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Friday, April 22, 1977
University Dally Kansan
Focus on Education
The State vs. the Schools
Opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Kansas or the School of Journalism
State vs. schools?
Wilt Chamberlin used to brag that the highway between Lawrence and Topeka was the "road that Chamberlin built," explaining that the highway was laid to accommodate the throngs of people who flocked to the University to play basketball at the University of Kansas.
The road might have been built for basketball, but KU administrators have since been glad it is there for another team in state capital, whence all good things flow.
For state schools, all roads do indeed lead to Topeka. And all money comes from Topeka. It's an interesting situation, one that makes state legislators, the Board of Regents and officials of seven Board of Regents schools “partners in higher
education," as college administrators like to put it.
But if the legislature and the state schools are partners in education, they're just as surely foes in some educational problems. The legislature and the state schools—primary, secondary and post-secondary buildings, new buildings, out buildings, educational programs, student newspaper articles and a host of other things.
The state and its schools agree on many things, of course. But they disagree often enough to make one wonder whether the common match-up in Topeka is the state versus the schools—a possibility that the Kansan explores on this page.
The efforts of a single committee at the University of Kansan have made the state more aware of the problems that handicapped persons face here.
Accessibility handicapped
One benefit of this awareness, produced by the Committee for the Architecturally Handicapped, has been increased state funding for the improvement of campus accessibility for the handicapped.
Unfortunately, it hasn't always been that way.
EMPORIA KANASS STATE University began modifications on its campus to provide more accessibility in the early 1950s, under the urging of the Kansas Board of Regents. For over 20 years, people were encouraged to attend school rather than any of the six other state institutions—because of this accessibility.
How has the CAH shifted state attitudes?
It has also been contended that in the past, state officials have discouraged handcuffed persons from getting a college education in favor of technical training. This has time-consuming. Thanks to the committee on the handcuffed, such state attitudes have improved considerably over the last six years. As a result, more students are held by the state legislature, and the KU campus is slowly becoming more accessible.
THE KEY to the committee's success, according to chairman Roger Williams, is "an outgrowth of awareness of the University administration."
When the CAH gets together for a work session, it looks at obstacles on campus and then prepares a list for University
administrators. The administration then uses its influence to get money for improvements from the state legislature
Jay Bemis
Editorial Writer
Since the inception of CAH in 1973, University administrators have succeeded in granting $9,000 for fiscal year 1975 and $14,000 for fiscal year 1977. Before CAH existed, about $7,000 had been used for minor repairs such as curb cuts.
So the state has appropriated about $30,000 toward making KU a more accessible campus for the handicapped; and appropriation that looks good on paper and that represents an increasing state interest. But not all has been rosy
for the handicapped in receiving state funds.
A REQUEST of $14,000 for fiscal year 1976 was scrapped from that budget because of a recommendation by the Board of Regents and the authorization by James Bibb, state director manager. This request would have included modifications in Marvin Hall, which Williams calls a "disaster area."
The CAH mainly looks at older buildings on campus for suggested improvements. Buildings that have been constructed within the last seven years are required under federal law to include services for the handicapped; improvements should be automatically included.
Several older buildings on campus—such as Marvin, Twente and Lindley Halls—are abundant in accessibility problems. Students on them because the halls should be remodeled to meet the safety and space problems of those who aren't handicapped. In those instances, the CAH University take the responsibility.
But the University has had problems of its own in trying to get remodeling done at Marvin Hall alone. For several years, the university offered remodeling in its budget requests, but the
state legislature has turned them down each year.
THIS HAS angered Williams, who says that failure to remodel deprives students who want to become engineers, geologists, architects or geographers; the library for each of these schools is mentored in Marvin Haskell. Handicapped students who don't know fields are, in effect, being told to go into another field or to another school.
It should be noted that the majority of the work that has been done at KU to improve accessibility is through a $300,000 grant that CAH received from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Of this amount, $240,000 comes directly from the federal government, and the University matches $60,000 under appropriations for appropriate appropriations during CAH's existence represent 10 per cent of this grant.
