I am SO Angry. State of Kansas Gutted Schools Spent millions on

13.8 billion dollars. That's next year's Kansas state budget. And while politicians clash over cuts that affect real people, KAKE News has uncovered questionable spending. Almost $40 million for travel, $21 million listed as confidential, half a million in newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Do they really need all that?

Sunday night at 10, KAKE's Deb Farris tries to separate the truth from the talking points and shows you what's "Buried In The Budget"-A KAKE News special report Sunday at 10.

http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Buried_In_The_Budget--Sunday_At_10_122372674.html



WHAT THEY SPENT IN "TRAVEL" WOULD HAVE SAVED 298 JOBS IN JUST OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT ALONE

tie ANY cuts to education, vital services, etc. to cuts to legislator pay. This is outrageous.

just the politicians?

but am interested to hear what the news is going to uncover

Talk about padding the expense report!

gone are a lot of music programs, they cut librarians, Driver's Ed and even sports

Can't afford both.

--imm

they will be left untouched.

Science and Social STudies will be next

An even more pertinent question is where the hell is KAKE getting their information from

If you go to the state's budget department website below, there are links to the two volumes of the governor's budget report

http://budget.ks.gov/gbr.htm

In the thousand or so pages, there appears to be nothing that looks at the line item of travel expenses in each department or rolls them up across all departments, so it's not really clear where KAKE are getting their numbers from. Since this is something I can't check for myself, and given the propensity of local TV news outlets to be sensationalistic bullshiteers, I'd withhold judgment before seeing all the facts. As someone else has said in this thread, superficial claims of high government spending are used as fodder by people who's agenda is to cut taxes for the rich.

Bear in mind the state of Kansas has something like 40,000 employees, so $40 million in travel costs may feel a little high, but it's not immediately obvious that there's any outrageous waste buried in that spending based on the total alone. It's my understanding that the state is moving from having it's own fleet of vehicles towards heavier utilization of rental car services which is probably inefficient and wasteful. And I'm sure there are other means by which money could be saved. But an "OMFG! Look at that huge number!!11" mentality doesn't consider this granular level of detail and therefore ignores the important distinction between necessary spending and waste.

The underfunding of schools in Kansas is pathetic, but I wouldn't lay all the blame at the feet of the $40 million in travel expenses until we know what that this number is real and what it really represents.

And to be clear, Brownback is a tool. I'm not trying to defend him. I'm just saying you shouldn't blindly trust your local newscasters.

Yes, those are probably legit expenses, and they probably have lots of documentation and justification behind them. But better for the wealthy that you take your anger out on someone whose budget hasn't been cut than direct it where it belongs. Stories on "questionable" spending play right into the hands of the tax-cutters, because it's never their tax cuts that caused the cuts that affect real people, no, it's the undeserving teachers/poor/unemployed/state employees/public health facilities/and on/and on/ that are spending their budget on "questionable" things.

as a teacher

and many of my friends that actually had their programs cut

so yea, I think it is BULLSHIT

And then you can focus your ire on why there had to be a cut in the first place (instead of a tax increase).

How can you come to the opinion of "bullshit" before it even airs and you know the facts? Or are the facts just not meaningful?

Seriously. NOBODY should have to go anywhere. Hell, I even think our elected folks in Washington should have to teleconference from their home districts.

If nothing else, it would make it harder for the lobbyists and let the folks back home know who gets the appointments with their elected officials.

I can see the federal government listing confidential expense for secret defense spending, but why would a state need to list any spending as confidential?

Will be watching Sunday night

Some actual, real journalists left?

For our childrens educational needs has yet to be given, the result, schools on Texas are contemplating four day school weeks and larger classes, teachers must use own funds or beg parents, where is the funds? I think it's fairly obvious, our Governor and his cronies have stolen us blind...and I firmly blame the conservative so called Christian base for allowing these crimes to continue

and then pressing our union to act

but the building I was at this past 5 years is going to get a "school within a school" as the district is closing one building that houses 7-9th graders that just can't handle regular social settings and putting that school in my former school with all the other students. This will save a bundle in cost at the expense of all the students it will hurt. This will not work well at all.