Kansas Supreme Court gives state until June 30 to properly fund public schools

[BmorePat87]

(02-14-2016, 12:22 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: It would be up to you to charge what you value as your time.   If you want a bunch of poor people then charge less.   I am quite sure it will be like a restaurant set up.  Some teachers will be the fast food variety pricing and others will be as high as they value their time and how others want their time.

Let's say I set my rate at the equivalent of what I am being paid plus benefits. Those who could afford that are sending their kids to private school already. What someone pays in property taxes is a lot less than the cost of a teacher. 

I'm not sure who this plan would benefit. I can list many who it would hurt. 

[GMDino]

I wasn't sure which thread to post this update in (this is the other one: http://thebengalsboard.com/Thread-The-great-Kansas-experiment-continues?highlight=kansas)

The great GOP experiment continues to prove only that they have no idea what they are doing and that the implementation of their ideas only hurts everyone but themselves.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article81075292.html

Quote:TOPEKA, KAN. 

The Latest on the Kansas Legislature (all times local):

6:35 p.m.
Gov. Sam Brownback isn't saying yet whether he'll call the Kansas Legislature into special session to respond to a recent state Supreme Court order on public schools.

The Republican governor said Wednesday after lawmakers adjourned their annual session that he will work with their leaders and Attorney General Derek Schmidt to respond "aggressively" to any action by the court to close the state's schools.

The court on Friday rejected education funding changes made earlier this year by lawmakers. It warned that schools will be unable to reopen after June 30 if lawmakers don't approve additional changes by then.

Lawmakers adjourned without approving a response to the court order. House Speaker Ray Merrick called the court "judicial hostage takers."

Brownback said the courts should not be "playing politics" with children's education.
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3:45 p.m.
Kansas is reporting that its tax collections last month were $74.5 million less than anticipated.

The Department of Revenue reported Wednesday that the state collected $469.5 million in taxes in May, when the official projection was $544 million. The shortfall was 13.7 percent.

The state has failed to hit its revenue projections 10 of the past 12 months. And state officials and university economists issued a new, more pessimistic revenue forecast in April.

The state missed its projections for individual and corporate income tax collections in May by wide margins.

The department blamed slumps in agriculture, energy production and aircraft manufacturing.
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3:15 p.m.
Top Republican legislators are accusing the Kansas Supreme Court of issuing its latest education funding ruling to help justices survive attempts to oust them in the November election.

Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce said Wednesday that he believes the court is trying to shift voters' attention away from unpopular past decisions that struck down death sentences in capital murder cases.

House Speaker Ray Merrick also said the school funding decision was political.

The court did not respond to a request for comment.

The court on Friday rejected some education funding changes approved by legislators earlier this year and warned that schools won't reopen if lawmakers don't make additional fixes to help poor school districts by June 30.

Five of the court's seven justices face yes-or-no retention votes in November.
---
3:05 p.m.
The Kansas Legislature has formally adjourned its annual session.
Lawmakers convened Wednesday for an adjournment ceremony, but they also overrode Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a tax bill, and the Senate approved a resolution condemning a recent federal directive to public schools on accommodating transgender students.

The House adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

The Senate gaveled out of session at 2:35 p.m.

It was lawmakers' 74th day, making it the shortest annual session since 1974.

Legislators did not consider any proposed responses to a recent state Supreme Court decision rejecting education funding changes made earlier this year. That could lead to a special session later this month.
---
2:45 p.m.
The Kansas Senate has condemned a recent federal directive requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms and other facilities associated with their gender identities instead of their birth genders.

The vote Wednesday was 30-8, with all of the no votes coming from the chamber's Democrats.

The chamber's effort to criticize the directive was spearheaded by Senate President Susan Wagle. The Wichita Republican said the directive is an overreach by the federal government and the resolution is in response to the desire of parents to protect their children.

Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, of Leavenworth, called transgenderism "insanity," saying many transgender individuals are denying reality.

Democrats argued that the resolution was a distraction when lawmakers should be boosting state aid to poor school districts in response to a state Supreme Court ruling. They also said it was discriminatory.
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1:50 p.m.
The Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature has voted overwhelmingly to override GOP Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a bill enmeshed in a multi-million dollar tax dispute involving a retired pizza magnate.

The votes Wednesday were 39-1 in the Senate and 120-0 in the House.

Brownback rejected the bill over a provision dealing with how tax disputes are handled. The override was an unusual rebuke for the GOP governor.

The provision would have ensured that any taxpayer losing a dispute before the Board of Tax Appeals could have another full trial in district court before a limited review by the state Court of Appeals.