Thanks to Williams and the CAH, KU is offering its traditional campus and programs to the handicapped, with a little more assurance that these people can access the building soon how soon the campus can become totally accessible, however, depends on whether the state legislature will continue to deprive the University of capital impetuosity. The remodeling of older buildings such as Marvin, Twente and Lindley Halls.
Budget affairs complex
STATE BUDGET DROCEEDINGS
The quarrels of lovers are the renewal of love.
Those two august authors weren't talking about the race. They talked about the Kansas Legislature and the University of Kansas, but they were telling the public.
Shakespeare, "As You Like It"
Terence, "Andric!" We that are true lovers run into strange capers.
The legislature and the University like each other. They really do. And both are run by able men. They really BEC.
Don't judge either by its actions between January and April, however.
THESE ARE the months that the legislature spends pounding out the coming fiscal year's budget. At the end of the extension, the months that KU
JUDGE WOODWARD ordered the legislature to implement a school finance plan that would minimize the differences in per pupil expenditures in one district compared with another and with both and against students who lived economically deprived areas of Kansas.
The Legislature responded in the 1973 session after a tedious
School consolidation benefits all
Marijana, liquor-by-the-drink, bingo and basketball seem to be what stimulate people's interest most in the Kansas Legislature. What interests them least is the state's role in the financing of elementary and secondary education.
they're right. Schools in the state are expected to overstate their needs just as surely as Blbb is expected to cut more from their budgets than is necessary, some beneficial discussions between Lawrence and Topека during this process; more
The result of the implementation of this formula was a more than 50 per cent decrease in the number of schools, up from $119 million in
and frequently explosive process with an "equalization formula" designed to satisfy the conditions for equality in school finance.
educational opportunities must be found.
The huge disparities, usually the result of differences in the courts district to district, were a violation of the equal protection clauses of both the Kansas and constitutionals, the court ruled.
From its start, the budget process is actually a bit confusing. For the uninitiated, the failure goes something like this:
Unfortunately, there are painfully few ways this can be done. None are easy to do, none are popular.
The consensus among the state's education leaders, including Marion McGheyhe, executive director of the
administrators hop back and forth between Lawrence and Toneka, pleading for funds.
The financing of public schools is no dull issue. Although it doesn't command as much attention, legislators would be the first to say that school finance and the state's role in elementary and secondary education can be one of the most controversial and divisive issues.
About this time every year,
THE IMPORTANCE of the state in school finance increased substantially in 1972 (for example, during public schools was declared unconstitutional because of significant differences in per pupil expenditure among school districts.
administrators are slaving away on the budget to be used two years down the road. Not next year's budget, mind you; that is already hashed over in Topeka.
Jerry Seib
Editorial Writer
"The present funding scheme invidiously discriminates against students who live in school districts having low property valuations," wrote District Court Judge Phillip Woodward in his judgment in Caldwell vs. Kansas.
THE STATE'S SPENDING limit has been reached, and other ways of maintaining high quality, equalized and equitable
Until now, the state has been able to keep up with the increasing school finance burden. More than $298 million in state aid will be distributed this school year, and the legislature is expected to provide $320 million of the money simply doesn't have the money to keep up with the increasing costs.
Brent Anderson Editorial Writer
The point is that the budgetary procedure makes strange bed partners of the state's college and state's colleges and universities.
IN EACH YEAR since the 1973 school finance law was passed, five things directly related to education have happened:
the 1972-73 school year to $184 million in 1973-74.
likely, there is a lot of hot air blown about.
Local school districts have shown a vehement unwillingness to close schools or to abandon them. Local control of schools is considered a fundamental right to many parents in Kansas, and the thought of the state telling their schools is revolting to them.
- The Kansas Legislature has amended or considered an amendment to the equalization formula.
But, by all indications, some of them will be eliminated in the next few years when Kansas becomes a zero-based budgeting system.
The legislature, comprising the people's, elected representatives, is dedicated to providing Kansas with top-level leadership. Yet, because of the politics that permeate the budgetary procedure, legislators often fight tooth and nail among themselves and with colleges they labor over budget requests.
