Kansas editorials

By The Associated Press

Here are recent editorials in Kansas newspapers:

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Jan. 9

The Garden City Telegram on teaching math and science:

University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little recently joined a number of her colleagues in an important discussion with President Obama.

In the meeting Wednesday at the White House, Gray-Little joined university officials in pledging to do more to boost excellence in science, technology, engineering and math.

During the gathering, Obama announced a $250 million initiative to train math and science teachers and help meet his goal of pushing America's students from the middle to the top of the pack in those subjects in the next decade. The president's "Educate to Innovate" campaign would help train more than 100,000 teachers and prepare more than 10,000 new educators in the next five years.

One solid step in that direction in Kansas came with UKanTeach, a program established in 2007 at KU to train science and math majors to become teachers. UKanTeach, which expects to have 120 math and science teachers a year graduating from KU by 2014, was cited as a top program in answering Obama's call for a larger, more diverse pool of math and science teachers.

To meet that goal, tuition assistance and other initiatives will indeed be vital in encouraging more students to consider teaching.

Many students who excel in math and science overlook education in favor of more lucrative professions. They need to see rewards of teaching that go beyond a paycheck, especially the satisfaction of helping youngsters develop into productive adults.

Still, there's no doubt teachers face a myriad of challenges, not the least of which are demands of No Child Left Behind. Policymakers must rethink a system that forces educators to "teach to the test" to achieve standardized goals, at the cost of nurturing each student's individual abilities.

Every profession can be demanding. While teachers may feel underpaid, burdened with administrative duties and at times frustrated by stubborn, defiant students, the reward in helping a child succeed can't be denied.

The nation does need new strategies that encourage more college students to become math and science teachers. As part of that, reinforcing education's image as a rewarding, honorable profession may be the most important task of all.

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Jan. 8

The Hutchinson News on getting around in golf carts:

There seems little harm in allowing Lyons residents to ride around town on golf carts, assuming they are properly equipped with traffic safety features.

The town's neighbor, Sterling, already allows it, and Buhler approved the mode of travel in October.

Allowing such transportation is one of the attractions to living in small towns or rural areas. Residents enjoy freedoms that would not be possible in a bigger city with busy streets. A golf cart is "handy for going downtown for a cup of coffee" is the way supporter Duane Childs put it.

Of course, it would be wise to restrict golf cart drivers from venturing onto any roads that might be too dangerous. For example, Sterling restricts golf carts from Broadway Street, which is also a highway.

In some cases, you might think allowing golf cart travel caters only to the retiree population. But in Buhler, many younger people -- some ATV drivers -- take advantage of the privilege, officials there say.

No matter their decision, Lyons leaders should have plenty of good examples to follow in discussing and potentially passing an ordinance.

Sterling requires the golf carts to have headlights, turn signals, liability insurance and slow-moving-vehicle signage and a police department inspection. Golf-cart drivers must have a driver's license and carry insurance.

Buhler's ordinance adds a couple of other smart limitations, such as allowing only four people a cart and setting a speed limit of 25 mpg.

With the right limitations, allowing travel by golf cart will increase the quality of life and make Lyons an even more attractive place to call home.

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Jan. 10

The Wichita Eagle on hard choices facing Kansas lawmakers:

Gov. Mark Parkinson is an optimistic guy who'll surely find something nice to say during his first and final State of the State address on Monday. But that won't be easy, as he also must be brutally frank about the state's financial condition and the courage and leadership that will be needed in Topeka in the coming weeks.

Five rounds of reductions in the current budget, including Parkinson's own gutsy cuts in July and especially November, are creating problems statewide. As of this month, the decision to cut Medicaid reimbursements by 10 percent is affecting the ability of providers to help Kansans who are sick, poor, developmentally disabled or in nursing homes. District courts are planning shutdowns and furloughs. Prison units have closed. School districts are taking their grievances over the cuts back to court.

Meanwhile, state government is dealing with its cash-flow problems by shamelessly delaying school payments and some income-tax refunds.

If the state's wheels haven't come off yet, they're wobbling violently.

Parkinson and lawmakers will need to spend even less in fiscal 2011, perhaps $400 million less if tax collections continue to come in below projections, or somehow come up with more revenue. And chances of more federal help are poor, at least beyond the stimulus dollars already flowing the state's way.

The Democratic governor can use his lame-duck status by lobbying the GOP-led Legislature hard for creative solutions, starting with a thorough review of the $116 million a year in revenue that the state loses in exemptions of its 5.3 percent sales tax. Some of the breaks have legitimate value as economic development. Others help worthy nonprofit organizations. But those that are gimmes to special interests should go.

The governor's proposal to raise tobacco taxes deserves serious consideration, too, for its potential benefit to public health as well as state coffers.

Even with the final action on the next budget sure to wait until after the updated revenue estimates in April, lawmakers will have plenty to work on.

They can serve common sense as well as public health and safety by passing statewide bans on public smoking and on texting while driving.

They should stop resisting a primary seat-belt law, so that law enforcement officers can pull people over just for being unbelted. Other states have seen such laws boost seat-belt usage and save lives, and passing one would entitle Kansas to $11.2 million in federal funds.

