 As everyone is hopefully settling into this new normal, I thought it would be a good time to send out an update. Although the Kansas legislature is currently not in session, there are still some important things to address. Below you will find information on the 2020 Census, the Presidential Primary, and a Legislative Issues Follow-up. 2020 CENSUS – 10 minutes of your time impacts 10 years of funding If just 1% of the Kansas population goes uncounted, the state could miss out on receiving $603,990,400 in federal funding. Every uncounted person costs the state approximately $2082. To date, only 50% of the households within the SMSD district have filled out their census.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY – being done by mail-in ballot only There is no republican primary this year and due to COVID-19, the Kansas Democratic Party has made a big change to their May 2 primary. All voting will be done via mail-in ballot; there will be no in-person voting. If you plan to vote in the primary, below are important dates and helpful information:
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES FOLLOW-UP This year we’ve been following bills opposed by the Shawnee Mission School District, KS PTA, and education advocates, such as the voucher type bills that divert public tax dollars to private schools, and bills they supported, such as at-risk high density funding and Medicaid Expansion. Due to COVID-19, these bills were set aside as the legislature focused on passing the budget. There was good news within the budget, as it includes a 2 year extension on the at-risk high density sunset. Had this not been included, SMSD would have lost $1 million in funding. Ideally, at-risk high density funding would be a permanent piece of the school funding formula. There will likely be legislators that re-introduce a bill to remove the sunset in two years. The legislature is currently scheduled to return on April 27, so it’s possible some of these bills could come to the forefront again, but it is currently up in the air if the legislature will actually return on that date or not. One last reminder…fill out your census! And take a moment to check in with 5 friends to encourage them to fill it out too. Erin Woods SMAC PTA Legislative Coordinator
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 Election Results The election is over and Jessica Hembree, a Trailwood parent, will be our new Shawnee Mission South area representative on the Board of Education starting in January. Remember that every year is an election year, so we will vote again next year for Kansas House, Kansas Senate, US Congress, US Senate, President and other offices. We anticipate that every district will have a competitive election next year. Meet Your School Board - Jan. 14 Three Trailwood area members of the Board of Education will join us for our next evening PTA meeting, January 14 at 7pm. Come meet Heather Ousley (At-Large), Mary Sinclair (East area) and Jessica Hembree (South area). Please send any questions for the board members joining us to Melissa.cheatham@gmail.com by January 10th” so they will be ready to discuss your questions and concerns about the board's work. SMSD Legislative Platform SMSD has adopted its legislative platform for the year. The district will be advocating in Topeka for suitable financing for public schools; support for the social-emotional growth of students, along with their physical well-being; Support for Rigorous Academic Standards for All Student; and against policies that divert public resources to non-public entities. Read it for yourself!  School Funding Plan Passes After much delay, the Kansas legislature passed a school funding bill, which was signed by Governor Laura Kelly. The bill adds new funding to account for inflation and when combined with the funding that was approved last year, SMSD is expected to receive an additional $9.8 million. The state supreme court must still rule on whether the new funding plan is constitutional. All our Trailwood area legislators voted in favor of the bill - please thank them!  Election Year This is an election year for SMSD. Our South-area seat and one At-Large seat are both on the ballot this year. Our current South-area representative, Deb Zila, is not running again. Brian Brown is the only individual who has announced for that seat; Brad Stratton has filed for re-election to the at-large seat. Additional candidates can file until June 1. State Reps Visit Trailwood PTA Thank you to Kansas Representative Stephanie Clayton and State Representative Jan Kessinger for attending our January PTA meeting and updating us on what will be happening in Topeka this year. Our SMAC PTA Legislative Chair, Devin Wilson, also attended.  Kansas PTA Legislative Priorities Kansas PTA's top priorities this year are
Gov. Laura Kelly Inaugurated Kansas’s new governor, Laura Kelly, was inaugurated in January. She has stated that she plans to prioritize a strong public education system and has already created a new Governor’s Council on Education by Executive Order. Her proposed budget includes $92 million for education. Articles of Interest  What does our state legislature have to do with your life and your school? A lot! Come out to our evening PTA meeting to hear from Rep. Stephanie Clayton and Rep. Jan Kessinger, on January 8 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. A new session will be starting in Topeka the following week so there will be a lot to discuss when it comes to funding schools, taking care of our awesome teachers, school safety and more. You'll want to hear how our new governor and changes in the legislature, including the loss of a number of moderates in Johnson County, will affect the agenda. Mark your calendars and plan to come out! Child care is provided (as always). See you there! News About Schools Here are some articles about our state government and public education that may be of interest to you.  Legislative Update - January 8, 6:30 p.m.
