&nbsp;This is&nbsp;necessaryfor humans who want to&nbsp;wrap&nbsp;modern&nbsp;brains&nbsp;around hard-&nbsp;to-pronounce names and&nbsp;difficult-to-imagine&nbsp;geologic&nbsp;eras.&nbsp;Visit&nbsp;often as a reminder the world changes over time.&nbsp;To make it more fun, invite&nbsp;a youngster&nbsp;along to see cretaceous and Pleistocene critters.&nbsp;&nbsp;

MADORIN: Time travel at the local history museum​

Voter suppression bills are once again making their way through the state legislature.

The justification — or lack thereof as the case may be — for these bills lies with the unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud made during the 2020 election.

Legislation like these could be warranted if they were being passed to increase election security. But they’re not. Recent elections in Kansas have been as safe and secure as they have ever been.

Hundreds of post-election audits have been conducted across the state since 2020, and not a single failure has been uncovered.

Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab has been an outspoken critic of measures that would restrict the state’s ability to collect ballots from voters, causing a rift between top Republican officials in Kansas.

But ever since 2020, questioning election integrity has become a political dog whistle in statehouses across the country.

A majority of Kansans don’t seem to be buying it.

The 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University last fall asked questions about perceptions of voter fraud and election integrity in our state.

The survey found that only 11 percent of respondents thought fraudulent voting decides elections in our state and about the same number (12 percent) thought state and local officials commit election fraud to alter outcomes.

These results suggest that even if Kansans possibly believe one-off incidents of voter fraud are common — there is little evidence to support this, only a handful of cases have been found in the past decade — they do not believe there widespread systemic fraud that alters election results

Despite little popular support, state legislators are perpetuating these false claims by introducing legislation that restricts voters’ ability to cast a ballot.

Senate Bill 208 would modify state law on use of ballot drop boxes. In its original form, it would have limited each county to a single dropbox — severely impractical for the state’s largest counties like Johnson and Sedgwick.

SB 208 was then amended to eliminate the use of ballot drop boxes altogether, despite no reported problems with their usage.

In the Kansas Speaks survey, less than one-third of Kansas voters thought ballot drop boxes should be banned.

Senate Bill 209 eliminates the current three-day grace period for accepting mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day.

Research shows that mail-in voting is disproportionately used by elderly, disabled, military, and college student voters and therefore restricting when mail-in ballots can be accepted would disenfranchise these voters specifically.

The harm done by these bills is far greater than any credible “justification” legislators could have for supporting them.

Passing these bills would be a shortsighted move by the state legislature. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, let alone voter fraud related to drop boxes and mail-in ballots; there is a lack of popular support for these measures among Kansans; and there isn’t even partisan consensus that these actions are necessary.

Election security is of utmost importance, but our elections are secure and getting more so every year. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continuously strengthens our election infrastructure ensuring our protection.

These bills only make it harder for eligible Kansans to have their ballot counted.

Free and fair access to the ballot is what allows citizens to have a voice in their government. It is a vital element of democracy.

Kansans should be concerned that the state legislature is actively trying to suppress that voice.&nbsp;

Alexandra Middlewood, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

Voter suppression bills are once again making their way through the state legislature.The justification — or lack thereof as the case may be — for these bills lies with the unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud made during the 2020 election.Legislation like these could be warranted if they were being passed to increase election security. But they’re not. Recent elections in Kansas have been as safe and secure as they have ever been.Hundreds of post-election audits have been conducted across the state since 2020, and not a single failure has been uncovered.Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab has been an outspoken critic of measures that would restrict the state’s ability to collect ballots from voters, causing a rift between top Republican officials in Kansas.But ever since 2020, questioning election integrity has become a political dog whistle in statehouses across the country.A majority of Kansans don’t seem to be buying it.The 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University last fall asked questions about perceptions of voter fraud and election integrity in our state.The survey found that only 11 percent of respondents thought fraudulent voting decides elections in our state and about the same number (12 percent) thought state and local officials commit election fraud to alter outcomes.These results suggest that even if Kansans possibly believe one-off incidents of voter fraud are common — there is little evidence to support this, only a handful of cases have been found in the past decade — they do not believe there widespread systemic fraud that alters election resultsDespite little popular support, state legislators are perpetuating these false claims by introducing legislation that restricts voters’ ability to cast a ballot.Senate Bill 208 would modify state law on use of ballot drop boxes. In its original form, it would have limited each county to a single dropbox — severely impractical for the state’s largest counties like Johnson and Sedgwick.SB 208 was then amended to eliminate the use of ballot drop boxes altogether, despite no reported problems with their usage.In the Kansas Speaks survey, less than one-third of Kansas voters thought ballot drop boxes should be banned.Senate Bill 209 eliminates the current three-day grace period for accepting mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day.Research shows that mail-in voting is disproportionately used by elderly, disabled, military, and college student voters and therefore restricting when mail-in ballots can be accepted would disenfranchise these voters specifically.The harm done by these bills is far greater than any credible “justification” legislators could have for supporting them.Passing these bills would be a shortsighted move by the state legislature. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, let alone voter fraud related to drop boxes and mail-in ballots; there is a lack of popular support for these measures among Kansans; and there isn’t even partisan consensus that these actions are necessary.Election security is of utmost importance, but our elections are secure and getting more so every year. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continuously strengthens our election infrastructure ensuring our protection.These bills only make it harder for eligible Kansans to have their ballot counted.Free and fair access to the ballot is what allows citizens to have a voice in their government. It is a vital element of democracy.Kansans should be concerned that the state legislature is actively trying to suppress that voice.&nbsp;Alexandra Middlewood, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

INSIGHT: Bills restricting ballot collection are unpopular with Kansans

Response to Cristina Janney, Hays Post, article &nbsp;“Hays USD 489 Super: Legislators mounting attacks on public schools”

Thank you for sharing a legislative update, albeit inaccurate, with school board members. Fortunately for your members, I am now providing a more accurate legislative review after reading your report which opened with “crazy legislation being championed by legislators who are attacking public education” as reported in the Hays Post.

As a taxpayer-funded superintendent representing students, teachers, and community members of diverse political and religious viewpoints, it was disappointing to read your rhetoric that afforded no grace to legislators across our State. Assigning motives that you know are false, and at the very least, are premised on assumptions you’ve made since we’ve never actually met (the chair of the committee that had hearings on many of the bills you mentioned) seem an unusual way to lead an organization as large and diverse as the Hays School District.&nbsp;

Here are the facts for your board as relates to the K-12 Education Budget Committee in which I am in my fifth year of chairing:

The Kansas House passed&nbsp; &nbsp;"<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2060/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2060/</a>" HB 2060: the Special Education Funding Task Force bill on February 16 with a vote of 83-37. The funding taskforce was originally created in 2008 to examine the statute, which actually has many fatally-flawed problems (as identified in both the Interim Special Education Committee and during K-12 Education Budget informational hearings). Though the Legislature created a statute that provided the self-imposed 92% excess cost criteria, it nowhere compares to the Federal Government’s lack of funding of up to 40% of IDEA federal dollars owed to Kansas.&nbsp;

If the Federal government paid their portion, which was about 13% last year, we’d have an additional $300 million in special education funding for 2022 alone. IF the Feds paid their obligation, we would far exceed the 92% self-imposed statute percentage. But of course, I didn’t see any mention of the federal government not meeting their obligation or any reference to&nbsp; "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hcr5004/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hcr5004/</a>" HCR 5004 which was also passed out of the House on Feb. 16 with 119-1 vote in the Hays Post article. Maybe you did speak of it but it wasn’t included in the article? I would also ask if you or board members have solicited help from Senators Moran and Marshall, as well as Congressman Mann, for federal IDEA funding? In addition, as for excess cost per your districts – collectively you all are exceeding 92%. Since the computation is not a simple calculation of simply subtracting what the district, interlocal, or co-op spends from the state special education aid – many districts are not able to substantially explain how the funding distribution includes crediting money attributed to special education students under the base aid formula. Here’s an easy&nbsp; "<a href="https://www.kristeywilliamshouse.com/_files/ugd/d80062_541202ca1ed94522bc8c9cd448e514b7.pdf">https://www.kristeywilliamshouse.com/_files/ugd/d80062_541202ca1ed94522bc8c9cd448e514b7.pdf</a>" explainer I prepared for my caucus which will help you and members better understand the computation.

