Kansas views on revenue shortfall, soft skills, social worker turnover, Royals
Revenue shortfall – Another month, another missed revenue report for the state of Kansas. October’s report missed the mark by $11 million, bringing the fiscal year-to-date total reduction in expected tax revenue short of $78 million. Yet, as these dismal economic reports continue to come in, the state’s highest officials refuse to acknowledge the underlying problem. Cutting taxes on the wealthiest does not equal more jobs and more money for the average working person, and it doesn’t mean increased economic activity or better tax collections for the state. It equals exactly what we’ve seen for the past several years in Kansas – lowered expectations, higher local taxes, reduced quality of life and a bitter realization that a system run by and for the wealthy works exactly as designed.
Soft skills – It looks as if Kansas public schools will soon be emphasizing “soft” skills. We hope this is not another “silver bullet” for fixing public education. It seems rather hastily put together, ambitious and difficult to measure.
Social workers – According to state figures, Kansas has about 6,500 children in its foster care system at any one time, and since 2011, more children have been coming into the system each month than have been exiting. One can’t help but wonder if children are lingering in the system longer because of the high turnover in social welfare case managers – a situation that would be detrimental both to the children and to state taxpayers. These children are in the state system because they need some help, and the system currently seems to be letting at least some of those children down. Kansas Department for Children and Families officials should give top priority to resolving the turnover problem and providing more consistent help to the Kansas children who need it.
Royals – It has been 30 years since the Topeka Capital-Journal has had a chance to congratulate the Kansas City Royals on a World Series victory. So we’ll waste no time now. Congratulations on a job well done by the major leaguers who wear the Royals uniform and those who toil in the organization’s offices. It was, indeed, a long time coming, but the wait makes this year’s success that much sweeter.
The Royals won because of key hits, great defense, Mets blunders, and because they continued to do the same things over and over. Most importantly, they never stopped believing that what they were doing eventually would work.
While the team might play in Missouri, the class and effort it showcased represents Kansans just as much. To the Royals: We salute you. Thanks for showing us what’s possible by not giving up.
This Royals team is so good and so young, and has been to two straight World Series, we could see Kansas City back on baseball’s biggest postseason stage for years to come. But for now, in early November, for the first time in 30 years, this metropolitan area will bask in the attention that comes with a World Series crown. And we will wear it proudly.
This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Kansas views on revenue shortfall, soft skills, social worker turnover, Royals."