SUN Newspapers: Kansas Board of Education campaign lacks zeal

By: Bob Sigman, Opinion Page Editor - Wednesday, 9/3/08

The 6-4 moderate majority on the Kansas Board of Education is in jeopardy. The moderates may not lose control in the upcoming November election. But, worst-case scenario, the state of Kansas could be saddled with a 5-5 board tie, according to those who have been following the campaigns.

We have been down the even-split road before and it was not pretty.

Two years ago at this time, the fur was flying in school board races throughout the state. Kansans who resented the destructive antics of the 6-4 conservative majority were hard at work raising money and campaigning to return control of the board to moderates.

Their efforts were successful. The moderates who took over in January of 2007 restored order and integrity to the board that oversees K-12 education.

Perhaps these gains lulled the moderate sector to sleep this year. Or maybe mainstreamers do not have the energy or inclination to remain at on-guard position every election cycle.

Whatever the case, much of the zeal of 2006 is missing in 2008.

When the middle-of-the-roaders are pumped, they control the board. When they are not, people around the world laugh at those zany people in Kansas trying to play like evolution does not exist. Or that abstinence will suffice for sex education.

Agreeing that the moderates may have to settle for the evenly divided board are Sue Gamble, a current GOP moderate board member who did not seek re-election, and Kathy Cook, executive director of Kansas Families United for Public Education.

State Rep. Sue Storm, an Overland Park Democrat who is running for the board in the 2nd District to succeed Gamble, has been analyzing the races. She said that three moderates will have to win in November – to join the three moderate incumbents – if the majority is to be held.

“With so many open seats, it could go either way,” explained Storm, adding that only one of the five incumbents up for election this year sought a new term.

Gamble, who ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in the GOP primary in August, said the moderates could hold sway.

A pivotal race, she said, is in the 4th District, where Bill Wagnon, Topeka Democrat and moderate, did not run again. Carolyn Campbell, Topeka, a Democrat, is the more moderate candidate in the race, Gamble said.

Gamble said it appears that a moderate can be elected in our area. The majority party race in the 2nd District is between Storm and Mary C. Ralstin, Shawnee, a Republican. Both are considered moderates. Steve E. Roberts, Overland Park, is running as an independent.

Boo Tyson, executive director of the Mainstream Coalition, said her group and others have a planning meeting scheduled this week, but time is fleeting as the Nov. 4 election nears.

The possibility of a tied board, which last occurred in 2003-04, is discouraging. The impasse led to gridlock, Gamble recalled.

Action on new programs, for instance, was delayed or abandoned.

“A lot of things didn’t come to the board,” she said, “because the department knew it was pointless.”

Summed up, progress was stifled, she said.

“You just try to keep the ship afloat because you can’t focus on substantive actions,” she added.

A stalemate would be especially bad now because of the increasing pressure to keep education abreast of a demanding, changing global economy.

Timely image for school bond election!

Left Brain Kansas looks ahead to November 4th

Kansas Board of Education

Sometimes, races like the State Board of Education get lost in the shuffle. With 165 legislative seats, four seats in the US House, the US Senate, the President and competitive DA races in Shawnee and Johnson County, the media and political parties and activists only have so much attention to go around.

However, here in Kansas, the BOE's low profile races can have high profile consequences. Therefore, here at LeftBrain, we will try to keep you all informed with regular updates about the board races here in Kansas.

District 2: Mary C Ralston (R) vs. Sue Storm (D):

Ralston was able to defeat uber-conservative blogger Brandon Kenig in the primary. Storm is a former legislator. This seat was formally held by moderate Republican Sue Gamble, who went on to lose to nutter Mary Pilcher Cook in a state Senate primary. Obviously, we prefer Democrats, but at the end of the day either of these candidates will maintain the pro-science majority.

District 4: Carolyn Campbell (D) vs. Bob Meissner (R):

Meissner is a crazy, plain and simple. Check out Carolyn Campbell's web site, send her some money or volunteer for her campaign. Meissner hates Darwin.