I know how&nbsp;important it is to be factual. Looks like Hays exceeds the 92% excess cost formula (numbers provided by KSDE): Hays – 94.38% Excess Costs Ellis – 100.98% Victoria – 81.9% Lacrosse – 102.59%

The reference to “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” and how it “highlights how our Legislature or certain individuals or leadership are focusing on certain things that are not impacting Kansas” is simply not giving young girls, your athletes, the space to be protected today or tomorrow as Title IX was originally intended. The Legislature will have a veto-proof majority including at least one Democrat siding with girls. I’m sorry you do not believe this is an important issue. This was not addressed in my committee, but thought I’d mention it. It sure sounds like you shared your political position rather than consider what your constituents might think on the issue.

On the ESA bill, "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2218/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2218/</a>" HB 2218, the fiscal note does include an erroneous figure of $150 million; however, it is substantially flawed for two primary reasons. One, the bill was amended after the fiscal note was written and two, it was premised on the State of Arizona not factoring in the fact that AZ has a population of over 7.1 million and a public school population of over 1.15 million. This, along with other miscalculations too in depth to cover here, easily make the fiscal note irrelevant. In addition, you stated that it will “divert about $150 million in public funds that will go to private schools.” Let’s talk about ESAs – the money is expendable for much, much more than private schools and goes directly to a savings account controlled by the parent. Unfortunately, the old claim that we’re funding private schools doesn’t hold water when what the ESA really does is provide flexible spending to individual students. The ESA funds students not systems.&nbsp;

You stated that a House Bill would require school board members to be paid. This is false. There is no requirement in&nbsp; HYPERLINK "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2261/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2261/</a>" HB 2261 which allows districts to pay board members, whether it be $1,000 per year (which is what I was compensated as Mayor) or per meeting. In no way does it require any funding. If you value your board and want to provide a small stipend, you now are allowed to do so. I’m sure a superintendent could forgo even a small percentage of his/her salary to pay for such a small amount to show appreciation for the hours board members spend on district items. Of course, no board member requires or expects this, but it sure is nice to have the option. Also to note, larger school district board members have reported to me they spend over 30 hours a week on school issues. If the district can and will compensate – why should statute not allow? And further, it’s local control. Interesting how you would complain about the ability to provide compensation with no requirement.&nbsp;

As for the Open Enrollment fix, "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2271/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2271/</a>" HB 2271,&nbsp; the amendment you referenced which included district-adopted curriculum posted on your website does NOT require “teachers to post all of their curricula on an online portal for parents.” Since you falsely stated something the amendment expressly did not allow – I’m curious if you’re also the person who perpetuated last year’s misinformation that said the Parent’s Bill of Rights required teacher lesson plans (which by the way was in ZERO of our bills)?&nbsp; Do you ever fact check before you inform the board about issues you clearly do not understand? Note: here’s the language that counters your false claim: “information on the parent portal shall be an administrative function of the school district and shall not be a duty or obligation imposed upon teachers.”

You also spoke of a letter from the United School Administrators. I have that letter that was sent by school staff to me because it was blatantly false and dishonestly portrayed unsubstantiated gossip. I’m not surprised you passed along the misinformation. I could break the letter down for you line by line, point by point, and show the misinformation that seems rampant from school advocacy groups.

Ultimately, I have no problem with public debate on important issues. I have no problem dialoguing with you and board members on any issue desired. I have no problem with disagreements. I have no problem with public school superintendents advocating for what each believes is important.&nbsp;

However, what I do have a problem with is deliberate and consistent misinformation. I do have a problem with the lack of civility displayed in your legislative report. I have a problem with manipulating reports and the clear bias that eliminates any open discussion with board members. I would afford you respect, regardless of your views, and I find it amazing when it is so clearly not reciprocated by leaders such as yourself. Maybe it’s easier to vilify someone you haven’t met. I guess I’m always surprised when someone would want to do this. To what end? To what advantage? Does it help your students? Do you feel better?

What happened to honest, open, and civil discourse?

If you really wanted to work with the Legislature, it wouldn’t be difficult. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Come for a visit. Have coffee with your recently re-elected State Representative. Ask us questions. Be open to a discussion. Listen. Get to know those you disagree with and find common ground. This is how solutions are derived. Name calling doesn’t seem very professional, nor does it usually create an opportunity for partnerships and goodwill. But that’s just my opinion.&nbsp;

My door is always open. I’m always happy to talk about ways we can partner to help kids.&nbsp;

Serving Kansas, Rep. Kristey Williams&nbsp;

Response to Cristina Janney, Hays Post, article &nbsp;“Hays USD 489 Super: Legislators mounting attacks on public schools”February 27, 2023Dear Superintendent Wilson,Thank you for sharing a legislative update, albeit inaccurate, with school board members. Fortunately for your members, I am now providing a more accurate legislative review after reading your report which opened with “crazy legislation being championed by legislators who are attacking public education” as reported in the Hays Post.As a taxpayer-funded superintendent representing students, teachers, and community members of diverse political and religious viewpoints, it was disappointing to read your rhetoric that afforded no grace to legislators across our State. Assigning motives that you know are false, and at the very least, are premised on assumptions you’ve made since we’ve never actually met (the chair of the committee that had hearings on many of the bills you mentioned) seem an unusual way to lead an organization as large and diverse as the Hays School District.&nbsp;Here are the facts for your board as relates to the K-12 Education Budget Committee in which I am in my fifth year of chairing:The Kansas House passed&nbsp; &nbsp;"<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2060/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2060/</a>" HB 2060: the Special Education Funding Task Force bill on February 16 with a vote of 83-37. The funding taskforce was originally created in 2008 to examine the statute, which actually has many fatally-flawed problems (as identified in both the Interim Special Education Committee and during K-12 Education Budget informational hearings). Though the Legislature created a statute that provided the self-imposed 92% excess cost criteria, it nowhere compares to the Federal Government’s lack of funding of up to 40% of IDEA federal dollars owed to Kansas.&nbsp;If the Federal government paid their portion, which was about 13% last year, we’d have an additional $300 million in special education funding for 2022 alone. IF the Feds paid their obligation, we would far exceed the 92% self-imposed statute percentage. But of course, I didn’t see any mention of the federal government not meeting their obligation or any reference to&nbsp; "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hcr5004/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hcr5004/</a>" HCR 5004 which was also passed out of the House on Feb. 16 with 119-1 vote in the Hays Post article. Maybe you did speak of it but it wasn’t included in the article? I would also ask if you or board members have solicited help from Senators Moran and Marshall, as well as Congressman Mann, for federal IDEA funding? In addition, as for excess cost per your districts – collectively you all are exceeding 92%. Since the computation is not a simple calculation of simply subtracting what the district, interlocal, or co-op spends from the state special education aid – many districts are not able to substantially explain how the funding distribution includes crediting money attributed to special education students under the base aid formula. Here’s an easy&nbsp; "<a href="https://www.kristeywilliamshouse.com/_files/ugd/d80062_541202ca1ed94522bc8c9cd448e514b7.pdf">https://www.kristeywilliamshouse.com/_files/ugd/d80062_541202ca1ed94522bc8c9cd448e514b7.pdf</a>" explainer I prepared for my caucus which will help you and members better understand the computation. I know how&nbsp;important it is to be factual. Looks like Hays exceeds the 92% excess cost formula (numbers provided by KSDE): Hays – 94.38% Excess Costs Ellis – 100.98% Victoria – 81.9% Lacrosse – 102.59%The reference to “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” and how it “highlights how our Legislature or certain individuals or leadership are focusing on certain things that are not impacting Kansas” is simply not giving young girls, your athletes, the space to be protected today or tomorrow as Title IX was originally intended. The Legislature will have a veto-proof majority including at least one Democrat siding with girls. I’m sorry you do not believe this is an important issue. This was not addressed in my committee, but thought I’d mention it. It sure sounds like you shared your political position rather than consider what your constituents might think on the issue.On the ESA bill, "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2218/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2218/</a>" HB 2218, the fiscal note does include an erroneous figure of $150 million; however, it is substantially flawed for two primary reasons. One, the bill was amended after the fiscal note was written and two, it was premised on the State of Arizona not factoring in the fact that AZ has a population of over 7.1 million and a public school population of over 1.15 million. This, along with other miscalculations too in depth to cover here, easily make the fiscal note irrelevant. In addition, you stated that it will “divert about $150 million in public funds that will go to private schools.” Let’s talk about ESAs – the money is expendable for much, much more than private schools and goes directly to a savings account controlled by the parent. Unfortunately, the old claim that we’re funding private schools doesn’t hold water when what the ESA really does is provide flexible spending to individual students. The ESA funds students not systems.&nbsp;You stated that a House Bill would require school board members to be paid. This is false. There is no requirement in&nbsp; HYPERLINK "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2261/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2261/</a>" HB 2261 which allows districts to pay board members, whether it be $1,000 per year (which is what I was compensated as Mayor) or per meeting. In no way does it require any funding. If you value your board and want to provide a small stipend, you now are allowed to do so. I’m sure a superintendent could forgo even a small percentage of his/her salary to pay for such a small amount to show appreciation for the hours board members spend on district items. Of course, no board member requires or expects this, but it sure is nice to have the option. Also to note, larger school district board members have reported to me they spend over 30 hours a week on school issues. If the district can and will compensate – why should statute not allow? And further, it’s local control. Interesting how you would complain about the ability to provide compensation with no requirement.&nbsp;As for the Open Enrollment fix, "<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2271/">http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/hb2271/</a>" HB 2271,&nbsp; the amendment you referenced which included district-adopted curriculum posted on your website does NOT require “teachers to post all of their curricula on an online portal for parents.” Since you falsely stated something the amendment expressly did not allow – I’m curious if you’re also the person who perpetuated last year’s misinformation that said the Parent’s Bill of Rights required teacher lesson plans (which by the way was in ZERO of our bills)?&nbsp; Do you ever fact check before you inform the board about issues you clearly do not understand? Note: here’s the language that counters your false claim: “information on the parent portal shall be an administrative function of the school district and shall not be a duty or obligation imposed upon teachers.”You also spoke of a letter from the United School Administrators. I have that letter that was sent by school staff to me because it was blatantly false and dishonestly portrayed unsubstantiated gossip. I’m not surprised you passed along the misinformation. I could break the letter down for you line by line, point by point, and show the misinformation that seems rampant from school advocacy groups.Ultimately, I have no problem with public debate on important issues. I have no problem dialoguing with you and board members on any issue desired. I have no problem with disagreements. I have no problem with public school superintendents advocating for what each believes is important.&nbsp;However, what I do have a problem with is deliberate and consistent misinformation. I do have a problem with the lack of civility displayed in your legislative report. I have a problem with manipulating reports and the clear bias that eliminates any open discussion with board members. I would afford you respect, regardless of your views, and I find it amazing when it is so clearly not reciprocated by leaders such as yourself. Maybe it’s easier to vilify someone you haven’t met. I guess I’m always surprised when someone would want to do this. To what end? To what advantage? Does it help your students? Do you feel better?What happened to honest, open, and civil discourse?If you really wanted to work with the Legislature, it wouldn’t be difficult. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Come for a visit. Have coffee with your recently re-elected State Representative. Ask us questions. Be open to a discussion. Listen. Get to know those you disagree with and find common ground. This is how solutions are derived. Name calling doesn’t seem very professional, nor does it usually create an opportunity for partnerships and goodwill. But that’s just my opinion.&nbsp;My door is always open. I’m always happy to talk about ways we can partner to help kids.&nbsp;Serving Kansas, Rep. Kristey Williams&nbsp;