The debate comes as ex-pizza magnate Gene Bicknell is asking the state Supreme Court to order the state to refund $42.5 million in income taxes.
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1:30 p.m.
Kansas legislators are bracing for bad news about the state's tax collections in May.

Lawmakers in both parties said Wednesday that they expect tax collections last month to have fallen at least $60 million short of expectations. The monthly report was due late Wednesday afternoon from the state Department of Revenue.

Tax collections have fallen short of expectations 10 of the past 12 months.

Senate President Susan Wagle told fellow Republican senators that tax collections last month were "awfully short" of expectations.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback last month cut higher education spending and spending on Medicaid health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly to help keep the state's budget balanced through June 2017.
---
12:55 p.m.
Transgender activists and religious figures have met at the Kansas Statehouse in opposition to a Senate resolution rebuking the Obama administration's directive that public schools allow transgender students to use the restrooms that match their gender identity.

Equality Kansas, the state's leading LGBT group, held a rally to oppose the nonbinding resolution, which the Senate was to vote on today.
Activist Sandra Meade calls the resolution a ploy to distract from the urgent need to act on school funding. The Kansas Senate is set to vote on the bathroom resolution Wednesday, the final day of the legislative session.

Lawmakers abandoned an effort Wednesday to pass school funding legislation to respond to the state Supreme Court's Friday ruling that the existing funding system is unconstitutional.
---
12:45 p.m.
The Republican-dominated Kansas Senate has voted overwhelmingly to override GOP Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a tax bill enmeshed in a multi-million dollar tax dispute involving a retired pizza magnate.

The vote Wednesday was 39-1, far more than the two-thirds majority of 27 necessary to override a veto. The House was expected to vote later Wednesday.

Brownback rejected the bill over a provision dealing with how tax disputes are handled.

The provision would have ensured that any taxpayer losing a dispute before the Board of Tax Appeals could have another full trial in district court before a limited review by the state Court of Appeals.

The debate comes as ex-pizza magnate Gene Bicknell is asking the state Supreme Court to order the state to refund $42.5 million in income taxes.
---
12:35 p.m.
Republican leaders in the Kansas Senate have abandoned an effort to pass legislation to respond to the state Supreme Court's latest decision on education funding.

Senate President Susan Wagle and Majority Leader Terry Bruce said there would be no debate Wednesday after it became clear during a meeting of GOP senators that they were deeply split.

The Legislature convened Wednesday for the ceremony formally adjourning its annual session.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback would have to call a special session for lawmakers to approve additional education funding changes. But some GOP senators want to defy the court.

The court on Friday rejected some education funding changes made earlier this year and warned that public schools will be unable to reopen again if legislators don't act by June 30.
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10:15 a.m.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says Kansas will be joining litigation against the federal government for a directive that public schools allow transgender students to use the restrooms that match their gender identity, not their sex at birth.

Schmidt's announcement Wednesday came ahead of a Senate debate on a nonbinding resolution that condemns the recent directive from President Barack Obama's administration.

Texas and 10 other states already have filed suit against the federal government over the directive.

Schmidt said in a statement that Gov. Sam Brownback also favors joining the list of plaintiffs against the federal government. Schmidt said he is now considering whether Kansas will join the same lawsuit with the 11 other states or if it will pursue its own.
---
9:25 a.m.
The Kansas Legislature's top Republicans are meeting with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback to discuss a quick response to the state Supreme Court's most recent school finance ruling.

Brownback met Wednesday with the leaders just before the Legislature convened for a single day set aside for a ceremony formally adjourning their annual session. The governor's staff declined to let an Associated Press reporter into the meeting.

Aides to Republican leaders said ahead of the meeting that they did not know whether legislators would consider a bill Wednesday to boost aid to poor school districts.

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected some education funding changes made earlier this year by GOP lawmakers.

The court said the state's school finance system remained unfair to poor school districts and warned that public schools will be unable to reopen again if legislators don't make further fixes by June 30.
---
8:30 a.m.
Kansas legislators are waiting to learn whether the state tax collections in May met expectations.

The monthly report due Wednesday afternoon from the state Department of Revenue could complicate the state's budget picture.

State officials and university economists issued the latest, more pessimistic fiscal forecast in April, and tax collections that month were $2.6 million more than anticipated and the surplus was about 0.5 percent.

But even with the good news for April, the tax collections have fallen short of expectations 10 of the past 12 months.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback last month cut higher education spending and spending on Medicaid health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly to help keep the state's budget balance through June 2017.
---
1:30 a.m.
The Kansas Senate is considering a resolution condemning a recent Obama administration decree that public schools allow transgender students to use restrooms that match their gender identity, not their sex at birth.