District 6: Christopher Renner (D) vs. Kathy Martin (R, inc.):

If you look up radical right-wing Christian nut job in the dictionary, Kathy Martin's picture will be next to it. She ousted a moderate Republican incumbent in 2004 and hasn't looked back. She got a scare from a mod in the primary, winning by only a couple points, so this seat is winnable and Chris Renner is a credible candidate, but Martin always seems to pull it out, so Chris will need all the support he can get. You can check out his web site here.

District 8: Walt Chappell (D) vs. Dennis Hedke (R)

Same song, different verse. Chappell will support the teaching of science in science class, Hedke won't. Chappell's Web site is here.

District 10: Paul Casanova (D) vs. David Dennis (R):

Dennis is a pro-science candidate, but even after his opponent "decided not to campaign," his primary was still very close. This is not a good sign. Either way though, it looks like this seat is a guaranteed pro-Science vote.

Self Esteem?

2nd District! This ia your wake-up call!

Now is the time to pay attention to the Kansas school board election

By MIKE HENDRICKS,The Kansas City Star

Hard to believe. But this week in Overland Park, nearly a hundred people packed into a church basement to hear three of the four candidates running for a seat on the state school board.

Now what’s up with that?

Didn’t anyone check the calendar? This isn’t one of those years when Kansas voters bother to pay attention to who gets on the state Board of Ed, is it?

No. The only time most Kansans give a flying spaghetti monster about the state board is after the social conservatives have fouled things up.

You know, after they’ve built a board majority and used that power to make the entire state of Kansas look like a bunch of nut jobs. By rehashing the evolution thing all over again. By trying to get rid of sex ed. Or hiring someone to run the Education Department who doesn’t believe in public education.

Or giving aid and comfort to the book banners.

The craziness we’ve seen over and over again for the past decade.

But the current board isn’t like that, which is to say the majority is behaving in a sane manner, so why should anybody give the school board races any thought this year?

Simple, said Jack Krebs, president of Kansas Citizens for Science.

“Because the conservatives have led us astray two times when we haven’t been paying attention,” he told me.

Yes, that’s the lesson Kansans keep forgetting. It’s off years like this one that make possible all those embarrassing headlines later on.

It’s in these off years when candidates aligned with the religious right tend to win in the Republican primary because the moderates are napping.

However, don’t count on that happening this year (the napping part, anyway), said Krebs, whose group is co-sponsoring a series of candidate forums along with three other left-leaning groups: the Mainstream Coalition, Kansas Families for Education Foundation and the True Blue Women.

“One of the goals of the forums is to let people know how important this is,” he said.

Five of the board’s 10 seats are up for election and only one of them features an incumbent, Kathy Martin of Clay Center.

She was part of that anti-evolution majority a few years ago. Another member of that faction, Steve Abrams of Arkansas City, is stepping aside to run for the Legislature.

Three board moderates also are moving on.

There are primary races for all five positions, including the District 2 seat that represents northern Johnson County.

Four candidates are seeking the spot held by Republican Sue Gamble, who wants to replace Nick Jordan in the Kansas Senate.

In District 2, independent Steve Roberts and Democrat Sue Storm will face off against whoever wins the Republican nomination, Mary Ca Ralstin or Brandon Kenig.

It’s Ralstin, a longtime PTA official, who has backing from moderate Republicans.

Which makes Kenig the anti-evolution, religious right conservative — or does it? He’s certainly being portrayed that way by the mods, but the 22-year-old Republican committeeman told me that he can’t be easily pigeonholed.

Yes, he leans to the right. And true, he was endorsed by the group most closely aligned with that wing of the state GOP, the Kansas Republican Assembly.

But he did not seek the KRA’s support, he said. Moreover, he believes in evolution and is opposed to teaching creationism or so-called intelligent design theory in science classrooms.

“I have many conservative friends who disagree with me on that,” he said. But he considers issues such as teacher pay to be more important than rekindling the debate over human origins, which jibes with what the other candidates are saying.

In other words, the District 2 school board race could turn out to be a thoughtful but dreadfully dull election.

However, when it comes to the state school board, dull is exactly what you want.

Pain at the pump

Outlying Districts feel pain at the pump

Travel costs force schools to cut budget in other areas

By Brent Maycock

The Capital-Journal

Published Monday, June 23, 2008

Every school child knows the song lyrics.