LETTER: Response to 'Hays USD 489 Super: Legislators mounting attacks on public schools'

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher It’s farm bill time again. The discussions are beginning to happen and starting to heat up. Over the past couple of months, the talks have switched from continuing on with a farm bill with similar policies as the 2018 version or options that are dramatically different. What will happen is really anyone’s guess, and that is both a challenge and an opportunity for Kansas Farm Bureau and agriculture in general. There are a couple of lines of thinking when it comes to what the farm bill might look like, both are tied to crop insurance. Crop insurance is probably the number one concern when it comes to a new farm bill. As ag producers we know that we rely on crop insurance to help us through weather events like drought and fluctuations in prices and income. It is our way of evening out income in a business that sees wide swings. One school of thought is to tie crop insurance premiums to what we are doing to help with climate change. Kansas Farm Bureau and American Farm Bureau policy would be very much opposed to this. We all know we are the best at conserving our natural resources, and no one care more about the environment than farmers and ranchers. The heartburn is in having practices mandated by those who may not understand agriculture and why we do what we do. Worse yet those mandates could come from others who might be opponents of modern agriculture. Another idea is to tie crop insurance premiums to a producer’s income. Farm Bureau would also be opposed to such a means test. Again, risk management and protection should not be limited to one farmer over another. We also know that many of our large producers are multi-generational. Both of these options are only in the beginning level and that is why each of us can play such an important role as the debate over the next farm bill gets started. It is important for each of us to reach out to our members of Congress to let them know how important the farm bill is for agriculture and specifically how important crop insurance is. Please, write, email or call your representative and senators and tell them how this policy affects you. There will also be opportunities for us to add input at meetings and town halls, be sure you attend any and all that you can. Remember we are less than 2 percent of the population and as the other 98 percent gets farther removed from farms and ranches, they do not understand the importance of the farm bill. In this volatile economy and the long-term drought many of us have suffered through, it is just as critical as it ever has been to make our heard. If we do not advocate for ourselves, no one else will. Watch your emails and texts for alerts from Kansas Farm Bureau and, please, respond when asked. We are in the beginning stages of discussions and hopefully we can have a say in building a better farm bill. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576508626397.png" alt="Glenn Brunkow&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Glenn Brunkow&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher It’s farm bill time again. The discussions are beginning to happen and starting to heat up. Over the past couple of months, the talks have switched from continuing on with a farm bill with similar policies as the 2018 version or options that are dramatically different. What will happen is really anyone’s guess, and that is both a challenge and an opportunity for Kansas Farm Bureau and agriculture in general. There are a couple of lines of thinking when it comes to what the farm bill might look like, both are tied to crop insurance. Crop insurance is probably the number one concern when it comes to a new farm bill. As ag producers we know that we rely on crop insurance to help us through weather events like drought and fluctuations in prices and income. It is our way of evening out income in a business that sees wide swings. One school of thought is to tie crop insurance premiums to what we are doing to help with climate change. Kansas Farm Bureau and American Farm Bureau policy would be very much opposed to this. We all know we are the best at conserving our natural resources, and no one care more about the environment than farmers and ranchers. The heartburn is in having practices mandated by those who may not understand agriculture and why we do what we do. Worse yet those mandates could come from others who might be opponents of modern agriculture. Another idea is to tie crop insurance premiums to a producer’s income. Farm Bureau would also be opposed to such a means test. Again, risk management and protection should not be limited to one farmer over another. We also know that many of our large producers are multi-generational. Both of these options are only in the beginning level and that is why each of us can play such an important role as the debate over the next farm bill gets started. It is important for each of us to reach out to our members of Congress to let them know how important the farm bill is for agriculture and specifically how important crop insurance is. Please, write, email or call your representative and senators and tell them how this policy affects you. There will also be opportunities for us to add input at meetings and town halls, be sure you attend any and all that you can. Remember we are less than 2 percent of the population and as the other 98 percent gets farther removed from farms and ranches, they do not understand the importance of the farm bill. In this volatile economy and the long-term drought many of us have suffered through, it is just as critical as it ever has been to make our heard. If we do not advocate for ourselves, no one else will. Watch your emails and texts for alerts from Kansas Farm Bureau and, please, respond when asked. We are in the beginning stages of discussions and hopefully we can have a say in building a better farm bill. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Building a better farm bill

Fun fact: in high school, I was a majorette. This might be where I learned one of the most important skills a college president needs-the the ability to juggle. Majorettes twirl batons, and sometimes those batons are on fire. They can also spin knives, flags, and rifles. While I see many metaphorical connections here, the story I want to share is that of Yaritza Vega Herrera, an amazing person, outstanding student, and our very own talented Tiger twirler.

Yaritza grew up in Salina, Kansas, and first picked up a baton at the age of five. She loves the challenge of twirling multiple batons at once, ranging from twirling one to four batons at a time.

Competitions involve both individual and team events ranging from novice to advanced levels.

Individual events mainly include modeling (showcasing one’s appearance via dress, makeup, and hair), solos (individuals demonstrate impressive tricks, difficulty, and personality), and strut (individuals showcase bodywork, marching, and technique).

At Fort Hays State, Yaritza is currently our only majorette, so she had to quickly master the transition from high school to college twirling while flying solo. Today, she creates all of her routines and performances. In college, everything is bigger. The marching and pep bands you perform with are bigger, the crowds are larger and louder, and there are more young eyes looking up to you and wanting to be like you. No pressure.