MENTION consolidation and reorganization of schools to a politician and he will run and hide. Support such legislation; hide; especially if schools in a legislator's district are involved.
State schools are now on an incremental budgetary system. In short, this means that programs are continued from year to year without points out a valid reason to discontinue them or to decrease funds devoted to them. Old items in school budgets carry over, unquestioned, from year to year when new items are discussed,
- Enrollment at Kansas public elementary and secondary schools has decreased.
- The state's contribution to elementary and secondary schools has increased.
Published at the University of Kansas daily August 21, 2016. Subscriptions to this issue, June and July and April except Saturday, Sunday and Halloween, 6:00 p.m. through September 30, 6:00 p.m., Subscriptions by mail are $ a newsletter or $15 a year outside the country. Student subscriptions are a year outside the country. Student subscriptions are a year outside the country.
- The number of certified public school employees has increased.
Kansas Association of School Boards, and Dale Dennis, assistant commissioner of the financial division of the State Board, for consolidation and reorganization of schools and school districts is the only available option available to the state.
HUNDREDS OF EXAMPLES of waste, inefficiency and outright stupidity in the structure of our state. Rural Appalachian County, which has a population of 7,000, has five public high schools.
- Federal or state legislation mandating education programs for public schools has been passed.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN
Business Manager Janice Clements
But if the quality of elementary and secondary education in this state is to be maintained, consolidation and reorganization programs must be implemented. The legislature has the power to implement these programs and, sooner or later, it must. The longer legislators ignore this inevitability, the greater the impact on public schools will be. By refusing to get involved in what is, admittedly, a difficult situation, the legislature will be hurting the ones whom they believe are about the most—the students.
Several school districts in Kansas operate no schools at all. Others have fewer than 100 students in their entire programs from kindergarten to 12th grade.
This isn't to say that small schools don't provide a good educational opportunity. It can be argued that small schools provide a better opportunity than large ones. But relatively minor changes in some school districts and sensible consolidation of others could save schools money and adversely affecting the quality of education the districts provide.
Under zero-based budgeting, each school program would have to justify its existence each year. Most programs at universities are necessary and universities are necessary. They won't be affected.
Let us hope the governor, the legislature and the people of Kansas will have the courage to deal with this difficult and complex issue. The sooner they do, the better it will be for all.
REORGANIZATION AND consolidation plans, if designed by sensitive and rational women and men whose ultimate concern is the students, can be implemented fairly and with a minimum of them from such plans. But the winners would be the state's 435,000 elementary and secondary students.
THERE IS an urge to fight salary increases for faculty members, because the folks back home like to hear their legislator say that the state is spending too much on those students who shuck college professors that make too much money already.
JAMES BIBS has an odd sort of job. Briefly, he takes every necessary measure to reduce it by about a quarter; then begins looking for areas to cut further. He does it every time he goes to the one and no one is ever very surprised.
Finally, the budget gets to the legislature. Keep in mind that the budget has already been handled by KU, the Board of Regents, James Bibb and the governor before the legislature passes a bill that叫 that the window, because the game is just beginning.
From Bibb, the budget goes back to the governor. Because the governor has a budget, the governor can easily restore large chunks of money, making himself look very good in the classroom of students, parents education.
There is a resistance to change, because change usually favors the fight among legislators from various sections of the state. Each legislator wants a bigger slice of the pie for the school in charge.
But some of the fat will be trimmed away. Just as important, legislators will be more likely to add a dollar allocated to KU and other state schools. Legislators confident that last year's money not be so reluctant to approve bills for new programs next year.
The budget has to weave its way through the Ways and Means Committee of each house, past the floor of each house and - almost invisibly - past the floor of each house and past the house floors again.
THOSE UNFILLAMIL for state budgetary procedures might think that a lot of this is superfluous, and to an extent
Administrators from all the state school sidle up to legislators and contaminate the supposedly pure academic tradition of political trade-offs. And there always is the fundamental question of academic freedom. How free is a professor who is teaching in a classroom owned basically conservative state?
THEY ARE thorny questions,
and every state and every state university face them. Some of the problems are unavoidable.
