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School cuts haven’t made a difference, group told By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — A task force appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback to recommend ways to make school spending more efficient started its work on Monday, hearing from a group that has been a constant critic of how schools spend money. Dave Trabert, president
of the Kansas Policy Institute, told the task force that recent cuts in school funding haven’t made a difference in the academic performance of students. “Certainly money matters. You can’t take it all away,” Trabert said. “But simply spending a little less is not go-
ing to have an impact on outcomes. Or spending more.” KPI describes itself as “an independent think-tank that advocates for free market solutions and the protection of personal freedom for all Kansans.” Trabert was scheduled to speak to the task force for
two and a half hours. He was to be followed by Mark Tallman, a lobbyist with the Kansas Association of School Boards, and then Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis, who were each allotted one and a half hours. Brownback appointed the 10-member commission last
month, saying, “We need more money in the classroom and less in administration and overhead costs.” On Monday, the task force heard from Trabert and then broke for lunch in another room. Joined by Trabert, Please see SCHOOLS, page 2A Brownback
4-H’ers channel their inner MacGyver
Breezy
High: 69
Brownback-appointed task force considering how to make education spending more efficient
Low: 33
Today’s forecast, page 10A
INSIDE
TV chief defends the role of PBS ——
Virginia standout commits to KU Frank Mason cites Kansas University’s tradition in basketball as one reason for orally committing to the Jayhawks, and hopes his college career mirrors one of his all-time KU favorites, Sherron Collins. Page 1B
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QUOTABLE
It’s not lost on anybody that enrollment’s not growing, and that’s not healthy for the university.” — Kansas University Alumni Association president Kevin Corbett, on a program to recruit children of alumni to reverse a four-year trend of enrollment declines. Page 3A
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Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photos
GRACE ADAMS, 7, A MEMBER OF THE CLINTON EAGLES 4-H CLUB, watches her “eco-bot” after it was deployed on a map representing an oil-spill area. At a National 4-H Week event at the former at Wakarusa Valley School, Grace and some of her fellow 4-H’ers learned firsthand about building robots that can be used to preserve and protect the environment.
Toothbrush transformed into robot designed to scrub toxic oil spill By Meagan Thomas mthomas@ljworld.com
Children in the Clinton Eagles 4-H Club were given a mission: Build a robot to clean up a toxic skill. Their supplies? A toothbrush head, a battery, straws, paper cups and tape. The mission was a part of Clinton Eagles Science Day, which was held in honor of National 4-H Week and National Youth Science Day. “This is to get the kids excited about (4-H program) Space Tech and
Business 7A Classified 5B-10B Comics 9A Deaths 2A Events listings 10A, 2B Formerly, it was Horoscope 9B Movies 4A By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com Opinion 8A Puzzles 9B It is like a rolling billSports 1B-4B board for the state of Television 10A, 2B, 9B Kansas. The big semitrailer Vol.154/No.283 20 pages that hauls shoulder pads, helmets and other gear for the Kansas University football team to road games is appropriately ablaze in Sunflower State pride. Nearly everywhere you look, ‘Kansas’
robotics,” parent leader Marisa Dallman said. During the event on Monday night at the former Wakarusa Valley School building, members of the Clinton Eagles talked about what they thought robots were and what were some ways people used robots in everyday life. The children then built an eco-bot, or a robot to clean up a simulated environmental spill. The children were given a map with Please see 4-H, page 6A
4-H’ERS USED TOOTHBRUSHES, paper clips, straws and batteries to build their mini eco-bots.
Kansas trailer soon to have Kansas tags licensed in Maine is plastered somewhere on the trailer. Well, almost everywhere. It isn’t on the license plate. A spokesman with the Kansas University Athletics Department confirmed the trailer for “several” years has sported a license plate from Maine. Jim Marchiony, an associate athletic director
Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo
THIS TRAILER — not owned by KU — hauls football equipPlease see LICENSE, page 6A ment to games and used to have a Maine license plate.
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Funding is tiny part of federal budget but crucial in state, manager says By Scott Rothschild srothschild@ljworld.com
TOPEKA — The political debate over the role of government — embodied by Big Bird — may be getting some laughs on the campaign trail, but Michael Quade, the general manager of Smoky Hills Public Television, sees nothing humorous in the prospect of ending federal funding to PBS. “We would have to reevaluate everything and probably have to do away with a lot of stuff,” said Quade, whose Whether “Sesstation serves ame Street,” 70 counties which features from Salina Big Bird, would west to Colo- survive such a rado. cut would probIn last ably be decided week’s presi- on the national dential de- level. bate, Republican candidate Mitt Romney said he would do away with federal funding of PBS. A day later, U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Topeka, said the same thing, while her Democratic opponent, Tobias Schlingensiepen, of Topeka, said he would fight for PBS funding with his life. Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting totals $450 million this year, accounting for about 15 percent of the CPB’s budget. That $450 million appropriation also represents roughly one one-hundredth of 1 percent of the total federal budget. Please see PBS, page 2A
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