“In the sport of baton twirling, there are also some tough spots that I had to face head-on and overcome,”&nbsp;Yaritz&nbsp;said. “Some of these include frustration, lack of confidence, and injuries. I would say twirling is a mix of gymnastics and dance with sticks of metal added in to create new tricks, crazy catches, and exciting combinations.&nbsp;

“As thrilling as it sounds, I had to overcome many mental blocks and injuries to get to where I am today. The physical and mental demand that twirling requires is just a small part of the sport itself; the many successes and opportunities it offers far outweigh the negative.”

Two coaches were pivotal in helping Yaritza realize her dream of becoming a collegiate twirler. Her Hays coach, Shelby Higdon, the color guard coach for the Tiger Marching Band, and Shannon&nbsp;Meis, owner of Shannon’s Stars Twirling Club in Salina.

Yaritza said she owes many of her twirling successes to these two amazing coaches who have guided her in the sport of twirling and life as well.&nbsp;

“Even though I create my performances and routines on my own, the process and inspiration that goes on behind the scenes would be much more difficult without these two ladies. I wouldn’t trade them for the world, Yaritza said.

Yaritza loves to perform at both FHSU football and basketball games.&nbsp;

“One of my biggest college highlights was receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the basketball game against Northeastern State,” she said. “I was in tears walking off the court after my performance at halftime simply because I was overwhelmed by the support and love from the Hays community.”

Another college highlight Yaritza shared was hearing her name announced at a home football game as a selectee to compete in the World Championships in England in the summer of 2023.&nbsp;

“My team and I will compete in one event. I am beyond thrilled to attend this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in England, competing to represent the USA, the state of Kansas, and FHSU, which I’ve been so blessed to call home, she said.&nbsp;

Yaritza’s college journey has been just as exciting as her twirling journey. As a youngster, she dreamed of going to college but did not necessarily have the resources to pursue that dream. So she dedicated most of her senior year to applying for as many scholarships as possible to take the financial burden off of her parents.&nbsp;

Then, she learned about the Rudd Foundation’s full-ride scholarship to Fort Hays State University. Yaritza applied and was thrilled when the Rudd Foundation staff surprised her at her high school with a giant check – a check that would cover everything from tuition, fees, room and board, and books for four years of college.&nbsp;

“The Rudd Scholarship has been nothing but an absolute blessing, and the support system that it comes along with is truly one of a kind,” said Yaritza. She is a sophomore majoring in nursing and is very eager to begin her nursing classes next fall. In fact, it was our excellent nursing program that attracted Yaritza to Fort Hays State University over other Kansas universities.&nbsp;

She is currently a certified nursing assistant for our Health and Wellness Center located in the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success. Her passion for serving in the medical field continues to grow, thanks to the amazing FHSU nurses and staff.

“I’ve learned so many life lessons throughout my fourteen years of twirling,” Yaritza said. “I’ve learned that with hard work, dedication, and perseverance, you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. I have also learned that the little kids who watch me perform and come up to me after games view me as a leader.&nbsp;

“I perform my heart out every time I step foot on the football field or basketball court for those kids who might need a little push to fully chase their dreams and passions. I think being a role model for those who look up to you and overcoming obstacles big and small are what makes you a real champion.”

Yaritza’s talent and resilience are reflective of the DNA of this university. Whether in the classroom, mastering the complex knowledge of her chosen profession, or in the limelight, perfecting her twirling skills, Yaritza is always growing and learning. I am so proud of Yaritza and hope you will join me in cheering her on at the World Championships in August.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>Fun fact: in high school, I was a majorette. This might be where I learned one of the most important skills a college president needs-the the ability to juggle. Majorettes twirl batons, and sometimes those batons are on fire. They can also spin knives, flags, and rifles. While I see many metaphorical connections here, the story I want to share is that of Yaritza Vega Herrera, an amazing person, outstanding student, and our very own talented Tiger twirler.Yaritza grew up in Salina, Kansas, and first picked up a baton at the age of five. She loves the challenge of twirling multiple batons at once, ranging from twirling one to four batons at a time.Competitions involve both individual and team events ranging from novice to advanced levels.Individual events mainly include modeling (showcasing one’s appearance via dress, makeup, and hair), solos (individuals demonstrate impressive tricks, difficulty, and personality), and strut (individuals showcase bodywork, marching, and technique).At Fort Hays State, Yaritza is currently our only majorette, so she had to quickly master the transition from high school to college twirling while flying solo. Today, she creates all of her routines and performances. In college, everything is bigger. The marching and pep bands you perform with are bigger, the crowds are larger and louder, and there are more young eyes looking up to you and wanting to be like you. No pressure.“In the sport of baton twirling, there are also some tough spots that I had to face head-on and overcome,”&nbsp;Yaritz&nbsp;said. “Some of these include frustration, lack of confidence, and injuries. I would say twirling is a mix of gymnastics and dance with sticks of metal added in to create new tricks, crazy catches, and exciting combinations.&nbsp;“As thrilling as it sounds, I had to overcome many mental blocks and injuries to get to where I am today. The physical and mental demand that twirling requires is just a small part of the sport itself; the many successes and opportunities it offers far outweigh the negative.”Two coaches were pivotal in helping Yaritza realize her dream of becoming a collegiate twirler. Her Hays coach, Shelby Higdon, the color guard coach for the Tiger Marching Band, and Shannon&nbsp;Meis, owner of Shannon’s Stars Twirling Club in Salina.Yaritza said she owes many of her twirling successes to these two amazing coaches who have guided her in the sport of twirling and life as well.&nbsp;“Even though I create my performances and routines on my own, the process and inspiration that goes on behind the scenes would be much more difficult without these two ladies. I wouldn’t trade them for the world, Yaritza said.Yaritza loves to perform at both FHSU football and basketball games.&nbsp;“One of my biggest college highlights was receiving a standing ovation from the audience at the basketball game against Northeastern State,” she said. “I was in tears walking off the court after my performance at halftime simply because I was overwhelmed by the support and love from the Hays community.”Another college highlight Yaritza shared was hearing her name announced at a home football game as a selectee to compete in the World Championships in England in the summer of 2023.&nbsp;“My team and I will compete in one event. I am beyond thrilled to attend this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in England, competing to represent the USA, the state of Kansas, and FHSU, which I’ve been so blessed to call home, she said.&nbsp;Yaritza’s college journey has been just as exciting as her twirling journey. As a youngster, she dreamed of going to college but did not necessarily have the resources to pursue that dream. So she dedicated most of her senior year to applying for as many scholarships as possible to take the financial burden off of her parents.&nbsp;Then, she learned about the Rudd Foundation’s full-ride scholarship to Fort Hays State University. Yaritza applied and was thrilled when the Rudd Foundation staff surprised her at her high school with a giant check – a check that would cover everything from tuition, fees, room and board, and books for four years of college.&nbsp;“The Rudd Scholarship has been nothing but an absolute blessing, and the support system that it comes along with is truly one of a kind,” said Yaritza. She is a sophomore majoring in nursing and is very eager to begin her nursing classes next fall. In fact, it was our excellent nursing program that attracted Yaritza to Fort Hays State University over other Kansas universities.&nbsp;She is currently a certified nursing assistant for our Health and Wellness Center located in the Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success. Her passion for serving in the medical field continues to grow, thanks to the amazing FHSU nurses and staff.“I’ve learned so many life lessons throughout my fourteen years of twirling,” Yaritza said. “I’ve learned that with hard work, dedication, and perseverance, you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. I have also learned that the little kids who watch me perform and come up to me after games view me as a leader.&nbsp;“I perform my heart out every time I step foot on the football field or basketball court for those kids who might need a little push to fully chase their dreams and passions. I think being a role model for those who look up to you and overcoming obstacles big and small are what makes you a real champion.”Yaritza’s talent and resilience are reflective of the DNA of this university. Whether in the classroom, mastering the complex knowledge of her chosen profession, or in the limelight, perfecting her twirling skills, Yaritza is always growing and learning. I am so proud of Yaritza and hope you will join me in cheering her on at the World Championships in August.

Heart of a Tiger: Meet a talented Tiger twirler

We have officially made it through turnaround. The past week was busy, but we were able to pass 69 bills, for a total of 96 bills since swearing in. As of Monday, the Senate has passed 62 bills that will head to us for consideration.

Leading into the session, I said water would be the issue of the year, and two significant pieces of legislation were passed out of the house and now on to the Senate:

HB 2279: Requiring groundwater management districts to submit annual written reports to the legislature and to provide water conservation and stabilization action plans to the chief engineer. The vote was Yea: 116 Nay: 6.