Those of us less involved in the budget procedure can be glad as well. Because, after all, the legislature and KU love each other. And anything that might reduce the number of lovers' spats is well worth the effort.
Gov. Robert Bennett and state officials have pushed for several years to begin zero-based budgeting, and they are justifiably happy to see it beginning in state schools.
The University of Kansas stands to benefit from this system directly. KU has more programs than its sister schools. These programs are more expensive for each pupil than undergraduate programs. If programs are funded by cost, the university will have more programs stand to receive a more equitable slice of the pie.
Editor Jim Bates
ALSO, THE practice of funding programs strictly according to the number of students participating in them will be eliminated soon. Programs will be judged according to their value and financed according to their cost.
Unionization support lacking at KU
Unionize; it’s noun“-union”-stirs up dramatic visions of the end result. Digitified professors, irate over faculty tenure terms and the pressures they face, their newly raised power, would call a strike.
So much for tantasy. Now let's be realistic: A recent interview with Professor William Scott, vice president of the KU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AUP), said that some of those omnipresent rumors—brought out some problems involved with faculty unionization in Kansas.
A recurring rumor at the University of Kansas is that the faculty members are trying to unionize.
A UNION STRIKE: faculty members boycot-
ted by the National Strong Hall, taking over
Chapelcrest, Dyke Street.
SECOND, SCOTT said that the state of Kansas isn't exactly conducive to unionization, especially in the area of higher education. Aside from the factor of Kansas' right to work law, it is easy for
Shades of the University of Mexico, mirrors of French universities, total anarkhy. . .
First, in view of the common faculty sentiment regarding unionization, it is doubtful that the AAUP could muster enough support for the move. Of support is needed for any organized group.
French universities, total anarchy . . .
So much for fantasy. Now let's be realistic
Scott said that the AAPU had no intention of parsing unionization at this time. He cited two cases, one
Diane Wolkow Editorial Writer
nonunion organizations to compete with union organizations in bargaining procedures.
Moreover, Scott said, "We have to realize our limits."
Faculty strikes don't wield the power that other kinds of strikes have. There is no major economic incentive to end the strike, as would happen in a construction union strike. No Irate mothers would be demanding that the professors return to their schools, which happened in the Kansas City teachers' strike.
When university faculties strike, fewer people complain. The Board of Regents might develop ulcers, but for most persons involved, it is only an inconvenience. Students, who would be most
directly affected by the strike, simply don't have the economic power to force a settlement.
BUT PROFESSOR Scott's reasoning aside, the effects of faculty immersion still are debatable.
directs of faculty unionization will be debatable. Kansas State University at Pittsburgh has腋w political strength to become the bargaining agent, the AUAP lost out to the Kansas Higher Education Association (KHEA). Collective bargaining is in now in effect, but in most areas KHEA has reached an end.
Much of KHEA's ineffectiveness can be attributed to a current Kansas law—the Public Employees Relations Act. More commonly known as the "meet and confer" law, it provides for the means to meet and confer with an imperative or bargaining agent to "meet and confer" with the administration to negotiate contracts.
The law has several inherent problems.
SECOND, the law is vague. Although it says that
SECOND can "meet and confer", it "does not specify"
that.
First, the administration it refers to is the personnel labor relations division of the state Department of Administration. One man, Darrell Hoffman, is in charge of negotiating differences with all public employees, regardless of their purpose or problem.
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what can be negotiated. Nor does it require that the administration arrear with any negotiations.
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If a law that establishes bargaining methods doesn't bind the outcome of arbitration in any way, what good are negotiations? Similarly, if a law restricts the use then so is unionization for negotiating purposes.
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MOREOVER, for negotiations regarding such areas as faculty salary and tenure—areas decided by the Kansas Board of Regents, not by the state Department of Administration—it is ridiculous that faculty members can't appeal directly to the investments with the power to meet its demands.
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A few years ago, KU attempted to change the avenue of negotiation so it would be directly to the Regents themselves. Attempts failed; faculty and administrators in the University must still go "meet and confer" with an agency later vested in the university without any assurance of a reasonable outcome.
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