Thursday, December 15, 2005
Board Delays Charter School, Voucher Decision
Melodee Hall Blobaum, writing in the Kansas City Star, reports that the Kansas State School Board put off a vote Tuesday on recommendations to the legislature on charter schools and vouchers because the room was jammed with superintendents of schools from around the state who showed up to oppose the measure.
Presentations for and against the measure had extended past 5:00 pm when moderate Janet Waugh proposed putting off a vote until January.
Connie Morris, the board's leading proponent of teaching the controversy and letting the people's voice be heard, opposed putting off the vote, according to Blobaum, saying:
Tellingly, Education Commissioner Bob Corkins said he would not change his voucher recommendations to require that private schools accept every student who applied and meet every standard that the public schools were required to meet.
When Janet Waugh pressed to know why, Corkins responded: “You wouldn’t find any private institution willing to take vouchers if they had to comply with state and federal regulations.”
Presentations for and against the measure had extended past 5:00 pm when moderate Janet Waugh proposed putting off a vote until January.
Connie Morris, the board's leading proponent of teaching the controversy and letting the people's voice be heard, opposed putting off the vote, according to Blobaum, saying:
"There have been numerous outbursts of applause, and I think that generally the opinions of the crowd in the room and the hallway are quite clear,” Morris said, “and hopefully they will feel they’ve been heard.”
Tellingly, Education Commissioner Bob Corkins said he would not change his voucher recommendations to require that private schools accept every student who applied and meet every standard that the public schools were required to meet.
When Janet Waugh pressed to know why, Corkins responded: “You wouldn’t find any private institution willing to take vouchers if they had to comply with state and federal regulations.”
