Blog Posts

Urgent Call to Action!

3/4/2021

DEVASTATING ATTACKS ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS-YOU ARE NEEDED! PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ AND TAKE ACTION!

THE ATTACKS ON TEACHER RIGHTS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION HAVE STARTED! FULL DETAILS ARE INCLUDED IN THE “UNDER THE DOME” ARTICLE PUBLISHED TODAY. LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE IS INCLUDED BELOW.

Please use the information below to contact your legislator, AND EVERY MODERATE REPUBLICAN. WE NEED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM TO HEAR FROM EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!

In order to assist you in taking action, included below is:
          1. A brief explanation of each bill including the bill number
          2. Some possible talking points I have composed for your use
          3. The link to the Kansas legislator lookup to find your personal legislator
          4. The attached spreadsheet with all moderate republican legislator names and contact information

Bill Summary and Talking Points:

Voucher Bills:

House Substitute for HB 2119 – This expands the original HB AND it added that state funding for the at-risk and high-density at-risk weightings is eliminated and replaced with temporary funds from COVID relief.

HB 2068-added to House Sub for HB 2119-This expands the current tax credit voucher bill by changing eligible students from free lunch students in one of the 100 lowest-performing elementary schools to a free or reduced lunch student in any public school, K-12.
Talking Points for Voucher Bills:

Exclusive admissions
Selective recruiting (for superior athletic or academic ability)
Not held to same accountability as public schools yet receiving public funds
Not required to provide services to all students (special needs students) yet receiving public funds

Bills Attacking Teacher Rights:

House Bill 2354 - This bill attempts to remove your right to use payroll deduction as an option to pay your association dues. It interferes with your individual rights to join a public sector union and use payroll deduction to do so. This bill also ends automatic annual membership renewal. Members would have to submit documentation each year to remain a member, and further, would make members confirm with their employer a second time every year that they truly want to be a member. This is a union busting tactic meant to decrease membership through mere frustration and clerical error!

Talking Points for House Bill 2354:

This bill is nothing more than harassment of public employees
Those who OPPOSE this bill include KNEA, Working Kansas Alliance (firefighters, police officers), United School Administrators, Kansas Association of School Boards, City of Wichita, Kansas League of Municipalities (notice union, administration and school boards ALL OPPOSE this bill….that’s how bad it is!)
Those who SUPPORT this bill do not deal with public employees or public employee unions.
The only purpose of a bill like this is to destroy public employee unions
This bill weakens the rights of the hard working Kansan

House Bill 2411 - would prohibit teachers from selecting their own bargaining agent. HB 2411 would have school boards choose the bargaining agent for the teachers. Under this bill, even if 100% of the teachers in a district wanted KNEA and the local to represent them in bargaining, the school board could choose who THEY wanted to represent the teachers. They could, in fact, choose THEIR association (KASB) if they wanted!!! This is a HORRIBLE bill folks!

Talking Points for House Bill 2411:

How does it make any sense at all that the School Board has the power to select the bargaining representation for the teachers association?
This bill resembles a court case in which the prosecution is entitled to select the judge, jury, and counsel for the defendant
In a time when we face a teacher shortage in the state, stripping away the right for teachers to select their own bargaining representation makes the profession far less attractive