Lawrence Journal-World 04-04-14

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FRIDAY • APRIL 4 • 2014

Sitting the table

SCHOOLS

Tests could be canceled if problems persist By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photo

A GERMAN SHEPHERD NAMED ABBEE sits atop a picnic table Thursday outside the home of Monte and Sarah Torneden. When asked if Abbee had a friendly disposition, owner Sarah Torneden replied with a laugh, “Sometimes; it depends.”

Lawmakers avoid big abortion debate By John Hanna Associated Press

Topeka — Top Republican legislators are blocking a debate in Kansas on banning most abortions early in pregnancy while engineering passage of a bill sought by abortion opponents to make technical changes in antiabortion laws. The Legislature has strong GOP and anti-abortion majorities in each chamber. After a wave of new restrictions in recent years, the handling of the issue this year reflects a split among abortion opponents over tactics for further limiting the termination of pregnancies. Some anti-abortion lawmakers

Move reflects split strategy among abortion opponents

It’s an indication of how far the anti-women’s health movement in Kansas has progressed.” — Elise Higgins, Planned Parenthood lobbyist favor banning most abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, sometimes as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Republican leaders so far are following the lead of Kansans for Life, the most influential antiabortion group at the Statehouse,

which fears that enacting such a law would lead to court rulings not only striking down such a ban but eliminating restrictions already in place. Yet abortion opponents also want to make technical changes in existing restrictions to address legal issues raised in state and federal lawsuits filed by abortion providers. We’re The Senate passed a bill this just being week to make the technical fixes. But key legislators are tak- cautious.” ing unusual steps to shepherd the changes through the House — House Majority while preventing anti-abortion Leader Jene members from bringing up the Vickrey, R- Louisburg

Lawrence school officials reported continuing problems Thursday in administering state reading and math tests to students, and Superintendent Rick Doll has told principals that they may cancel further testing if the problems continue. That word came as testing resumed two days after the Kansas State Department of Education suspended testing in the wake of cyberattacks against the new online system developed by Kansas University’s Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation. Center officials, however, say the problems occurring Doll in Lawrence and a small number of other districts are localized. Marianne Perie, co-director of CETE, said she thinks the center has put up enough security around its system to block any future attacks. She said the few districts that are still experiencing problems are being inadvertently blocked by the new security measures, a problem she said can be solved easily by working individually with those districts. But Lawrence officials are now concerned that too much time has already been spent dealing with those problems. “Although the assessment experience is valuable, the loss of instruction time due to the technical difficulties with the test is

Please see ABORTION, page 2A

Please see TESTS, page 2A

Senate votes to defund Common Core education standards By Peter Hancock phancock@ljworld.com

The Kansas Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to prohibit schools from spending money to implement the Common Core standards for reading and math. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona, was added to a school

finance bill that is meant to tween the Legrespond to a recent Supreme islature and Court ruling that said the Legthe Kansas islature must send more aid to State Board of to certain school districts to Education over equalize the property tax rates which body has between rich and poor disthe authority to tricts. set curriculum If the amendment becomes LEGISLATURE standards for law, however, it could set up public schools. another constitutional battle “This deals with the approover education, this time be- priation of funds, the spending

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of funds, and this is certainly a legislative prerogative and puts the Legislature in control,” Knox said of his amendment. “This is an issue that I’ve heard from my constituents regularly.” But state education officials frequently point to the Kansas constitutional amendment adopted in 1966 that established the state board, “which shall

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have general supervision of public schools, educational institutions and all the educational interests of the state, except educational functions delegated by law to the state board of regents.” That has generally been construed to include the power to set academic standards for public schools.

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Please see CORE, page 2A

Vol.156/No.93 34 pages


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