Opponents say the measure is a distraction on the last day of the annual session.

The nonbinding resolution comes less than a week after the state Supreme Court ruled that legislators failed to equitably fund public schools. Justices threatened to keep public schools from opening in August if legislators don't pass a measure by June 30 that adequately funds poor school districts.

Equality Kansas, the state's leading LGBT group, is planning a rally on Wednesday to oppose the resolution. Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, says legislators should focus on the school funding formula instead.
---
1:20 a.m.
Kansas lawmakers are preparing to consider overriding Gov. Sam Brownback's veto of a bill enmeshed in a multi-million dollar tax dispute involving a retired pizza magnate.

The Republican-dominated Legislature expected to take up the issue Wednesday before formally adjourning their annual session.

The GOP governor rejected the bill over a provision dealing with how tax disputes are handled.

The provision would have ensured that any taxpayer losing a dispute before the Board of Tax Appeals could have another full trial in district court before a limited review by the state Court of Appeals.

Legislators are considering the issue as ex-pizza magnate Gene Bicknell is asking the state Supreme Court to order the state to refund $42.5 million in income taxes.

Overriding the veto would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers.

[StLucieBengal]

State didn't bring in enough tax money.... I'm ok with them cutting gov services.

[GMDino]

(06-06-2016, 02:05 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: State didn't bring in enough tax money....  I'm ok with them cutting gov services.

Like educating children and medicare.

Typical.

Oh, do you know WHY they didn't bring in enough tax money (again)?

I'll let you look it up first.

[StLucieBengal]

(06-06-2016, 02:16 PM)GMDino Wrote: Like educating children and medicare.

Typical.

Oh, do you know WHY they didn't bring in enough tax money (again)?

I'll let you look it up first.

I don't have a problem with either of those being unfunded. 

I am not reading that ridiculously long post on my phone.    If you are going to post a book then at least have the common courtesy to bold what you think is important.  

[GMDino]

(06-06-2016, 02:25 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: I don't have a problem with either of those being unfunded. 

I am not reading that ridiculously long post on my phone.    If you are going to post a book then at least have the common courtesy to bold what you think is important.  

You don't have to read that post.

You have do a search on why KS tax revenues were (and have been) down for years.

Then we can discuss why you hate children and the sick and elderly. 

[Griever]

(06-06-2016, 02:36 PM)GMDino Wrote: You don't have to read that post.

You have do a search on why KS tax revenues were (and have been) down for years.

Then we can discuss why you hate children and the sick and elderly. 

are we adding them before the gays and the transgenders? or somewhere in between?

[Belsnickel]

(06-06-2016, 02:25 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: I don't have a problem with either of those being unfunded. 

Which, you know, is fine and dandy. However, if it's going to be done it has to be done legally, and by not providing state funded education the elected officials in Kansas are in violation of the state constitution. It's never as simple as just defunding something, there are often laws in place that require a state to do certain things, and education is one that is found in every state's constitution, IIRC.

[Vas Deferens]

(06-06-2016, 04:12 PM)Griever Wrote: are we adding them before the gays and the transgenders? or somewhere in between?

wait.  Is this the thread where we're keeping the list?  Might need to look into upgrading the hosting package.

[JustWinBaby]

(06-06-2016, 02:36 PM)GMDino Wrote: You have do a search on why KS tax revenues were (and have been) down for years.

You love to keep bringing up KS as some sort of referendum on pro-growth Republican [typically] policies.

Yet there's this piece from the St. Louis Fed:
https://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2010/2010-006.pdf


"We find that states with greater economic freedom – defined as the protection of private property and private markets operating with minimal government interference – experienced greater rates of employment growth. In addition, we find that less restrictive state and national government labor market policies have the greatest impact on employment growth in U.S. states."


"Many factors that explain differences in cross-country growth also explain differences in state economic growth. Crain and Lee (1999) and Garrett, Wagner, and Wheelock (2007) have shown that income growth is higher in U.S. states with greater industrial diversity, a greater percentage of the population with a college degree, a greater percentage of the population in the labor force, and state government as a smaller share of gross state product (GSP). Tomljanovich (2004) demonstrated that higher state tax rates reduce state economic growth (measured by per capita GSP) for several years following a tax increase. 