Our legislative update from our state senators was a success so we are doing it again with our state House members, Rep. Stephanie Clayton and Rep. Jan Kessinger, on January 8 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. A new session will be starting in Topeka the following week so there will be a lot to discuss when it comes to funding schools, taking care of our awesome teachers, school safety and more. You'll want to hear how our new governor and changes in the legislature, including the loss of a number of moderates in Johnson County, will affect the agenda. Mark your calendars and plan to come out! Child care is provided (as always). See you there! Election Results This year's election is over and we saw extremely high turnout in area. Well done! Here are some of the most education-relevant results for the Trailwood area. US Representative - Sharice Davids KS Governor - Laura Kelly State Representative - Stephanie Clayton (generally north of 99th St) and Jan Kessinger (generally south of 99th St) Johnson County Chair - Ed Eilert Johnson County Commission - Janee Hanzlick (Overland Park families) and Becky Fast (Prairie Village families) Here are two articles that show how the election results could impact our school in the coming months and years:
 Our legislative update from our state senators was a success! Thank you to those who came out to hear about the work of the legislature (and how important this election is!). We will do it again on January 8 at 6:30 p.m. with our state House members. Mark your calendars and plan to come out to hear what will be happening in Topeka next year. Child care is provided (as always). See you there!  Trailwood's two state senators have agreed to join us for our October 9 evening PTA meeting. Come out to Trailwood at 7 p.m. to meet state Senator Barbara Bollier and Senator John Skubal. They will be prepared to discuss school funding and will take questions about other issues of concern to you and our community. This is a real treat to have them so please mark your calendars and plan to attend. **Complimentary babysitting available**  Election Day is Around The Corner! Election Day is November 6 and this is a huge election for public education. You'll be voting for Kansas Governor and your representative in the Kansas State House, which allocate state funds to public schools like Trailwood. You'll also be voting for Member of Congress, County Commission and more! The PTA as a nonprofit organization does not endorse candidates, although we encourage you to be as informed as possible. There are several education-focused groups, including Education First Shawnee Mission, Stand Up Blue Valley and the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA), who do endorse candidates that they believe will support public education in Kansas. There are several opportunities to meet and hear directly from candidates before election day at candidate forums. KS House Districts 19, 25 Candidate Forum (Trailwood families north of 99th Street) Hosted by the Shawnee Mission Post 6:30 - 7:30 pm, Thu, Oct 11, 2018 Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, KS KS House Districts 20, 29 Candidate Forum (Trailwood families south of 99th Street) Hosted by the Shawnee Mission Post 7 - 8 pm, Tue, Oct 23, 2018 Shawnee Mission South High School, Overland Park, KS You can register to vote until October 16 and request a mail ballot online at ksvotes.org. Cross these important tasks off your to-do list today with a few clicks on your computer and you'll be all set to vote from the comfort of your couch. Election day is November 6.  Election Day is November 6 and this is a huge election for public education. You'll be voting for Kansas Governor and your representative in the Kansas State House, which allocates state funds to public schools like Trailwood. You'll also be voting for Member of Congress, County Commission and more! The PTA as a nonprofit organization does not endorse candidates, although we encourage you to be as informed as possible. There are several education-focused groups, including Education First Shawnee Mission, Stand Up Blue Valley and the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA), who do endorse candidates that they believe will support public education in Kansas. You can vote early at Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center on Friday (10 am-7pm) or Saturday (9am-3pm) or at your polling place on Tuesday. Visit jocoelection.org to find your polling place. Vote, vote, vote! The Department of Education is considering of a proposal that would allow federal Title IV-A funds to be used to purchase guns for schools. You can read more about the proposal at this link. National, Kansas and SMAC PTAs are ALL opposed to this!
ACT HERE: https://www.pta.org/home/advocacy/take-action?vvsrc=/campaigns/60657/respond  Legislative Update: October 9 We are pleased that Trailwood's two state senators have agreed to join us for our October 9 evening PTA meeting. Come out to Trailwood at 7 p.m. to meet state Senator Barbara Bollier and Senator John Skubal. They will be prepared to discuss school funding and will take questions about other issues of concern to you and our community. This is a real treat to have them so please mark your calendars and plan to attend. (Note: this is a change from previously announced lineup. We expect our state house representatives to join us separately in January.) If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Cheatham, Legislative Chair, at melissa.cheatham@gmail.com Election Day: November 6 Election Day is November 6 and this is a huge election for public education. You can register to vote and request a mail ballot online at ksvotes.org. Cross these important tasks off your to-do list today with a few clicks on your computer and you'll be all set to vote from the comfort of your couch.  Trailwood Legislative Forum - Oct. 9 @ 7pm We are pleased that Trailwood's four state legislators have all agreed to join us for our October 9 evening PTA meeting. Come out to Trailwood to meet state Reps. Stephanie Clayton and Jan Kessinger and state Sens. Barbara Bollier and John Skubal. Our legislators will be prepared to discuss school funding and will take questions about other issues of concern to you and our community. This is a real treat to have them so please mark your calendars and plan to attend. Primary Election Complete - General Election November 6 The primary election was held on August 7. The winners of the primary election advance to the general election, which will be held on November 6. Many decisions about our schools are decided by election outcomes, including funding levels, school safety, investments in early education and much more. Please make a plan to vote! You can register to vote, or update your registration if you've moved, online at https://ksvotes.org/. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Cheatham, Legislative Chair, at melissa.cheatham@gmail.com |
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