To the editor:

The Saturday Column (Oct. 18) touted Gov. S.B.’s strengths on agriculture and education. On education, the indication that “Kansas gets more bang for the buck” (Kansas Association of School Boards) is a tribute to the students and teachers and should be a clarion call to produce more bucks, not fewer, as this administration has done. Per-student spending is $861 less than in 2008, as cited in Sunday’s Journal-World, page 1A. That’s 22 percent of the fiscal 2013 spending level. Indications from past performance and present rhetoric are that the huge shortfalls resulting from this administration’s tax policies will lead to more hard times for Kansas education K-16.

To claim the increased funding of state pensions (KPERS) as education support is dubious, if not outright deceitful.  Perhaps the improved pension prospects will help recruit better teachers down the road, it they can overlook the fact that they will henceforth have 6 percent of salary withheld by KPERS, rather than the previous 4 percent and will not have a cost-of-living adjustment upon retirement. Over the next 10 years, government employees will contribute more than $4 billion toward filling the pension shortfall, while the governments will contribute less than $10 billion from their somewhat larger resource base. Given that this administration also took away teachers’ right to a hearing if they are fired, it’s hard to imagine that teacher recruitment will improve.

This administration’s record on education seems a glaring weakness, not a strength!