What the Legislature does or doesn’t do this year will determine the flow of state tax dollars to Wichita Public Schools, the ultimate cost or savings of closing some schools and how Kansas might attract new educators to fix a teacher shortage.
Kansas State Government
Stories from The Wichita Beacon that cover issues from the Kansas state government.
Posted inKansas State Government
How much can the tax money Kansas might spend on child care help?
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend another $30 million on grants for day care operators to expand. But the $55 million the state has already spent added only 5,500 child care openings.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
This mother wants an ADHD specialist in every Kansas school district
Takeaways: Lisa Reynolds pulled her son out of school because educators struggled to handle his symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was called a distraction. Or lazy. He regularly ran into disciplinary issues. Olathe Public Schools or online school — it didn’t make a difference. Special education teachers kept giving him failing grades, and […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas foster kids could soon pick their families
Takeaways: Kids who age out of foster care face a heightened risk of homelessness, unemployment, drug and drinking problems or stubborn mental health issues. They leave the system with few close, personal connections. But Kansas is preparing for a drastic shift that would give them more say in their lives. The state could be the […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Chiefs, Super Bowl and sports bets. Millions will be wagered, but Kansas will see little
Takeaways: The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl, which means millions more will be wagered in Kansas on the game. But sports betting remains illegal in Missouri — lawmakers continue to wrangle on a law that would change that — and bettors regularly travel to Kansas to wager on who might win […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas public defenders got raises. But their dissatisfaction with pay almost doubled
Takeaways: Kansas lawmakers gave public defenders a historic raise in recent years, yet a survey of those attorneys found that their concerns over pay almost doubled. In 2019, the State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services lost a fourth of its attorneys. In 2022, it lost another fifth. That led lawmakers to raise wages last year, […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas flat-tax plan vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly. Here’s what happens next
Takeaways: A Republican-led Kansas tax plan that would bring $1.6 billion in tax cuts over three years was vetoed by the state’s Democratic governor on Friday. Now, the Legislature and governor prepare for a bitter fight over taxes that makes it unclear whether Kansans will get a tax break — or what form it might […]
Posted inEconomics, Kansas State Government
A Kansas business tax credit can offset the cost of child care. But almost nobody uses it
Takeaways: The child care shortage in Kansas costs families dearly, yet a business tax credit to offset those costs goes mostly unused. The credit is designed to encourage small businesses to offset costs for their employees and get money shaved off their state tax bill as a reward. A business spending $5,000 a year contracting […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Kansas Democrats and Republicans both proposed tax cuts. Here’s how they compare
Takeaways: Republicans and Democrats propose dueling tax-cut plans in the Kansas Legislature that could spend down a surplus and set policy for a generation. The Republican plan includes things the Democratic governor has said she’ll never sign. The Democrats’ plan lacks items that Republicans say are must-haves. Yet even as each side says the other’s […]
Posted inEducation, Health, Kansas State Government
Here’s how Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wants to spend the state’s tax dollars
Takeaways: The Kansas budget would include the largest single-year investment in child care under the plan set out by Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday The governor’s recommendations are just one step in the lengthy process of setting a final budget. Proposals to expand Medicaid and invest more in special education and her tax-cut plans draw […]