Having a good BS detector is essential for serving in the Kansas Legislature, especially for interpreting fiscal notes that accompany proposed legislation. Fiscal notes published by the State Budget Director are supposed to provide realistic cost estimates, but they are often consciously distorted by state agencies and other players. Costs are minimized if an agency likes the bill but are often grossly misrepresented in legislation opposed by the bureaucracy.
The fiscal note on SB 47 is a good example. The legislation would require school districts to publish email addresses for board members, permit board members to add discussion items under new business at each meeting, require time for public comments at board meetings, and permit board members to visit schools whenever they are open.
These changes are all intended to foster better communication with the public and help board members more effectively advocate for students. So naturally, the Kansas Association of School Boards opposes SB 47 and has been allowed to plant deceptive statements in the fiscal note.
KASB says the bill “may require school districts to incur additional administrative costs,” which is nonsense. There is no incremental cost to place a board member’s email address on its website.
KASB also preposterously claims that publishing board members’ email addresses and allowing them to visit schools may require “security upgrades and cybersecurity services, as well as additional insurance.” Staff emails are published, and employees are allowed to visit schools and other district facilities; doing the same for elected officials doesn’t raise threat levels. The only threat is that board members may learn more about the district, and the bureaucracy in some districts doesn’t want that.
Legislators in both parties know the KASB claims are unfounded, but those who side with the school bureaucracy will cite them as justification to oppose the legislation, and others might be too intimidated to challenge them and do what’s best for students. This is how the game is played in Topeka.
SB 47 is proposed by school board members
In the interest of full disclosure, SB 47 is being proposed by the Kansas School Board Resource Center (KSBRC), which, like The Sentinel, is owned by Kansas Policy Institute. KSBRC provides the same basic services to school board members as KASB but with two important distinctions: services are free, and everything is student-focused.
The legislative changes proposed in SB 47 come from school board members. Because of policies proposed by KASB and adopted by prior boards, many board members are not allowed to place discussion topics on agendas, visit schools unless chaperoned by the superintendent, or, in some cases, communicate directly with parents via a school email.
These are just a few of the many changes needed to overcome the fact that only 18% of Kansas graduates are college-ready in English, Reading, Math, and Science (ACT) and 40% of 4th-graders Below Basic in Reading (NAEP).