HB 2302: Modifying the distribution of moneys into the state water plan fund, creating the water technical assistance fund and the water projects grant fund for water-related infrastructure projects and distributing a portion of the revenue from the sales and compensating use tax to the state water plan fund. The vote was :Yea: 119 Nay: 3

Chairman Jim Minnix of Scott City led the effort to find a reasonable funding source to pay for the state water plan and other programs pertaining to water and also the groundwater management districts would report to the legislature on their activities every year. Every citizen in Kansas has a stake in water conservation, quality and quantity and these pieces of legislation will be a start down a long road. This is a better way than to have drastic reductions in water use or stop all water use in certain locations. We will be watching what happens on the Senate side. As mentioned earlier, there were a total of 69 bills passed in our chamber that will now go to the Senate and their bills will come to our side.

You can read about all the bills that passed so far in the legislature online at kslegislature.org and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677096638770.png" alt="Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, 110th Dist. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>March 1, 2023Hello from Agra. We have officially made it through turnaround. The past week was busy, but we were able to pass 69 bills, for a total of 96 bills since swearing in. As of Monday, the Senate has passed 62 bills that will head to us for consideration.Leading into the session, I said water would be the issue of the year, and two significant pieces of legislation were passed out of the house and now on to the Senate:HB 2279: Requiring groundwater management districts to submit annual written reports to the legislature and to provide water conservation and stabilization action plans to the chief engineer. The vote was Yea: 116 Nay: 6.HB 2302: Modifying the distribution of moneys into the state water plan fund, creating the water technical assistance fund and the water projects grant fund for water-related infrastructure projects and distributing a portion of the revenue from the sales and compensating use tax to the state water plan fund. The vote was :Yea: 119 Nay: 3 Chairman Jim Minnix of Scott City led the effort to find a reasonable funding source to pay for the state water plan and other programs pertaining to water and also the groundwater management districts would report to the legislature on their activities every year. Every citizen in Kansas has a stake in water conservation, quality and quantity and these pieces of legislation will be a start down a long road. This is a better way than to have drastic reductions in water use or stop all water use in certain locations. We will be watching what happens on the Senate side. As mentioned earlier, there were a total of 69 bills passed in our chamber that will now go to the Senate and their bills will come to our side.You can read about all the bills that passed so far in the legislature online at kslegislature.org and when the house and senate are on the floor or in committees you can see all of them on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_0NO-Pb96CFABvxDwXAq8A">Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel</a>. I'm located at 186-W, which is the northwest corner of the capital. My assistant again this year is Terry Benitis. If you would like to contact me, Email is: ken.rahjes@house.ks.gov, phone during the session (785) 296-7463 or you can always try my cell number at (785) 302-8416. If you have a young person who would like to come and spend the day as a Legislative Page, please let me know as soon as possible and we will work on what is a good day for that to happen.Thanks for reading. It is my honor to serve you.Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, is the Kansas state representative of the 110th Dist. which includes:&nbsp;* Graham, Norton, Phillips and Rooks Counties * Ellis County: Cities: Catharine, Ellis, Munjor and Schoenchen Townships: Big Creek (part), Buckeye, Catherine, Ellis, Freedom, Herzog (part), Lookout, Victoria (part) and Wheatland

RAHJES REPORT: March 1, 2023

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

Amelia Earhart speaks.&nbsp;She smiles, looks up, and begins to talk about her life experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wait – didn’t Amelia Earhart disappear in the South Pacific 80 years ago?&nbsp;

Yes, but she is alive again – at least virtually – in an incredible museum that will open in her hometown of Atchison in spring, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Joe Brentano is director of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.&nbsp;Makinzie Burghart is director of development.&nbsp;Burghart grew up in Atchison as did Amelia Earhart 120 years earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Earhart and her younger sister, Muriel, spent many of their early years at their grandparent’s home in Atchison.&nbsp;In 1908, she saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair, but it didn’t excite her at the time.&nbsp;

Years later, she and a friend were at a flying exposition when a stunt pilot dived at them.&nbsp; “I believe that little red airplane spoke to me as it swished by,” Earhart later wrote.&nbsp;

After attending another air show, she was hooked on flying.&nbsp;She would go on to become the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a women's aviation organization; the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; first woman to fly solo coast-to-coast; and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland.&nbsp;

She received many honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, before disappearing on an ill-fated attempt to fly around the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Atchison celebrates the Amelia Earhart history through tours of her childhood home and an annual Amelia Earhart festival.&nbsp;But in 2016, a unique opportunity arose.&nbsp;There was an opportunity to purchase a Lockheed Electra 10-E – the same model as Amelia Earhart flew on her last flight, and the only one left in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Citizens of Atchison, led by Karen and the late Ladd Seaberg, formed the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation and raised the funds to purchase the plane.&nbsp;It was affectionately named Muriel in honor of Amelia’s younger sister.&nbsp;The plane was carefully transported by trailer, 1,206 miles from California to Atchison.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The next step was to create a museum to display the plane.&nbsp;That led to the design and construction of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum – in an actual hangar and terminal in a 1930s-style art deco building at the local airport. “This was a $17 million project,” Burghart said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Outside the museum stands a statue of Earhart, identical to the one that Kansas placed in statuary hall in the nation’s capitol.&nbsp;Inside the entrance, one is greeted by a hologram of Earhart.&nbsp;This electronic CGI image speaks her inspiring words from a century-plus ago, expressing the importance of transcending boundaries.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The centerpiece of the museum is Muriel, the Lockheed Electra 10-E.&nbsp;Muriel is surrounded by 14 incredible, high-tech, state-of-the-art interactive displays.&nbsp;Not only are these educational, they correlate with national and Kansas STEM curriculum content standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Exhibits include a digitized version of Earhart’s flight logbook, 3D holograms of aviation advancements through the years, and a display of other key female accomplishments.&nbsp; Guests can climb inside a full-sized replica of Muriel’s cockpit.&nbsp;At another station, guests can experience a virtual reality re-creation of Earhart’s 1932 transatlantic flight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Another exhibit not only describes Earhart’s other pursuits as a nurse, mechanic, and fashion designer, it allows visitors to select one of these for which the computer will create a personalized on-screen avatar of the visitor in related clothing.&nbsp;Amazing!&nbsp;&nbsp;

What actually happened to Amelia Earhart?&nbsp;Step upstairs and the museum shows a map of where she disappeared, with an exhibit of seven alternative scenarios.&nbsp;Guests can study the arguments for and against each scenario and then vote.&nbsp;(I still suspect she’s living in an apartment with Elvis…)&nbsp;&nbsp;

This remarkable museum will open in mid-April 2023 in the rural community of Atchison, population 10,885 people.&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/">www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Amelia Earhart speaks – at least in virtual form at this museum.&nbsp;We commend Karen and Ladd Seaberg, Joe Brentano, Makinzie Burghart, and all those making a difference with this remarkable technology in a museum you won’t want to miss.&nbsp;