The state's unused 16-year-old death penalty statute is overdue for scrutiny. Lawmakers also need to get serious about stabilizing the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System long term and deciding whether and how to fund another transportation plan.

And south-central Kansas lawmakers will have to be dogged in advocating for continuing state dollars to serve area priorities such as aviation training and research, lower airfares and graduate medical education.

Kansans should help guide the Legislature via e-mail, letters to the editor, public meetings and otherwise. There are hard choices ahead.

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Jan. 11

The Lawrence Journal-World on school consolidation:

For better or worse, one of the likely outcomes of the state's current funding crunch is that more Kansas school districts will be willing to consider consolidation efforts.

One such plan, awaiting likely approval from the Kansas State Board of Education, would combine school districts in three small towns northeast of Russell: Lucas, Luray and Sylvan Grove. The Luray building that served kindergarten through eighth grade would be closed at the end of the school year. The high school in Lucas would be converted to hold kindergarten through sixth grade and the K-12 building in Sylvan Grove would become Sylvan-Lucas Unified High School from grades seven through 12. It's about 20 miles from Luray to Sylvan Grove, and Lucas is about halfway in between.

For these districts, consolidation simply was a matter of dollars and cents. According to a Hays Daily News report, the Lucas-Luray district spends about $1.6 million a year to keep its schools going, but the district only generates about $1 million in revenue. The district's enrollment has dropped about 30 percent in the last decade and currently has about 110 students. It's hard to argue with numbers like that. The Sylvan Unified School District only has about 145 students, but by merging, it can stay afloat.

To those of us who live in more urban areas of the state, it's relatively easy to accept, even encourage, such consolidation as a simple matter of practicality. However, for a town like Luray, the loss of its last public school is a devastating event, perhaps even a death knell for the town.

That's why state officials have traditionally hesitated to force consolidation on districts with declining enrollment, often hoping they eventually would come to that conclusion on their own. That thinking, no doubt, has been pushed along for some districts by the four recent rounds of cuts to state aid to public schools.

While school consolidation may benefit the state budget as a whole and seems particularly practical in the state's current financial distress, it's good to remember what a sad financial reality it is for Kansas towns that are losing their schools.

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Jan. 10

The Topeka Capital-Journal on key issues facing lawmakers:

Legislators from across Kansas will gather Monday at the Statehouse ready to pick up the gavel for their 2010 session, and be greeted by the same gorilla they grappled with through much of the last session -- a projected budget deficit that will require a substantial reduction in expenditures.

This year, the gorilla weighs in at about $392 million and promises to be just as tough as ever to subdue.

Gov. Mark Parkinson and legislators last year managed to craft a budget without bumping heads too often on where spending should be reduced. That isn't likely to be the case this year as Parkinson has indicated he won't trim state aid to public schools any further and is looking at tax increases to create additional revenue. Some legislators propose further cuts in state aid and frown on any tax hikes.

With the stage set, we want to extend a warm welcome to all the legislators returning to Topeka for the session. We also want to suggest they get to work right away on the budget deficit and devote most of their time to that issue until it is resolved.

There is nothing on the agenda more important than the state's financial crisis, and nothing that would consume a significant amount of the Legislature's time should be allowed to interfere with progress on that issue.

That said, there are some issues legislators could make short work of as they pause to catch their breath every now and then.

High on that list would be a bill to prohibit text messaging by drivers of all ages. There's sufficient evidence to show the practice contributes to thousands of fatality traffic accidents each year, and legislators would be doing all motorists a favor by making it illegal. Kansas has already banned texting by teenage drivers, and there's no reason to believe their elders can safely text and drive at the same time.

It's also time to unseal the criminal court affidavits law enforcement authorities use to justify arrests and obtain search warrants. Kansas is the only state that doesn't grant its citizens the right to examine the investigatory work of the law enforcement officers hired to protect them. That should change, and it shouldn't take too much time.

Legislators also might want to pay heed to Sen. Jim Barnett's proposal to freeze legislative salaries and per diem payments for two years. It wouldn't take much of a bite out of that $392 million, but it would show solidarity with their constituents, who will be going to the polls later this year.

And if they can handle all that in less than their regular 90-day session, legislators might want to call it good, bang the gavel and go home early. That would show taxpayers they're really interested in doing their part to reduce spending.

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Jan. 11

The Winfield Daily Courier on the trial of Scott Roeder:

As Wichita Eagle reporter Ron Sylvester suggested in an article Sunday, the trial of Scott Roeder raises a legal and moral question.

That question is:

Was the killing of abortion Dr. George Tiller anything less than premeditated, deliberate first-degree murder?

After denying a "necessity" defense, Judge Warren Wilbert said he could envision giving jurors the options of charges less severe than first-degree murder.

We wonder why the judge said anything at all.

There is a sense Judge Wilbert felt pressure to moderate his previous position. If so, that was unwise.

His position should be that of a judge who applies the law to make an informed, balanced decision.

The whole idea that some higher law, or some compelling passion on Roeder's part, should influence the outcome, is unacceptable.