"The wheels on the bus go round-n-round, round-n-round, round-n-round ..."

Just how many times those bus wheels go round-n-round will be of keen interest to just about every school administrator in the state as he prepares for the upcoming school year. Namely, it's the challenge of dealing with the rising costs associated with transportation (aka exorbitant gas prices), yet still serving the needs of the student-athletes at their schools.

"Obviously, we're concerned about it like everyone else is," said Bill Bagshaw, the general director for student support services in the USD 501 district that includes Topeka High, Topeka West and Highland Park high schools. "Right now, there's nothing definite that we're doing. I know other schools that have canceled events or distance of trips. Most of those aren't really local teams.

"Fortunately, at the varsity level our teams compete in a league where distance isn't the major issue. With our middle schools and sub-varsity competitions, most of them are located here in the city."

Not all schools, however, have the luxury of playing in a league like the Centennial League, where the bulk of the trips for city schools are merely cross-town quickies.

Take Riley County, for instance. The closest trip for the western-most school in the Mid-East League is a 30-mile jaunt to Rock Creek. The Falcons' longest journey is nearly 60 miles to Silver Lake.

While those might not seem like long travel distances, they can add up in a hurry. And as of right now, there are no plans to cut into any of the athletic events in which the school competes.

"We're not cutting back on games," Riley County principal Eric Swanson said. "We get 20 games in basketball, we're going to play all 20. We get nine football games, we're going to play all nine. We really don't have an excess of JV games, so we're not cutting those back either. If we did, we'd really be limiting the opportunities for those kids.

"When we set our budget for last year, we set it for $3.50 a gallon. We were pretty lucky to stay within that, at least until April. My guess is this year, we'll project around $4.50."

As rough as schools like Riley County might have things, Swanson is a bit grateful. He came to Riley County from Scott City and knows the plight that schools in western Kansas will face — schools that routinely drive 60 miles or more to their closest league game.

"When you've got a three-hour trip in league, you're screwed," Swanson said. "I don't know what they're going to do. It's going to be a huge reality for western Kansas, but what can you do?"

Kansas State High School Activities Association executive director Gary Musselman said his office hasn't been flooded with calls from across the state about dealing with the high cost of gas. But there have been a few.

"We've had a few calls — do we reduce our schedules, eliminate sub-varsity games?" Musselman said. "What I'm seeing in some aspects are schools thinking outside the box a bit — playing a volleyball game and football game on the same night and make just one trip count.

"Clearly everybody involved in education is trying to figure out how do you squeeze the dollar, in particular the transportation budget dollars, which are killer. It doesn't seem like there's going to be any end in sight for a while. And there doesn't seem to be one strategy to handle it."

One strategy that does seem to be consistent is the hesitation by schools to cut programs.

"I don't think anyone will notice anything significant," Bagshaw said. "We're not cutting any programs or eliminating opportunities. The most important thing for us is to provide quality programs and activities for our students and we'll continue to do that."

Instead, Bagshaw and others said other means of cutting costs will be explored.

"I'm anticipating something to that effect, where we cut down the distance of trips and number of vehicles we have," Shawnee Heights athletic director Dale Burkholder said. "But you might combine travel any chance you get, instead of having the luxury of taking separate buses so that after a team plays they can come home. You might see boys and girls teams traveling together, or cheerleaders riding with the players whereas now they take separate vehicles.

"Personally, I think I did that a year ago, starting to look at far-away events where we're not taking a bunch of kids. Let's face it, that engine running from here to Hays uses the same amount of gas whether it has four kids on board or 12."

Already, Heights has made some cuts. Last year, instead of traveling to Colby for a wrestling tournament, the T-Birds competed in Abilene instead — trimming the distance by more than half. The T-Bird boys' basketball team currently plays in a midseason tournament in Chanute, but Burkholder said there were no immediate plans to pull out of that tourney for a closer one.

He has, however, seen other schools doing as much.

"We've had schools send e-mails that due to gas-price increases and travel, they wouldn't be looking to schedule events with us," Burkholder said. "It's already showing its head. Some of the KC schools say they're not going to travel so far to compete. That monster will grow as this year approaches."

