The Legislature is done for the year (unless the Kansas Supreme Court says otherwise) but the news has not let up as we head into the heart of political season. Lots of news – big and small – to round up for you in our standing weekly Sunday feature where you can relax and take in a little news at a relaxing pace. So let’s get it started.
Teacher salaries
A recent report out by the National Education Association revealed that Kansas showed incremental improvement in teacher salaries last year.
The report, released late last month, revealed that Kansas moved its national ranking to 40 from 42 in average teacher pay. Average teacher pay for Kansas in 2017 was $49,422 a year compared to $47,755 for 2016.
Average teacher pay nationally in 2017 was $59,660 a year, according to the NEA report. In 2017, average teacher pay in Kansas ranked ahead of Missouri (41st), Arkansas (42nd) and Oklahoma (50th). It lagged behind Colorado (31st) and Iowa (22nd).
The ranking for instructional staff in Kansas was about the same as it was for teachers, according to the report. For 2017, average pay for staff was $50,531, placing the state 42nd nationwide.
The state was 44th in 2016 when average staff pay was $48,837. It trailed Missouri (41st), Arkansas (40th) , Colorado (31st) and Iowa (22nd). It led Oklahoma (49th).
Supreme Court hears Kansas school case Tuesday
Too much? Too little? Did the Legislature put enough money into education to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court? We’ll start getting some sense about that on Tuesday, when the court considers the state’s funding plan, which calls for putting about $525 million into schools over five years. The school districts suing the state say the amount is ridiculously low when inflation is factored in. They want somewhere between $1.75 billion and $2 billion, amounts recommended by the state’s education consultant.
The state’s lawyers say the school districts are demanding way too much, arguing the Legislature has put a billion dollars into schools the last two sessions. Here’s a preview of Tuesday’s court hearing from the Lawrence Journal-World’s Peter Hancock.
Kobach fights back against report on militias
One of the quieter news stories emerged last week when a political action committee released a report charging that Secretary of State Kris Kobach had ties to extremist groups. Titled “Kris Kobach: The Candidate with Militia-Minded Friends,” the report was issued by the Kobach Is Wrong for Kansas PAC. The political action committee is chaired by Karen Wulfkuhle, former director of United Community Services of Johnson County.
When first reported by the KC Star, Kobach didn’t comment. But on a campaign swing in western Kansas, he let loose, calling the story “stupid” and “idiotic.” Here’s the story from Garden City, the Star’s story and the report in question.
Missouri, Colorado look to taxes for transportation
As Kansas launches an initiative to craft a new multi-year transportation plan, there will be a lot of discussion about how it should be financed.
Kansas transportation planners will now have Missouri and Colorado to look to as examples with efforts underway in both states to fund roads and bridges. 
The Missouri General Assembly is asking voters there to approve a 10-cent increase in the gas tax to fund roads and bridges, which might make it easier to raise the tax in Kansas where’s it now 6 cents a gallon more than Missouri. Here’s coverage from the Kansas City Star, the St. Louis Public Radio, and Missourinet.
A funding initiative also is underway in Colorado where there’s a proposal for a 0.62 percent statewide sales tax being considered for transportation. Here’s more coverage about the funding drive from the Denver Post and The Associated Press via CBS Denver.
Insurance Department sweeps
Insurance Commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Selzer lashed out at Gov. Jeff Colyer last week for allowing an $8 million sweep of agency fees when he vetoed a portion of the state budget. Politics or not, the Insurance Department has been beset by the same sweeps that have affected other state agencies in recent years, namely the highway department.
The fees, paid for by regulated insurance agencies across the state to run the Insurance Department, are now going toward general state operations. They generated about $15 million for the department in fiscal 2017. The fund that holds those fees has a balance of about $11.3 million, according to the Insurance Department.
The Legislature has swept about $35 million from the department from fiscal 2014 through 2018. Now, add $8 million more. Selzer says a 2017 state law bars the sweep for fiscal 2019, which starts July 1. The governor has declined to respond to Selzer’s claim.
More KanCare issues
The Topeka Capital-Journal on Sunday has an interesting story about how one of the state’s three Medicaid providers is trying to reduce payments to an Overland Park contractor that treats traumatic brain injuries. The owner of Minds Matter doesn’t think the company can survive the rate reduction.
Farm bill fallout
Here’s a roundup of the aftermath of Congress’ failure to pass a farm bill on Friday. Local versions of the story with comments from Kansas’ members of Congress from the Capital-Journal, the Hutchinson News, KSN-TV and High Plains Journal. Also, a national in-depth look at the issue from National Public Radio.
Americans generally agree on guns
A new report published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that we agree on 
many gun policy issues, including background checks and laws that remove guns from the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others. They also agree on testing requirements for concealed-carry permit holders.
The Washington Post examines the report. Also, a summary from the researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health who did the study.
Turnover leading to reform?
Kansas News Service reports on the staff juggling at the embattled Kansas Department for Children and Families. Six months into the job, new Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel says the changes are helping to strengthen the agency.
Garden City Community College controversy swirls
The situation only seems to be getting worse for President Herbert Swender who’s accused of creating a hostile workplace on campus. The college’s trustees now want an independent investigator to look at the allegations such as requiring prayer at in-service meetings and naming an official pastor and an official church for the college. There’s also accusations of sexual harassment, bullying and intimidation, too. The Associated Press sums it all up with this dispatch, plus there’s the ongoing coverage from the Garden City Telegram about how the allegations are causing so much division.
Could Brewer make history?
Former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer is one of at least eight African-American candidates running for governor across the country this year. Should Brewer win, he could be unique. Currently, the country has no black governors and only two African-American men have been elected governor in U.S. history. While this year presents the greatest opportunity to elect an African-American candidate as governor, it’s still a an uphill fight. Here’s an interesting piece from Ozarks Public Radio.
New federal abortion rule; Iowa fetal heartbeat ban challenged in state court
KCUR’s Dan Margolies takes a look at how a Trump Administration proposal to strip Title X funds away from health clinics that provide abortion services or referrals would affect Planned Parenthood in Missouri and Kansas.
And while we’re on the subject, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a lawsuit to stop Iowa’s fetal heartbeat abortion ban. More coverage on the case from the Des Moines Register.
What’s interesting about the Iowa case is that it was brought in state court, claiming that the ban violated the state constitution.
It’s very similar to the strategy employed in Kansas where we are awaiting a decision from the state Supreme Court on whether the right to an abortion is enshrined in the Kansas Constitution. The Associated Press examines the legal tactic being used in Iowa.