When Amelia Earhart speaks, I listen.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677075122947.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Amelia Earhart speaks.&nbsp;She smiles, looks up, and begins to talk about her life experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait – didn’t Amelia Earhart disappear in the South Pacific 80 years ago?&nbsp;Yes, but she is alive again – at least virtually – in an incredible museum that will open in her hometown of Atchison in spring, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Joe Brentano is director of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.&nbsp;Makinzie Burghart is director of development.&nbsp;Burghart grew up in Atchison as did Amelia Earhart 120 years earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp;Earhart and her younger sister, Muriel, spent many of their early years at their grandparent’s home in Atchison.&nbsp;In 1908, she saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair, but it didn’t excite her at the time.&nbsp;Years later, she and a friend were at a flying exposition when a stunt pilot dived at them.&nbsp; “I believe that little red airplane spoke to me as it swished by,” Earhart later wrote.&nbsp;After attending another air show, she was hooked on flying.&nbsp;She would go on to become the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a women's aviation organization; the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; first woman to fly solo coast-to-coast; and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland.&nbsp;She received many honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, before disappearing on an ill-fated attempt to fly around the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Atchison celebrates the Amelia Earhart history through tours of her childhood home and an annual Amelia Earhart festival.&nbsp;But in 2016, a unique opportunity arose.&nbsp;There was an opportunity to purchase a Lockheed Electra 10-E – the same model as Amelia Earhart flew on her last flight, and the only one left in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Citizens of Atchison, led by Karen and the late Ladd Seaberg, formed the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation and raised the funds to purchase the plane.&nbsp;It was affectionately named Muriel in honor of Amelia’s younger sister.&nbsp;The plane was carefully transported by trailer, 1,206 miles from California to Atchison.&nbsp;&nbsp;The next step was to create a museum to display the plane.&nbsp;That led to the design and construction of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum – in an actual hangar and terminal in a 1930s-style art deco building at the local airport. “This was a $17 million project,” Burghart said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Outside the museum stands a statue of Earhart, identical to the one that Kansas placed in statuary hall in the nation’s capitol.&nbsp;Inside the entrance, one is greeted by a hologram of Earhart.&nbsp;This electronic CGI image speaks her inspiring words from a century-plus ago, expressing the importance of transcending boundaries.&nbsp;&nbsp;The centerpiece of the museum is Muriel, the Lockheed Electra 10-E.&nbsp;Muriel is surrounded by 14 incredible, high-tech, state-of-the-art interactive displays.&nbsp;Not only are these educational, they correlate with national and Kansas STEM curriculum content standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;Exhibits include a digitized version of Earhart’s flight logbook, 3D holograms of aviation advancements through the years, and a display of other key female accomplishments.&nbsp; Guests can climb inside a full-sized replica of Muriel’s cockpit.&nbsp;At another station, guests can experience a virtual reality re-creation of Earhart’s 1932 transatlantic flight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another exhibit not only describes Earhart’s other pursuits as a nurse, mechanic, and fashion designer, it allows visitors to select one of these for which the computer will create a personalized on-screen avatar of the visitor in related clothing.&nbsp;Amazing!&nbsp;&nbsp;What actually happened to Amelia Earhart?&nbsp;Step upstairs and the museum shows a map of where she disappeared, with an exhibit of seven alternative scenarios.&nbsp;Guests can study the arguments for and against each scenario and then vote.&nbsp;(I still suspect she’s living in an apartment with Elvis…)&nbsp;&nbsp;This remarkable museum will open in mid-April 2023 in the rural community of Atchison, population 10,885 people.&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/">www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Amelia Earhart speaks – at least in virtual form at this museum.&nbsp;We commend Karen and Ladd Seaberg, Joe Brentano, Makinzie Burghart, and all those making a difference with this remarkable technology in a museum you won’t want to miss.&nbsp;When Amelia Earhart speaks, I listen.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum

For Kansans&nbsp;eager&nbsp;to see&nbsp;bright&nbsp;blooms,&nbsp;more&nbsp;sunlight,&nbsp;and green leaves,&nbsp;dull-toned&nbsp;winter&nbsp;days linger&nbsp;forever.&nbsp;Instead of&nbsp;complaining,&nbsp;invite friends to&nbsp;turn these&nbsp;last weeks before&nbsp;Spring delivers&nbsp;new growth&nbsp;into a mystery nest hunt.&nbsp;Investigators,&nbsp;slip into&nbsp;a&nbsp;Columbo jacket&nbsp;and&nbsp;wander&nbsp;the&nbsp;neighborhood.&nbsp;As Mother Nature works her magic turning&nbsp;last year’s now&nbsp;brown leaves&nbsp;into fertile&nbsp;soil, nosy&nbsp;folks&nbsp;cantake advantage of bare&nbsp;branches&nbsp;to see what creatures raised young&nbsp;in them&nbsp;last season.&nbsp;Scope&nbsp;trees and bushes&nbsp;from top to bottom&nbsp;to&nbsp;spy&nbsp;varying&nbsp;nest shapes&nbsp;and sizes,&nbsp;evidence of&nbsp;last year’s feathered and furry residents.&nbsp;

Detecting an&nbsp;oriole nest&nbsp;in western Kansas is almost a given. These&nbsp;loosely&nbsp;woven sacks&nbsp;the size of&nbsp;a&nbsp;first&nbsp;grader’s sock&nbsp;dangle&nbsp;from&nbsp;upper&nbsp;branches&nbsp;along creeks, streams, lakes, in&nbsp;yards, and parks.&nbsp;Seeing these unique nests&nbsp;triggers&nbsp;memories of&nbsp;vivid&nbsp;orange and black parents&nbsp;catching&nbsp;insects&nbsp;in flight and&nbsp;regurgitating them&nbsp;into&nbsp;noisy&nbsp;off-springs’&nbsp;wide-open&nbsp;gullets.&nbsp;Mother Nature, by design, rocks their cradle.

​Robin nests are another sure bet.&nbsp;A&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;tree or perhaps the same&nbsp;one, if large enough,&nbsp;might house&nbsp;one or two&nbsp;tattered&nbsp;cereal bowl-sized nests tucked&nbsp;between forking branches.&nbsp;Typically,&nbsp;Kansas weather&nbsp;takes its toll on these flimsy structures&nbsp;so&nbsp;every year these orange-breasted singers&nbsp;weavegrasses, leaves,&nbsp;pet fur, strings, and other fluff&nbsp;into&nbsp;new&nbsp;nurseries for&nbsp;between one and three families per summer.&nbsp;

​Mississippi kite nests aren’t quite as common, but anyone who lives near a kite&nbsp;nursery&nbsp;knows now’s the&nbsp;time&nbsp;to&nbsp;search&nbsp;for last summer’s nests&nbsp;before those&nbsp;aggressive&nbsp;birds return. Once trees leaf out, the best way to&nbsp;discover&nbsp;where kites raise young&nbsp;means&nbsp;surviving&nbsp;a&nbsp;frantic&nbsp;dive bombing.&nbsp;It’s much&nbsp;saferto scope out potential kite nests before&nbsp;those&nbsp;birds&nbsp;return.

Sleuths&nbsp;willing to head for the edges of town or into the countryside&nbsp;have a chance to&nbsp;spyplatforms built&nbsp;of stacked&nbsp;branches in the upper reaches of&nbsp;mature&nbsp;trees.&nbsp;Lucky&nbsp;observers&nbsp;will&nbsp;note&nbsp;the protruding&nbsp;headgear of&nbsp;a&nbsp;great horned owl&nbsp;protecting&nbsp;eggs or owlets while&nbsp;its&nbsp;mate&nbsp;flies nearby lookingfor small game&nbsp;to&nbsp;feed&nbsp;the&nbsp;hungry family.&nbsp;Once you find an owl nest, it’s&nbsp;worth revisiting&nbsp;each year to see if that raptor&nbsp;returned to raise another family.&nbsp;

​Checking trees&nbsp;is an obvious tactic, but don’t forget to&nbsp;search&nbsp;bushes&nbsp;and shrubs&nbsp;everywhere you go.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;creatures tuck tidy&nbsp;and untidy&nbsp;nurseries into&nbsp;low-lying&nbsp;thickets. When we lived in the country, brown thrashers raised&nbsp;young&nbsp;in our lilac&nbsp;and plum thickets&nbsp;every summer.&nbsp;Visit&nbsp;after the babies hatch&nbsp;towatch mom and dad zip around,&nbsp;snagging&nbsp;insects to feed their young.

​Speaking of low-lying nests, scout&nbsp;for pack rat condominiums&nbsp;haphazardly constructed&nbsp;at the base of trees along waterways. &nbsp;Dormant&nbsp;plants&nbsp;make it much easier to detect these&nbsp;chaoticallyconstructed&nbsp;homesteads.

Squirrels&nbsp;add&nbsp;another&nbsp;nest&nbsp;building&nbsp;rodent&nbsp;to the search.&nbsp;Messy basketball-sized collections of leaves, grasses, and small twigs stuffed in the forks of high branches make people wonder what bird made that nest? That conglomeration likely housed a family&nbsp;of&nbsp;furry,&nbsp;scampering babies.&nbsp;

