Letters on school funding, Fair Tax, Kentucky clerk, presidential campaign, clean air, Grub and Groove

School formula too complicated?

We have read that our governor and many legislators think that the school-finance formula – in place since 1992, pre-block grants – is “too complicated.” Is it?

School finance is not school budgets; it is the way money is distributed to school districts to meet the state’s constitutional obligation to students and to taxpayers.

The Kansas Constitution – as interpreted by the courts – requires two critical elements:

▪  No child’s educational opportunities should be an accident of where the child lives. The obligation is to each child – not to each district.

▪  No taxpayer should be overly burdened to ensure the educational opportunity for Kansas children. Property taxes are the fuel for schools and school district mill levies vary widely: 1 mill levied on taxpayers in the wealthiest-valued district might raise enough to build a small spaceship ($3 million), while 1 mill in the poorest district might pay for a one-year subscription to Scientific American for every student there ($8,000).

The school-finance formula in place pre-block grants worked to protect against both of these disparities. However, the courts have repeatedly told the Legislature and governor that – though the formula in place met these obligations – it was underfunded.

We will all hear much about school finance in the coming months as it will be addressed by the Kansas Supreme Court and the Legislature. I invite other readers to join me to think on this as these events unfold.

Promoting doom

The author of “Stand up to EPA” (Aug. 30 Letters to the Editor) hopes to evoke among relatively conservative Kansas voters a sense of doom if federal regulations shape the future of energy-producing entities in such a way as to benefit the whole country, and probably the globe.

It is unfortunate that the oil and gas interests are desperately trying to regain former glory and sustain present riches at the expense of clean air and future health. These entities are at the forefront of Kansas’ decline in influence in the nation by declaring that regulations are “wrong for Kansas,” as if our local needs trump the country’s. Their interests keep us back from full participation in the country’s resurgence, not only in clean air but in health, education, economic standing and in respect for Kansas’ political decision-making.

Real Americans for prosperity would not demand “exceptionalism” for Kansans or fail to add our support for the nation’s future through knee-jerk withdrawals from overarching guidance for this union.

See two types

After reading “An extraordinary meeting” (Aug. 26 Eagle Editorial), it has become clear that Kansas legislators see only two types of Kansans – the highly regarded business owners, which many of them are, and the rest of us carping, complaining do-nothings. We are seen as overpaid employees who can’t possibly wrap our minds around the difficulty for business to be burdened with state income tax.

It is also clear that if you wish your children to obtain a decent education, you had better send them off to a private school. Everyone should by now understand that public education is not something legislators support nor wish to fund anymore beyond what they are forced to support – and they are working on that.

Their priorities are no taxes for business, increased sales tax for you and me, and continued payment of property taxes to make up for the lack of state revenues caused by the removal of income tax for business. For those “losers” who can’t afford a private education for their children, and foolishly believe that they too deserve something back from the taxes they have to pay: Move to another state. Plus, there are always opportunities in the fast-food industry for your child.

We voted these legislators into office. We had better start paying attention and vote them out, while we are still allowed to vote. They are working on that, too.

Tax not fair

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., is pushing a “Fair Tax” proposal that would replace income taxes with a national sales tax (Sept. 2 Local & State). Economist Mike Moffatt found the tax would need to be more than 30 percent to be revenue neutral. He found the likely winners under the Fair Tax proposal would be people who are inclined to save; people who can shop in other countries; those who can avoid sales taxes by unscrupulous means; and the wealthiest 1 percent, who would get an average tax cut of about $75,000.

The losers would be the working poor, families with incomes less than $200,000, people who derive income from the current system, and seniors who have already paid a lifetime of income taxes and would now be taxed on spending as well.

The Fair Tax proposal would shift more of the tax burden to middle- and lower-income groups, those groups already benefiting the least from recent tax cuts. Our present graduated income tax code is based on the ideas that those who profit most from our country’s wealth, resources and opportunities should pay a greater share of their bounty in taxes. The current system seems fairer and more pragmatic than shifting taxes to those who can least afford to pay.

Pretentious clerk

Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis reminds me of the “Soup Nazi” character on the old “Seinfeld” TV series: “No marriage license for you!” Sadly, she is just a clerical worker making sure forms are filled out properly. Davis is being a little more than pretentious if she feels she is condoning anything.

Crazy campaign

Have you ever seen more craziness in the beginning of a presidential campaign? The Democrats have almost nothing to offer, which actually is creepy. Hillary Clinton might go to jail (doubt that), and Vice President Joe Biden is kind of tired. On the GOP side, we have … is it 16 or 17 people running as Republicans?

Quite a few of the Republicans are good, smart (except for Donald Trump) people who could run this country. Trump is not the answer. He would get us into a nasty war with his belligerence, probably World War III with Russia and several countries in the Middle East.

So what do we do? We should look for a decent man with good thoughts. I know the one I like. Do you? Trump is correct when he says, over and over, that this country is in trouble and we must fix it, but could he actually be the choice to make that happen?

Thanks for support

On behalf of the Kansas African American Museum staff and board of directors, I’d like to thank the more than 4,000 people who supported last weekend’s Grub and Groove benefit, our largest, most successful event ever (Aug. 30 Local & State).

Thank you, Platform Promotions president Chuck Byrd, for seeing Wichita’s potential and crossing burning sands to make it happen. Thank you, Teketa Harding and Capital Federal, for serving as the event’s lead corporate sponsor. Thanks to former Mayor Carl Brewer, City Arts director John D’Angelo and the city of Wichita for their assistance. Also, thank you, Brian Black of Spirit AeroSystems, Terri Rice of Cox Business and Deb Jackson of Jackson Mortuary, for your generous support.

Supporting community institutions is important. They disappear when we take them for granted. I mentioned at the event how people enjoy reminiscing about long-lost community institutions such Adams and Rudy’s BBQ, the Terrace Drive-In, and Brown’s Fish Market. We reminisce because they’re gone, and they’re gone, in part, because community support faded.

Our musical-chairs economy means the privilege of sitting under the stars grooving with family and friends can disappear from underneath us if we aren’t purposeful about preserving it. Let’s keep the Grub and Groove festival growing not only for the arts and culture institution that brought it, but for the whole city.

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on school funding, Fair Tax, Kentucky clerk, presidential campaign, clean air, Grub and Groove."