It is reasonable that differences in economic freedom across states may explain variation in the growth of U.S. states as well. Economic and political institutions, such as business regulation, taxation, and government spending, differ across state governments just as they do across national governments. To date, however, empirical models of state economic growth have essentially ignored the potential role of state economic and political institutions in statelevel economic growth. Similarly, Nickell, Nunziata, and Ochel (2005) and Daveri and Tabellini (2000) found that higher labor taxes reduced employment. Finally, Quan and Beck (1987) and Nistor (2009) found that states and counties with greater human capital investment had lower unemployment rates and greater employment growth"

[Benton]

(06-06-2016, 05:11 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: You love to keep bringing up KS as some sort of referendum on pro-growth Republican [typically] policies.

Yet there's this piece from the St. Louis Fed:
https://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2010/2010-006.pdf


"We find that states with greater economic freedom – defined as the protection of private property and private markets operating with minimal government interference – experienced greater rates of employment growth. In addition, we find that less restrictive state and national government labor market policies have the greatest impact on employment growth in U.S. states."


"Many factors that explain differences in cross-country growth also explain differences in state economic growth. Crain and Lee (1999) and Garrett, Wagner, and Wheelock (2007) have shown that income growth is higher in U.S. states with greater industrial diversity, a greater percentage of the population with a college degree, a greater percentage of the population in the labor force, and state government as a smaller share of gross state product (GSP). Tomljanovich (2004) demonstrated that higher state tax rates reduce state economic growth (measured by per capita GSP) for several years following a tax increase. 


It is reasonable that differences in economic freedom across states may explain variation in the growth of U.S. states as well. Economic and political institutions, such as business regulation, taxation, and government spending, differ across state governments just as they do across national governments. To date, however, empirical models of state economic growth have essentially ignored the potential role of state economic and political institutions in statelevel economic growth. Similarly, Nickell, Nunziata, and Ochel (2005) and Daveri and Tabellini (2000) found that higher labor taxes reduced employment. Finally, Quan and Beck (1987) and Nistor (2009) found that states and counties with greater human capital investment had lower unemployment rates and greater employment growth"

Honestly, I doubt anyone here is going to dig back through and find out what Daveri and Tabellini or any of the others were basing their research off of. But, so far, Kansas is proving that to be mostly incorrect. They have radically different policies than both contiguous and similar size or located states, but their growth has been worse.

[BigPapaKain]

(06-06-2016, 02:25 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: I am not reading

I only quoted what I thought was important.

It's also not surprising this is your take on the matter.

[GMDino]

(06-06-2016, 05:11 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: You love to keep bringing up KS as some sort of referendum on pro-growth Republican [typically] policies.

Yet there's this piece from the St. Louis Fed:
https://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2010/2010-006.pdf


"We find that states with greater economic freedom – defined as the protection of private property and private markets operating with minimal government interference – experienced greater rates of employment growth. In addition, we find that less restrictive state and national government labor market policies have the greatest impact on employment growth in U.S. states."


"Many factors that explain differences in cross-country growth also explain differences in state economic growth. Crain and Lee (1999) and Garrett, Wagner, and Wheelock (2007) have shown that income growth is higher in U.S. states with greater industrial diversity, a greater percentage of the population with a college degree, a greater percentage of the population in the labor force, and state government as a smaller share of gross state product (GSP). Tomljanovich (2004) demonstrated that higher state tax rates reduce state economic growth (measured by per capita GSP) for several years following a tax increase. 


It is reasonable that differences in economic freedom across states may explain variation in the growth of U.S. states as well. Economic and political institutions, such as business regulation, taxation, and government spending, differ across state governments just as they do across national governments. To date, however, empirical models of state economic growth have essentially ignored the potential role of state economic and political institutions in statelevel economic growth. Similarly, Nickell, Nunziata, and Ochel (2005) and Daveri and Tabellini (2000) found that higher labor taxes reduced employment. Finally, Quan and Beck (1987) and Nistor (2009) found that states and counties with greater human capital investment had lower unemployment rates and greater employment growth"

:golf clap:

Now go read what the GOP has done to KS.

Real world application of the theory has proven to be horrific.

[JustWinBaby]

(06-06-2016, 05:44 PM)Benton Wrote: Honestly, I doubt anyone here is going to dig back through and find out what Daveri and Tabellini were basing their research off of. But, so far, Kansas is proving that to be incorrect. They have radically different policies than both contiguous and similar size or located states, but their growth has been worse.

No it doesn't.  Read what I quoted - there are many moving parts and factors in economic success.  To say tax cuts failing to generate growth in KS somehow obliviates the widely held economic view that higher taxes = lower growth is simply wrong.