​While&nbsp;bright colors&nbsp;please&nbsp;human&nbsp;senses,&nbsp;drab, leafless, winter months&nbsp;make&nbsp;it easier&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;last season’s&nbsp;nests.&nbsp;That’s a win for&nbsp;nature&nbsp;detectives&nbsp;looking for&nbsp;a chance to enjoy outdoor adventures.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677182283857.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORINFor Kansans&nbsp;eager&nbsp;to see&nbsp;bright&nbsp;blooms,&nbsp;more&nbsp;sunlight,&nbsp;and green leaves,&nbsp;dull-toned&nbsp;winter&nbsp;days linger&nbsp;forever.&nbsp;Instead of&nbsp;complaining,&nbsp;invite friends to&nbsp;turn these&nbsp;last weeks before&nbsp;Spring delivers&nbsp;new growth&nbsp;into a mystery nest hunt.&nbsp;Investigators,&nbsp;slip into&nbsp;a&nbsp;Columbo jacket&nbsp;and&nbsp;wander&nbsp;the&nbsp;neighborhood.&nbsp;As Mother Nature works her magic turning&nbsp;last year’s now&nbsp;brown leaves&nbsp;into fertile&nbsp;soil, nosy&nbsp;folks&nbsp;cantake advantage of bare&nbsp;branches&nbsp;to see what creatures raised young&nbsp;in them&nbsp;last season.&nbsp;Scope&nbsp;trees and bushes&nbsp;from top to bottom&nbsp;to&nbsp;spy&nbsp;varying&nbsp;nest shapes&nbsp;and sizes,&nbsp;evidence of&nbsp;last year’s feathered and furry residents.&nbsp;Detecting an&nbsp;oriole nest&nbsp;in western Kansas is almost a given. These&nbsp;loosely&nbsp;woven sacks&nbsp;the size of&nbsp;a&nbsp;first&nbsp;grader’s sock&nbsp;dangle&nbsp;from&nbsp;upper&nbsp;branches&nbsp;along creeks, streams, lakes, in&nbsp;yards, and parks.&nbsp;Seeing these unique nests&nbsp;triggers&nbsp;memories of&nbsp;vivid&nbsp;orange and black parents&nbsp;catching&nbsp;insects&nbsp;in flight and&nbsp;regurgitating them&nbsp;into&nbsp;noisy&nbsp;off-springs’&nbsp;wide-open&nbsp;gullets.&nbsp;Mother Nature, by design, rocks their cradle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>​Robin nests are another sure bet.&nbsp;A&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;tree or perhaps the same&nbsp;one, if large enough,&nbsp;might house&nbsp;one or two&nbsp;tattered&nbsp;cereal bowl-sized nests tucked&nbsp;between forking branches.&nbsp;Typically,&nbsp;Kansas weather&nbsp;takes its toll on these flimsy structures&nbsp;so&nbsp;every year these orange-breasted singers&nbsp;weavegrasses, leaves,&nbsp;pet fur, strings, and other fluff&nbsp;into&nbsp;new&nbsp;nurseries for&nbsp;between one and three families per summer.&nbsp;​Mississippi kite nests aren’t quite as common, but anyone who lives near a kite&nbsp;nursery&nbsp;knows now’s the&nbsp;time&nbsp;to&nbsp;search&nbsp;for last summer’s nests&nbsp;before those&nbsp;aggressive&nbsp;birds return. Once trees leaf out, the best way to&nbsp;discover&nbsp;where kites raise young&nbsp;means&nbsp;surviving&nbsp;a&nbsp;frantic&nbsp;dive bombing.&nbsp;It’s much&nbsp;saferto scope out potential kite nests before&nbsp;those&nbsp;birds&nbsp;return.Sleuths&nbsp;willing to head for the edges of town or into the countryside&nbsp;have a chance to&nbsp;spyplatforms built&nbsp;of stacked&nbsp;branches in the upper reaches of&nbsp;mature&nbsp;trees.&nbsp;Lucky&nbsp;observers&nbsp;will&nbsp;note&nbsp;the protruding&nbsp;headgear of&nbsp;a&nbsp;great horned owl&nbsp;protecting&nbsp;eggs or owlets while&nbsp;its&nbsp;mate&nbsp;flies nearby lookingfor small game&nbsp;to&nbsp;feed&nbsp;the&nbsp;hungry family.&nbsp;Once you find an owl nest, it’s&nbsp;worth revisiting&nbsp;each year to see if that raptor&nbsp;returned to raise another family.&nbsp;​Checking trees&nbsp;is an obvious tactic, but don’t forget to&nbsp;search&nbsp;bushes&nbsp;and shrubs&nbsp;everywhere you go.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;creatures tuck tidy&nbsp;and untidy&nbsp;nurseries into&nbsp;low-lying&nbsp;thickets. When we lived in the country, brown thrashers raised&nbsp;young&nbsp;in our lilac&nbsp;and plum thickets&nbsp;every summer.&nbsp;Visit&nbsp;after the babies hatch&nbsp;towatch mom and dad zip around,&nbsp;snagging&nbsp;insects to feed their young.​Speaking of low-lying nests, scout&nbsp;for pack rat condominiums&nbsp;haphazardly constructed&nbsp;at the base of trees along waterways. &nbsp;Dormant&nbsp;plants&nbsp;make it much easier to detect these&nbsp;chaoticallyconstructed&nbsp;homesteads.Squirrels&nbsp;add&nbsp;another&nbsp;nest&nbsp;building&nbsp;rodent&nbsp;to the search.&nbsp;Messy basketball-sized collections of leaves, grasses, and small twigs stuffed in the forks of high branches make people wonder what bird made that nest? That conglomeration likely housed a family&nbsp;of&nbsp;furry,&nbsp;scampering babies.&nbsp;​While&nbsp;bright colors&nbsp;please&nbsp;human&nbsp;senses,&nbsp;drab, leafless, winter months&nbsp;make&nbsp;it easier&nbsp;to&nbsp;find&nbsp;last season’s&nbsp;nests.&nbsp;That’s a win for&nbsp;nature&nbsp;detectives&nbsp;looking for&nbsp;a chance to enjoy outdoor adventures.

MADORIN: Forget mystery dinners — try mystery nest detecting

If two bills moving through the Kansas legislature become law, together they could destabilize public schools, prove disastrous for Kansas students and reduce the state general tax fund.

As currently written, the bills would shift funding to private and home schools plus permit affluent parents to donate enough to an existing scholarship fund to write off the entire cost of private schooling.&nbsp; Yet low income parents with vouchers still could not afford the cost of many private schools.&nbsp;

What is more, there are as many as 60 Kansas counties with no private schools for students to attend.&nbsp;

The bill most publicized and hotly contested is the Kansas Sunflower Education Equity Act HB2218, also called the Education Savings Account voucher bill.&nbsp; It would provide parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of nearly $5,000 for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.

HB2218 vouchers cover a range of expenditures including tuition in accredited and non-accredited private schools and micro-schools where home schoolers form groups to teach their children jointly, often in each other’s homes.

The bill allows for individual home school support and other educational services like online learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Kansas Division of Budget estimates that the yearly loss of state aid to school districts would be approximately $152 million.

The state treasurer’s office (not the Kansas State Department of Education) would administer the program, but administrative cost is unknown due to lack of data for preschool and private school students.

School supporters estimate total cost at $270 million.

HB2218 requires only a mandate for full-time instruction in math, science, reading, grammar and social studies.

In an interview on the National Public Radio 1A program Feb. 13, House Education Committee Chair, Republican Kristey Williams was asked by the moderator if white supremist, racist beliefs would be allowed by HB2218.&nbsp; Williams replied such speech was “abhorrent.”&nbsp;

Noting that recently an Ohio network of micro-schools was discovered to be teaching Nazi propaganda and racism, the moderator repeated the question.&nbsp; Williams said she believes in parents and that most, if not all, parents in Kansas would choose to teach their kids in the best possible way.&nbsp; Find the entire interview at&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fpodcasts%2F510316%2F1a&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cnmfrazier%40ku.edu%7Ca545e2e5107348ddcdbd08db15b77b45%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638127650028943240%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=unWPmyjPC%2FzXdCtcbVg3ibt2ieJuJl06H1UbHjdwLGE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510316/1a</a>

Another bill that would weaken public schools is the scholarship tax credit program originally intended to provide private school tuition for students living in poverty.&nbsp; Bill HB2048 would extend funding to a much larger income group with a&nbsp; tax credit of 75 percent for corporation or individual donations.&nbsp; If passed, affluent parents could write off the entire cost of private school.&nbsp; Should this bill become law the Kansas Division of Budget expects it to reduce the state general fund around $10 million in the first year.&nbsp;

