There has been a lot of rhetoric thrown around about putting education funds "into the classroom." The Governor and his office like to use that phrase, as does the leadership in the Kansas Legislature. It's a populist cry, one that everyone can agree on. Certainly, let's put more money into the classrooms, why not?  Who would disagree?

It has been nearly fifteen years since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We remember those who died, their loved ones who will always remember, and the countless lives affected worldwide by the events of that day. We often feel helpless in the face of tragedies like that, unsure of how to help guide our communities out of times like those. We look then to our leaders, elected, spiritual, in our homes and across the country.

The Secretary of State in Kansas is responsible for administering elections and registering voters. In 2015, our State Legislature also gave the office the right to prosecute voter fraud, much to the delight of the current Secretary, Kris Kobach.

The leadership in the Kansas Legislature would have us believe that the problems of education funding have been solved by their block grant scheme. In fact, they are trying very hard to convince not just us, but the courts, the media, and the citizens of Kansas. But they are not doing a very good job.

Next Wednesday, the 26th of August, is Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 95th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Take a moment to imagine, if you even can, that women were once denied the vote, because they were considered subject to men, superfluous in their household’s decision making, and incapable of the intellectual rigor needed for politics. Also, it was pointed out, women’s suffrage went against the laws of God.

Written by Aaron Estabrook

Kansas public preschools are isolated and rare. Educators at all levels in Kansas are frustrated and fleeing.

As the dust settles from one of the worst legislative sessions in Kansas history, we acknowledge that class sizes are larger, we have a statewide teacher shortage bordering on crisis and we have cornered ourselves into a place where the State Board of Education finds it necessary to hire unlicensed people to educate our children.

School starts again next week in some districts in Kansas, and we thought it would be a good moment to recap the state of education in Kansas after the tumultuous legislative session and the all-too-short summer.

Today is the birthday of Milton Friedman, an economist whose ideas had great influence in the conservative economic policies of Ronald Reagan. While he died in 2006, his name has lived on in his Foundation for Educational Choice, which celebrates this day every year.

The MainStream Education Foundation is dedicated to a singular vision: the more informed voters are, the better they can make decisions that will benefit them. Even just the choice of whether to vote, or even to register to vote, can make a huge difference in their lives. Making an informed choice, making the right choice for you and your family… that is what the MainStream Education Foundation works for.

Next week, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will be holding its annual meeting in San Diego. ALEC is a right-wing, big business-friendly organization founded by the Koch Brothers to generate boilerplate legislation and urge its introduction into state legislatures around the country.