Kansas Schools Improving

There are fewer failing schools in Kansas this year than there were last year. Undoubtedly a very good thing. This year only 15 failing schools, down from 21 last year and 30 the year before, a failing school has to meet state standards for two years before they are taken off the list.

Interesting that a state with 1400 schools can have only 15 failing schools and still not provide a suitable education. Interesting that school districts can claim that state isn't adequately funding a suitable education when they don't have any failing schools in their district.

However, education funding remains a mess in Kansas. Attorney General Kline and state Senator Vratil are proposing that Kansas lower the standards it sets for our students. This is the disastrous intervention of the courts into education funding.

The basic idea is set a lower standard, meet the standard, and keep control of schools with parents and legislators instead of courts. However I doubt the success of the plan. The court has already created its own standard that had no previous grounding in law, I don't see what would prevent the court from deciding the new standard isn't suitable, or just disregarding any legal standard and creating a new standard.

There is little that is more important than providing an excellent education to our children. Lowering standards sends the wrong message to everyone. If we really want to keep courts within their appropriate boundaries, we should amend the constitution to keep them within those boundaries, we should cure the disease instead of treating the symptoms.

Timothy Burger