KS unemployment sits at 3.8%, considerably above the national average of 5.0%.  Labor force participation sits at 68.0%, 11th nationally.  "Trickle down" is not literally your boss paying you more because his taxes are lower, but hiring more people because the business has more after-tax....and the expected job growth then, indirectly, raises wages through supply & demand.  In the case of KS, there just wasn't room for unemployment to go down much (i.e. job growth), and indeed job growth has lagged.

  
It's little more than faux-conservatism which implements massive stimulus (in this case, tax cuts) without offsetting budget cuts.  In that regard, the policy is closer to Keynesian economics and liberal fiscal policy than true fiscal conservatives.  Long story short, Brownback's solution focused on the wrong thing, a thing that wasn't a problem.  He blew out the budget deficit with little upside.

[JustWinBaby]

(06-06-2016, 06:12 PM)GMDino Wrote: :golf clap:

Now go read what the GOP has done to KS.

Real world application of the theory has proven to be horrific.

LMAO....no, real world application shows again and again that higher taxes and higher govt spending lead to lower growth and higher unemployment. Or maybe it's simply that you don't understand how this economic research is done.

The logical fallacy you keep anchoring to is that fiscal policy is the only factor.  And part of that self-delusion requires you to ignore liberal stronghold IL, which is arguably doing worse than KS.

[Benton]

(06-06-2016, 06:28 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: No it doesn't.  Read what I quoted - there are many moving parts and factors in economic success.  To say tax cuts failing to generate growth in KS somehow obliviates the widely held economic view that higher taxes = lower growth is simply wrong.

 

But that's the problem. Brownback and a lot of other Republican lawmakers have said that's the only cure anyone needs: cut taxes.

I agree with you, there's more to it than that. But since the late 90s we've heard repeatedly that the only way to a level playing field of economic prosperity is to cut taxes. That's all you've got to do. Cut taxes and businesses will hire more, top earners will spend more on shoes and cars, crime will disappear, there will be less devaluing of the dollar, investments will increase, cancer will be cured. It's amazing what will happen.

But it didn't when we cut taxes and increased spending on a national level, and it's not working on a smaller level where they've tried to reduce taxes, and subsequently spending as their income (taxes) continues to shrink.

There are loads of scholarly pieces and research about how cutting taxes as part of an economic approach works wonders, but it's very rarely been the case when tried in the real world, at least not in a country with an economy as consumer driven as ours.

[GMDino]

(06-06-2016, 06:31 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: LMAO....no, real world application shows again and again that higher taxes and higher govt spending lead to lower growth and higher unemployment.  Or maybe it's simply that you don't understand how this economic research is done.

The logical fallacy you keep anchoring to is that fiscal policy is the only factor.  And part of that self-delusion requires you to ignore liberal stronghold IL, which is arguably doing worse than KS.

This isn't some mind game.  Brownback has known for two terms now that his policies were directly hurting the state and the people in it.

It's the people's fault for re-electing him.

This isn't the only thread about Kansas.  I think the other got lost in the board moves...but there is plenty of info on the GOP's refusal to do anything but cut taxes and then cut services and say it will work next time.

And it won't.

Because as you know it ISN'T just cutting taxes...there are all KINDS of factors.  But the KS GOP knows no other way and refuses to budge.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a42817/kansas-judge-impeachment/

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-03-29/kansas-tried-tax-cuts-its-neighbor-didn-t-guess-which-worked

http://reverbpress.com/politics/failed-reaganomics-experiment-kansas-keeps-getting-worse/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/where-republicans-went-wrong-in-kansas/396398/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-kansas-gov-brownbacks-reelection-race-is-case-study-in-republican-party-shift/2014/07/30/3192d86c-1420-11e4-8936-26932bcfd6ed_story.html

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article56904923.html

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article63634462.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/15/11-stunning-facts-about-how-kansas-treats-the-poor/

http://realprosperityks.com/kansas-tax-cut-fantasy-vs-economic-reality/

Finally THIS one says thing improved slightly one year:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/seeded-with-tax-cuts-kansas-harvests-the-benefits-1431729743

But even it says:

Quote:Critics contend that Mr. Brownback’s tax cuts have blown a hole in the state budget—$344 million in the 2015 fiscal year and $600 million in the next. The governor is filling those gaps by moving money from highway projects and delaying some public pension contributions. He has also proposed raising cigarette and alcohol taxes and pausing some of the tax cuts still scheduled to take effect. But he insists that the state will maintain a balanced budget and at the same time “continue our march to zero income taxes.”

Even so, Ms. Bossert worries that budgetary issues could cause the legislature to roll back the tax cuts. “Kansas can’t afford to break the promise it made to small business in 2012,” she says. “We have to stay the course to reap the real long-term benefits of this reform.”

Total failure and total inability to see it.