As the school finance debate finally gets rolling, with a House plan coming out Thursday and a Senate plan next week, many numbers will be flying around the Statehouse. Here’s one that probably won’t be: $271 million. That’s how much money Missouri’s 11 casinos generated for public schools last year, and a lot of those dollars came out of the pockets of Kansans.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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16 Comments
We’re going to gamble our children’s future on the future of gambling? I don’t care for the odds! Sounds like the gambling interests have been doing quite a shill job on Topeka.
That’s nice for MO, but how much would KS schools get – taking into consideration that MO’s population is much higher than KS’s.
That’s right NoJoCo – and that is how our local legislators want to keep it! That is why they vote to block competition for the KC casinos from being built here!
Here’s a bet: Get rid of the teachers union and Kansas would have plenty of cash for actual teaching instead of lobbying and defending against their tyranny. Then the whole issue of funding for schools would be academic.
I certainly wouldn’t want to confuse you with the facts, Don, but ask any superintendant and they’ll tell you what the real culprit is–federal mandates, which as one told me, comprise “70 percent of the budget, 80 percent of the paperwork, and 90 percent of the headaches”…and that was BEFORE No Child Left Behind.Kansas currently receives only 17 percent of the money promised under NCLB–but schools are still expected to live up to those standards.Where’s the teachers’ union in that?
Casinos huh? Let’s turn this place into Vegas!
Here’s a great idea. Let’s ask the school administrators and teachers what needs to be done to improve education. They can do what needs to be done at any time. The fact that education is second-rate at best (especially in math) shows that there is no pervasive interest in the schools for any kind of improvement.
Rhonda starts this topic with only considering the funding into education. The only funding problem in Kansas schools is that we are forced to pay for sub-standard products and services. If a business acted like the schools you would never patronize it twice.
Thank you government monopoly. Let’s talk about how we can fund it instead of anything that will make a serious difference.
Call me dense, I have been called much worse. I still do not understand why a casino or three is supposed to pay extra taxes? Do all businesses in Kansas pay for the privelege of operating in Kansas? Sounds like extortion to me. Perhaps the Kansas school systems should apply some of their own education to the problem and see where all the money is going, and leave the poor helpless casinos alone. If they are ever allowed in the state……
Maybe they teach evolution and the casinos are regulated by the state and not state operated.
I still think it is funny that gambling, no matter what the form, no matter who owns it, is a “moral” issue until we need the money.
When we need the money, and a tax increase is looming, I love how the “moral” issue disappears, and it is then all about avoiding a tax increase.
So much for morality.
Monetary wealth overrides ethics in our society. (cough) War in Iraq.. (cough) (cough)
I would add another double standard about gambling. The Lottery and dog tracks are OK. My buddies penny-ante poker game is criminal.
Once again we want to teach our children that you can something for nothing. That is a great life long lesson.
Stop and think about this for a moment. Is that what you want our children to learn? Do you really want to depend on gambling dollars for school funding?
One of the things that gets ignored is that Kansas would be the first and only state in the county to own a casino. If owning a casino is good then why haven’t the other states done it? Could it be because it is not a good idea?
Just think about the long term ramifications of gambling. If you want Las Vegas it is only a plane ride away. You are never going to see Vegas in Kansas or any of our surrounding states.
O.K. A casino is a business, that if built, will have to pay extra (and unfair) taxes to the state. Federally and State mandated extortion. Then, that money would go to our elected officials to be divided up as they see fit. (anybody ever wonder where all the money from lottery sales goes????) And then that money is supposed to magically RUIN our children and their education??? You know folks, youall really need to get a life and get out of the house once in a while. And as far as the moral question goes, anyone living in Sedgewick county apparently haven’t read your own local paper lately. Or watched any of the news station. A casino or three might possibly improve the moral climate of your fine city and county….
Justone,You see, preachers have come to a consensus on things called sins. Sins are things you enjoy that you aren’t supposed to, and as such most people don’t want to be seen supporting them. There’s a lot of money in sin, which makes it easy to pass “sin taxes,” that legislators are careful not to make high enough to be effective, since stamping out sin would destroy a lucrative source of revenue. Gambling and liquor are some of the sins that are wonderful moneymakers for the politicians, with gasoline on track to become the next big one. Not only does the state make a load off the taxes, but legislators get all sorts of money and perks from lobbyists for gambling and liquor companies to make sure that they keep their monopolies on sin. This is especially easy, since they can appear to be in favor of limiting sin, while getting scads of loot from it’s promotors. This is known as hypocracy, which is the primary religion of politicians, because it’s gods protect their phoneybaloney jobs.
Wow, great posts, both justoneman and jed.