Bagshaw said there were other ways to make cuts without cutting opportunities.

"If anything, the issue for us is the amount of income we have per sport or activity that will suffer on one line-item because fuel costs," he said. "We may not have as much money to spend on replacing shoulder pads or getting new uniforms this year. It's like most families where you just look at areas and here are some parts of our budget that are increasing, and depending on the income you make cuts somewhere else."

Christopher Renner to run for SBOE

According to the Manhattan Mercury:

A local community activist will seek a seat on the Kansas State Board of Education this fall.

Democrat Christopher E. Renner declared for the 6th District Kansas Board of Education seat held by Clay Center teacher Cathy Martin, a Republican whose term expires in 2009.

Renner said an overabundance of religious influence on the school board, and Martin in particular, fed his desire to run for office.

''Kathy Martin has focused on her personal religious beliefs, rather than on preparing our children to compete in the 21st century global economy,'' Renner said. ''Kansas schools are among the best in the nation and we need board members who will fight to make sure they remain so.''

Renner hopes to tackle deficiencies in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, namely what he described as ''unrealistic testing goals.''

''The effects of the testing requirements of NCLB is that content which contributes to our democracy and civil discourse — history, civics, media literacy and critical thinking — is pushed to the sidelines,'' Renner said. ''Instead, we are obsessed with math and reading scores which do not take into account the individual differences in each student.''

Renner also said there is a growing shortage of teachers and would work to develop a recruiting and retention strategy to keep them. He also described a ''conservative agenda focused on short-term gains while short-changing long term responsibilities that serve the common good,'' particularly in funding for public schools.

Renner has a bachelor's degree in theology from Franciscan University, and a master's degree in education from Framingham State College in Massachusetts. He also has held several positions at Kansas State University.

He has been active with various local groups, among them the Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice, the Kansas Equality Commission, and Citizens For a Better Manhattan. He has been a vocal presence in the effort by some to write protections for gays into city anti-discrimination ordinances, and hosts a weekly public affairs program, Community Bridge, which he describes as ''the progressive alternative to talk radio in Manhattan.'' The program airs on KSDB-FM.

Renner is a private consultant and property manager.

We'll miss you Carol

Rupe to leave state BOE after eight years

BY JEANNINE KORANDA

Eagle Topeka bureau

TOPEKA - The balance at the Kansas Board of Education could be shifting.

After eight years on the board, Carol Rupe of Wichita has decided not to seek re-election, she said Tuesday.

Rupe, a Republican, is one of three board members who support teaching evolution in schools who will not run for re-election this year.

"There is certainly more that I could do, but I think there are certainly other people that need the chance to serve," she said. "I feel very good about the board where it is right now."

The 2006 election swung the pendulum toward evolution supporters, giving them 6-4 majority.

But evolution supporter Bill Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka, announced in 2006 that he would not seek re-election when his term expires in January 2009.

Another evolution supporter, Shawnee Republican Sue Gamble, is stepping down to run for the seat held by Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee, who is running for Congress against 3rd District incumbent Dennis Moore.

Rupe said she decided to announce her decision so others could file to run.

The deadline to file with the Secretary of State's Office is noon June 10. As of Tuesday, no one had filed for her seat.

Arkansas City board member Steve Abrams, a Republican who supported science standards critical of evolution, has not filed for re-election. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Rupe said hiring Alexa Posny as commissioner of education was a highlight for the board. "Her leadership has been invaluable," Rupe said.

Posny replaced Bob Corkins, whose hiring in 2005 was criticized because he had no experience as a school administrator. He resigned a little more than a year later.

Rupe, whose term expires in January, also mentioned the board's work to address a looming teacher shortage as a high point of her tenure.

She added she was pleased the board examined options such as technical training that provide students with educational alternatives to a four-year degree.

"Not everyone needs a degree, but everyone needs a skill," she said.

In her remaining time on the board, Rupe wants to push for more financial literacy to be taught in schools. While it is required, there has been little enforcement of the rule, she said.

Students need to learn how to save and invest, how to treat credit cards and how to build credit early, she said.

It's That Time Again!