Such proposals circulating in the Legislature, leave students without standards for curriculum or protection from indoctrination.&nbsp; Besides striping funds from public school budgets, increased tax credits rob the general fund of resources for other state expenditures.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I too believe in Kansas parents to make right decisions.&nbsp; I believe they’ll tell legislators to trash these bills.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>If two bills moving through the Kansas legislature become law, together they could destabilize public schools, prove disastrous for Kansas students and reduce the state general tax fund.As currently written, the bills would shift funding to private and home schools plus permit affluent parents to donate enough to an existing scholarship fund to write off the entire cost of private schooling.&nbsp; Yet low income parents with vouchers still could not afford the cost of many private schools.&nbsp;What is more, there are as many as 60 Kansas counties with no private schools for students to attend.&nbsp;The bill most publicized and hotly contested is the Kansas Sunflower Education Equity Act HB2218, also called the Education Savings Account voucher bill.&nbsp; It would provide parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of nearly $5,000 for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.HB2218 vouchers cover a range of expenditures including tuition in accredited and non-accredited private schools and micro-schools where home schoolers form groups to teach their children jointly, often in each other’s homes.The bill allows for individual home school support and other educational services like online learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Kansas Division of Budget estimates that the yearly loss of state aid to school districts would be approximately $152 million.The state treasurer’s office (not the Kansas State Department of Education) would administer the program, but administrative cost is unknown due to lack of data for preschool and private school students.School supporters estimate total cost at $270 million.HB2218 requires only a mandate for full-time instruction in math, science, reading, grammar and social studies.In an interview on the National Public Radio 1A program Feb. 13, House Education Committee Chair, Republican Kristey Williams was asked by the moderator if white supremist, racist beliefs would be allowed by HB2218.&nbsp; Williams replied such speech was “abhorrent.”&nbsp;Noting that recently an Ohio network of micro-schools was discovered to be teaching Nazi propaganda and racism, the moderator repeated the question.&nbsp; Williams said she believes in parents and that most, if not all, parents in Kansas would choose to teach their kids in the best possible way.&nbsp; Find the entire interview at&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fpodcasts%2F510316%2F1a&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cnmfrazier%40ku.edu%7Ca545e2e5107348ddcdbd08db15b77b45%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638127650028943240%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=unWPmyjPC%2FzXdCtcbVg3ibt2ieJuJl06H1UbHjdwLGE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510316/1a</a>Another bill that would weaken public schools is the scholarship tax credit program originally intended to provide private school tuition for students living in poverty.&nbsp; Bill HB2048 would extend funding to a much larger income group with a&nbsp; tax credit of 75 percent for corporation or individual donations.&nbsp; If passed, affluent parents could write off the entire cost of private school.&nbsp; Should this bill become law the Kansas Division of Budget expects it to reduce the state general fund around $10 million in the first year.&nbsp;Such proposals circulating in the Legislature, leave students without standards for curriculum or protection from indoctrination.&nbsp; Besides striping funds from public school budgets, increased tax credits rob the general fund of resources for other state expenditures.&nbsp;&nbsp;I too believe in Kansas parents to make right decisions.&nbsp; I believe they’ll tell legislators to trash these bills.Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Two bills that could undermine schools

By ANDY TAYLOR Montgomery County Chronicle

The following is purely make-believe; so, pretend with us.

The State of Kansas makes an annual allotment of $10 million to the City of Coffeyville to supplement its tax revenue. The state’s money is used for multiple purposes — from keeping cops on the streets, to filling potholes, to keeping tall grass and weeds mowed on neglected blocks.

State leaders aren’t big fans of giving money to cities like Coffeyville. They mock the workers, sneer at the police for being too soft on criminals, and force city commissioners to justify the use of their spent dollars through annual audits and accountability reports.

However, next year’s allotment smells different. The jaded state leaders are telling Coffeyville that they must cough up $2 million of its annual allotment and give it to the City of Liberty, Coffeyville’s neighbor to the north. Liberty ... which never receives state funds because of its itty-bitty size.&nbsp;

Obviously, $2 million is viewed as a gold mine to a small hamlet like Liberty.&nbsp;

But, to Coffeyville, giving up that much dough would cripple their services — at a time when the state is putting a tighter squeeze in larger cities and the population is getting smaller.

Generosity is fine, Coffeyville leaders believe. But it rankles the Coffeyville taxpayers. That’s because state lawmakers are making the transfer of funds easy for Liberty. The City of Liberty won’t have to conduct annual audits or present a profit-loss statement like Coffeyville does each year.

In fact, the State of Kansas is almost acting like it’s turning a blind eye to how Liberty will use its money.&nbsp;

As Coffeyville residents begin to howl, they realize their concerns fall on deafened ears in Topeka.

The above scenario is a total farce, of course.&nbsp;

However, the situation falls right in line with the intent of a school voucher bill now pending in the Kansas Legislature.

In simple terms: House Bill 2218 allows the state of Kansas to divert funds devoted for public education as vouchers. Those vouchers can then be used by parents of schools students to pay their child’s tuition to a private school or a home-based school.

There are few safeguards in the bill that will make sure the dollars are used appropriately for education. Nor, is there a system in the mix to determine if the money is spent wisely in private hands.

Yes, lawmakers claim the bill has the boilerplate safeguards for financial oversight and management, including a legislatively-appointed panel to determine if fraud or abuse occur. Of course it will. And, it will be heavy, if the legislative panel even bothers to pursue those violations.

The push for vouchers has reached a deafening roar in Topeka as a pro-conservative legislature attempts to shove its collective middle finger in the face of public education.&nbsp;


Instead of trying to reform public education, they are trying to strip it down and give the money to schools that traditionally have not had to play by the same rules of accountability as their publicly-funded peers.

By ANDY TAYLOR Montgomery County Chronicle The following is purely make-believe; so, pretend with us.* * * *The State of Kansas makes an annual allotment of $10 million to the City of Coffeyville to supplement its tax revenue. The state’s money is used for multiple purposes — from keeping cops on the streets, to filling potholes, to keeping tall grass and weeds mowed on neglected blocks.State leaders aren’t big fans of giving money to cities like Coffeyville. They mock the workers, sneer at the police for being too soft on criminals, and force city commissioners to justify the use of their spent dollars through annual audits and accountability reports.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>However, next year’s allotment smells different. The jaded state leaders are telling Coffeyville that they must cough up $2 million of its annual allotment and give it to the City of Liberty, Coffeyville’s neighbor to the north. Liberty ... which never receives state funds because of its itty-bitty size.&nbsp;Obviously, $2 million is viewed as a gold mine to a small hamlet like Liberty.&nbsp;But, to Coffeyville, giving up that much dough would cripple their services — at a time when the state is putting a tighter squeeze in larger cities and the population is getting smaller.Generosity is fine, Coffeyville leaders believe. But it rankles the Coffeyville taxpayers. That’s because state lawmakers are making the transfer of funds easy for Liberty. The City of Liberty won’t have to conduct annual audits or present a profit-loss statement like Coffeyville does each year.In fact, the State of Kansas is almost acting like it’s turning a blind eye to how Liberty will use its money.&nbsp;The unfairness is shocking.&nbsp;As Coffeyville residents begin to howl, they realize their concerns fall on deafened ears in Topeka.* * * *&nbsp;The above scenario is a total farce, of course.&nbsp;However, the situation falls right in line with the intent of a school voucher bill now pending in the Kansas Legislature.In simple terms: House Bill 2218 allows the state of Kansas to divert funds devoted for public education as vouchers. Those vouchers can then be used by parents of schools students to pay their child’s tuition to a private school or a home-based school.There are few safeguards in the bill that will make sure the dollars are used appropriately for education. Nor, is there a system in the mix to determine if the money is spent wisely in private hands.Yes, lawmakers claim the bill has the boilerplate safeguards for financial oversight and management, including a legislatively-appointed panel to determine if fraud or abuse occur. Of course it will. And, it will be heavy, if the legislative panel even bothers to pursue those violations.The push for vouchers has reached a deafening roar in Topeka as a pro-conservative legislature attempts to shove its collective middle finger in the face of public education.&nbsp;
Instead of trying to reform public education, they are trying to strip it down and give the money to schools that traditionally have not had to play by the same rules of accountability as their publicly-funded peers.Private schools can open and shut the doors on students based on their religious ideology. Public schools can’t.Private schools can choose to disallow students with mental and physical handicaps. Public schools can’t.Private schools do not take the federal dollars through multiple education programs — from breakfast and lunch programs to career and technical education. Public schools rely on those dollars from Uncle Sam to feed kids and open doors of opportunity for students who seek a career pathway.Since the inception of time (and based on case law and constitutional powers), public dollars have largely been withheld from private education for obvious reasons.&nbsp;Now, the paradigm has shifted 180 degrees. And, it feels almost as if the Kansas Legislature is ready to write a blank check to private schools and home-based schools with public tax dollars.We have nothing against private education, nor home-based schools. Many of them are excellent. They provide options for parents and their children.However, in a rural climate like Montgomery County, the educational journey for a majority of the population is largely limited to public schools.&nbsp;A vastly shrinking population, as evident in Montgomery County based on the 2020 U.S. Census, combined with several decades of an eroding tax base has tightened the clamps on rural schools’ financial lifelines. That’s why public dollars are critical for small school districts, where the loss of anywhere from 10 to 30 students to a voucher-funded private school system would be crippling.That’s why the euphoria around vouchers needs to be quelled.Andy Taylor is editor of the&nbsp;Montgomery County Chronicle.

Opinion