By KHI News Service

WICHITA — Ruby Payne, an educator and consultant who has studied the spending priorities of the rich, the poor, and the in-between, is scheduled to speak at a day-long seminar in Wichita on Thursday.

The event, which is titled “Bridges to Health and Health Care,” begins at 9 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 2098 Airport Road. It is sponsored by the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved.

“Dr. Payne spoke at our annual conference last year,” said Connie Hubbell, director of governmental affairs at KAMU. “We had so many people come up to us afterward and say they wanted her to come back for a full day. So that’s what we’re doing. You might say she’s ‘back by popular demand.’”
KAMU represents the state’s safety-net clinics.

Payne, who has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University in Chicago, is the author of the book, “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” which, according to her consulting firm’s website, is based on the premise that “…middle-class understandings of those who work with children and adults in poverty are often ill-suited for connecting with and helping people…rise out of poverty.”

Payne has concluded that the middle class – a group that includes most teachers and social workers – and the poor tend to have conflicting views on how people ought to spend their money.

A poor person’s perspective, she has concluded, is often governed by immediate needs, real of perceived, while a middle-class person’s view leans toward investing in the future.

Until the two groups recognize and resolve their differences they will remain divided, according to Payne.

Those interested in attending the seminar should pre-register. For more information, contact KAMU at 785-233-8483 or [email protected].