Prairie Trail Middle teacher Kelly Ruiz despairs about the bundle of bills under consideration by the Kansas Legislature based on the premise of educational malfeasance in K-12 public schools.
Republican House and Senate members have demonstrated interest in shifting more public tax dollars to private schools, highlighting struggles of public school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, denouncing teachers for allegedly advancing critical race theory, raising the possibility to labeling as offensive or removing library materials, weakening student vaccination programs, imposing broad mandates on publication of curriculum materials to an online database and imposing a parental bill of rights.
“We have to stop the legislation,” Ruiz said during a forum Saturday in Olathe. “It undermines what we do in the classroom. It disrespects and disregards us as professionals. Trust us. We know what saves kids. We know what inspires kids.”
Rep. Kristey Williams, a Republican who chairs the House K-12 Education Budget Committee, and Sen. Molly Baumgardner, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, have been working on the bulk of bills some educators find objectionable. Much of that legislative agenda is expected to be considered by lawmakers during the second half of the annual session that starts Tuesday.
“There is one central question that I try to circle back to when considering importing policy as chair of the House’s K-12 Education Budget Committee: What is best for kids?” Williams said. “With that central theme of kids first, or kids before systems, our committee has heard four bills providing more school choice, both public and private choices.”
https://www.olathereporter.newsnirvana.com/school_news/johnson-county-teachers-push-back-against-avalanche-of-k-12-education-reform-bills/article_cf624ca6-981d-11ec-b7b8-ebd1c20f13b1.html