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Daily Archives: Jan. 13, 2007
Get off the evolution seesaw
Jan. 13, 20071:02 a.m.
During her State of the State speech Wednesday, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius didn’t mention the evolution flap, the State Board of Education or her earlier proposal to make the 10-member board advisory and have a Cabinet-level education secretary. She shouldn’t let it drop. Though the new moderate majority on the state board already has begun to undo some of the damage done by the conservative-led board, there is no guarantee that this board’s work will survive the next set of elections. That could mean five changes to the science standards in 10 years. She and the Legislature still need to talk about long-term reform, via a constitutional amendment to replace the flawed 1966 one that set up the current board. As our editorial Friday concludes, “Education in Kansas deserves better than the ideological seesaw the state board has become.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Will old plagiarism story plague Biden?
Jan. 13, 20071:01 a.m.
Add Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., to the list of 2008 hopefuls in the exploratory committee phase. He told Tim Russert on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that he is running. “I’m going to be Joe Biden, and I’m going to try to be the best Biden I can be,” he said. “If I can, I got a shot. If I can’t, I lose.” He’s long been a clear and candid Democratic voice in the Senate, and his new chairmanship of Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be a prominent stage. But nothing has changed about the charges of plagiarism of speeches and law school work that dogged his 1988 bid. Will 20 years make voters more forgiving?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Three in positions to make Wichita proud
Jan. 13, 20071:00 a.m.
Two other Kansas newspapers’ lists of “key players” in Topeka in 2007 included no Wichitans, and for good reason. In terms of top leadership posts, including in the Legislature, Wichita-area residents continue to be underachievers. But three locals got some prominent new assignments this week that reflect well on them and their constituents: State Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita (in photo), was named chairwoman of the Senate’s new higher education task force, which will focus on public universities’ repair backlog, rising tuition rates, and future governance of vocational and technical schools. Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, was one of three senators chosen to make up a new Senate Energy Council, tasked with developing an energy agenda for the chamber. And Carol Rupe of Wichita, a Republican, was elected vice chairwoman of the Kansas State Board of Education, by the board’s new moderate majority.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
