![[Company Logo Image]](images/pluribuslogo.jpg) |
THE OPEN FORUM OF DEMOCRACY |
|
 
You Are Visitor Number
|
For Immediate Release
REPRESENTATIVES GET REPORT CARD FROM CITIZENS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION A failing score for our law makers
is a failing score for Kansas
It was not a surprise to me, Dist. 12 Representative Frank Miller and District
11 Representative Virgil Peck Jr. scored extremely low both receiving an "F" in
their support of Higher Education.
Citizens for Higher Education
12608 W. 85th Place Lenexa, KS 66215 913-322-4345 www.kansashighereducation.org Contact: Bill Musgrave 913-322-4345 billmusgrave@aol.com bmusgrave@kansashighereducation.org 56 KANSAS LEGISLATORS GET FAILING GRADE ON HIGHER EDUCATION REPORT CARD Fifty-six of the 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives received a failing grade on a higher education report card issued by Citizens for Higher Education (CHE), a private grassroots organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of the state’s public higher education institutions. The group’s honor roll included 49 members who earned an A and 12 members who received a B. Eight legislators received a C or a D in the comprehensive analysis of all 43 votes dealing with higher education in the 2005 and 2006 sessions of the Kansas House. (Editors Note: To find your local legislators’ grades go to www.kansashighereducation.org or see the attached charts.) Grades were based on key House votes including a successful vote in 2005 to restore almost $15 million in state university funding, nine votes in 2005 that slashed individual university budgets by a total of almost $24 million, a failed vote in 2006 that would have adversely affected Kansas’ research environment by restricting promising stem cell research in the state, two votes in 2006 that protected higher education and the state of Kansas from a provision similar to the restrictive Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights that would have required a two-thirds supermajority vote by the state legislature for any tax increase, and a successful vote in 2006 to grant tuition interest ownership to the state universities which will amount to an extra $8.5 million annually. While the report cards do include very important budget votes, over 80% of the votes listed on the report cards addressed other important issues such as freeing the state universities from out-dated and burdensome regulatory measures, providing scholarships for students who want to become teachers, providing incentives for low-income families to save money so their children can attend college, and creating a program to increase the number of large animal veterinarians who will serve rural Kansas. “Higher education is vitally important to our state’s economic future and to the lives of every Kansan,” said Bill Hall, Chairman of CHE and President of the Hall Family Foundation. “It is imperative that every legislator understand this and support quality higher education in our state. State funding as a percentage of the overall cost of higher education has been declining while tuition rates continue to increase. Every parent with a child attending a state university and every hard-working student should study this report card carefully and hold their local state legislators’ accountable for their votes. “Kansas’ economy will not grow without adequate support for higher education,” Hall added. “I would like to thank the many state legislators who voted in support of higher education over the past two legislative sessions, and I would urge voters across the state to review this report card before entering the voting booth this fall.” A weighting system was used that gave more important votes five points, moderately important votes a 2 or 3, and administrative matters a 1. CHE’s mission is to raise awareness among all Kansans of the importance of higher education to our state’s long-term economic well being. The group’s founding members include leading business and education leaders throughout the state. The complete higher education report card, which displays how each state legislator voted on individual pieces of higher education related legislation, is attached. It can also be found on the Internet at www.kansashighereducation.org. Important Votes by Geography
Douglas County:
2 Representatives from Douglas County voted to slash funding for the University of Kansas by $6.2 million in 2005. These Representatives were: Brown and Humerickhouse.
Johnson County:
10 Representatives from Johnson County voted to slash funding for the University of Kansas, which includes the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park and the main campus in Lawrence, by $6.2 million in 2005. These Representatives were: Brown, Kiegerl, Kilpatrick, Kinzer, Merrick, J. Morrison, Olson, Pilcher-Cook, Schwab, and Siegfreid.
11 Representatives from Johnson County voted to slash funding for
the University of Kansas Medical Center, located in Kansas City,
Kansas, by $4.6 million in 2005. These Representatives were:
Brown, Carter, Kiegerl, Kilpatrick, Kinzer, Merrick, J. Morrison,
Olson, Pilcher-Cook, Schwab, and Siegfreid.
Riley County:
2 Representatives from Riley County voted to slash funding for
Kansas State University by $7.6 million in 2005. This included
cutting KSU Extension Systems and Agricultural Research programs by
$2.2 million and KSU Veterinary Medical Center funding by just over
$500,000 These two Representatives were: Decker and Schwartz.
Saline County:
2 Representatives from Saline County voted to slash funding for Kansas State University, which includes the KSU Salina Campus, by $7.6 million in 2005. These Representatives were: Horst and Roth.
Sedgwick County:
8 Representatives from Sedgwick County voted to slash funding for Wichita State University by $2.3 million in 2005. These Representatives were: DeCastro, Huebert, Kelsey, Landwehr, McLeland, Myers, Powers, and Watkins.
Shawnee County:
2 Representatives from Shawnee County voted to slash funding for Kansas State University in 2005. Gordon voted to cut KSU funding by $2.7 million and was absent on a vote that cut KSU funding by an additional $4.9 million. Mays voted to cut KSU funding by $7.6 million. 3 Representatives from Shawnee County voted to cut funding for
the University of Kansas by $6.2 million in 2005. These
Representatives were: Burgess, Gordon, and Mays.
Western Kansas:
Many Representatives from Western Kansas voted against important agricultural programs offered by the state universities. These votes included: Cutting funding for KSU Extension Systems and Agricultural Research Programs by $2.2 million in 2005. Cutting funding for the KSU Veterinary Medical Center by just over $500,000 in 2005 Voting against creating a KSU Rural Veterinary Training Program that will specialize in training large animal veterinarians for placement and future service in rural Kansas. Cutting funding for Fort Hays State University, the only four-year public university in Western Kansas, by $1 million in 2005.
|
|
Send mail by
CLICKING
HERE with questions or comments about this web site.
|