By MARTIN HAWVER

Christmas is over, and 286 Kansas Unified School Districts are still waiting for their present…a fatter school finance formula that will bring them more money for the upcoming school years.

Pardon the double-negative, but nobody who runs or works for school districts doesn’t want more money.

And, while there is still the budget hole to fill, the biggest issue for the upcoming session is going to be responding to the Kansas Supreme Court which will in weeks or months determine whether the Legislature is appropriating enough money to schools so that every child–border to border, city, rural, whatever–is provided the same opportunity for getting a good K-12 education.

The state is now operating under a block grant system which provided districts about what they’ve received the past couple years, and if that seemingly static distribution of funds doesn’t inspire school superintendents, teachers and other employees to start looking at new cars, or maybe higher thread-count sheets, it is at least equitable. That means the simple block grant formula doesn’t favor or short-change any districts.

But equity is a whole different thing than adequacy. That’s the real big-number issue, which some are predicting could cost the state $500 million or may become a meal that, with tip, could cost the state, or someone, $1 billion.

And, that’s the Christmas present that school districts are hoping for. That somehow the state scraps the block grant program and figures out a formula that will boost aid to K-12 districts.

Oh, and there’s that other aspect of spending more money on K-12. It’s where that additional money comes from. The state can write the check, or the state could split the bill with school districts, requiring higher property taxes to support schools. The locally elected school board members would prefer, of course, that the state pay the bill and that their neighbors and constituents not be inconvenienced with a property tax increase.

Getting an idea of just how that double-negative sentence works out? Nobody at the local school level doesn’t want more money, but they are a more than a dab interested in where it comes from.

Because the whole issue of adequacy of aid to education is pegged to students having equal opportunities, some will say that the state or someone must decide what sort of education we want for the kids. Basics, which will get them into a college or community college or a vocational school or maybe just into a job. Or it might be specialized classes that deal with making sure a student has the social and collegial skills to live a good life that isn’t based on living in their parents’ basements.

And, if some districts want to offer scores of classes that influential parents want for their kids, must all districts offer those classes, or at least have the money to offer them if any patrons asked?

Defining just what a suitable education is will be the issue that may determine whether the Legislature will adopt whatever the court comes up with or whether it might hand that decision to the 10-member State Board of Education to hammer out.

The real key here is that whatever the court decides and whatever the Legislature decides isn’t going to end two decades of court fights over providing equal access to an adequate education. Just isn’t going to happen.

As big an issue as the state’s cash flow problem is, the hundreds of millions of dollars of shortfall that needs to be repaired, it comes down to elementary school arithmetic. Revenue minus spending equals the ending balance for each year.

Adequacy? Equal opportunity? Those are bigger questions that simple math won’t solve. It comes down to how smart you want those Kansas kids to be, and whether they learn enough at K-12 to live out their lives as we’d like them to.

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com.

Hello from Agra!

Right before Christmas, the announcement was made on our committee assignments.

With so many new legislators, there were bound to be changes and I am on three different committees than last session. I appreciate Speaker-Elect Ron Ryckman for appointing me Vice-Chairman of a new committee, Water & Environment. In the past these issues were part of Agriculture Committee, but water is one of those issues which affects all of us, so I am pleased leadership wants to make this a focus on its own. Tom Sloan from Lawrence will serve as Chairman. The make-up of the committee is strong and all aspects of water use is represented, I look forward to working on the issues which will come before the committee.

The second committee I was appointed to (in no particular order) is Taxation. There will be much discussion and plans coming out of this group. I am energized working with new committee Chairman, Steven Johnson of Assaria. He is a level-headed, pragmatic thinker, who truly has the best interest of long term success for the state of Kansas. This will be one of the committees that will receive a lot of attention and scrutiny, but simply put, we need to find a fair and steady tax structure that provides for the obligations of the state, without placing an increased load on local property taxes. We will hear more on the future of revenue streams throughout this session.

The third committee is Transportation. Richard Proehl from Parsons will serve as Chairman. Representative Proehl is very even keeled and understands transportation issues as well as anyone in the state. We need good roads and highways and also need to develop a plan to keep our bridges and other infrastructures safe and reliable.

President-Elect Trump has been talking about a billion-dollar investment in infrastructure throughout the nation, if this moves forward we need to see how that would fit in the Kansas transportation plan. Now is not the time to play petty politics with what has or has not happened with KDOT. I firmly believe we need to have a strong structured plan for the long term, while doing the proper maintenance and safety projects across the state on an ongoing basis.

If you have questions, or if I can be of service, please contact me: Ken Rahjes, 1798 E. 900 Rd. Agra, KS 67621 or call (785) 302-8416. You can follow me on Facebook at Ken for Kansas or my website, www.kenforkansas.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to be your representative.

When I think about the perils associated with winter travel, I think about my dad’s simple, but sound advice, “Stay off the roads.”

Dad had lived by this creed for more than 80 years in northwestern Kansas. He’d seen his share of blowing and drifting snow. When he talked about western Kansas blizzards, the years of ’31 and ’57 were singled out.

The ’31 blizzard hit on April Fool’s Day and killed hundreds of cattle. One of Dad’s neighbors lost 80 head of cattle in a pasture less than a quarter mile west of their small community of Seguin.

I was just a youngster, but I remember the blizzard of ’57. Snow drifted as high as the roof on my friend, Vernon Rietcheck’s two-story home. We sledded down the drifts and played in the snow all day.

Our parents weren’t as lucky. There were roads to open and cattle to feed and water. Our homes were without electricity for five days.

My father and those hearty souls who lived on the High Plains learned from these storms. He learned to travel only when necessary – to feed, water and care for his livestock. He never traveled anywhere in his pickup without several pairs of gloves, a scoop shovel, a log chain and chains for the rear tires.

Dad always wore a cap with ear protection and carried a couple extra on the front seat of his pickup in the winter. The trunk of our car also had extras. He knew a person couldn’t last long outside in freezing weather with all of your body heat escaping through the top of a bare head.

If we traveled anywhere during the winter months, the trunk of the family car was always packed with extra warm clothes, blankets, overalls, gloves, a flashlight, fresh batteries, chains and a shovel to clear the snow from in front of the tires.

Dad had been stuck in snow before. He’d heard of, and known of, people who were stranded and froze to death in some of the fierce northwestern Kansas blizzards. Before every winter season began, and often throughout, he’d remind us of these stories.

My father always topped off his fuel tanks for winter travel. He believed a full tank provided extra weight on the rear wheels.

“It runs better on the top half (of the tank),” he always said.

Although Dad never carried sand bags in the back of his car or trucks, he did carry extra weight during the winter. He always lugged around tractor tire weights while some of his neighbors preferred sand and sprinkled the gritty stuff in front of their tires for extra traction in snow and ice.

If someone absolutely had to go out during a winter storm, Dad preached extra time and patience. If you’re frightened or overly concerned about weather conditions – don’t drive. Wait the storm out.

Remember, it takes a while to find your “driving legs” each new winter season, he’d say.

Relax. Sit back in the seat. From time to time take deep breaths. Don’t grip the wheel until your knuckles turn white.

Try to anticipate what other drivers intend to do. Let them speed, spin, slip and slide. Allow at least twice as long to reach your destination. Concentrate on the road ahead, behind and on your right and left.

While driving during hazardous weather brings out the worst in some drivers, it can also bring out the best in others. Some welcome the chance to brave the elements. To drive safely under such conditions can provide a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Drive safely and know your limitations. Remember, if you must take a chance that could result in an accident or worse, “Stay off the road.”

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.