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June 04, 2021
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'Some kids do need Jesus first': Kansas lawmaker explains school voucher-like program
March 20, 2023
TOPEKA — Kansas children don’t generally find a “spiritual perspective” in public schools, Rep. Kristey Williams said, defending a voucher-like program that would funnel state tax dollars to unregulated private schools.
“There are some kids that do need Jesus first, before they care about science and math,” said Williams, speaking with unusual candor about motivation for the Legislature’s consideration of changes to funding public and private education in Kansas.
Williams, an Augusta Republican and the driving force behind Senate Bill 83, made a hometown appearance Sunday to talk with community members during a 90-minute forum moderated by teachers Brandi Kaus, Laci Ybarra, Jamie Klem and Rob Klem. Almost a hundred people showed up to the event, which was planned and put together by the four in about 24 hours.
Kaus, who taught all of Willams’ children at Augusta Middle School, said she was puzzled and hurt that someone who utilized the public education system for her own children would turn around and “just annihilate public schools.”
“I don’t see how she can’t see that what she’s doing will hurt all of us,” Kaus said.
Kaus said the event originated through a heated Facebook message exchange with Williams, in which Kaus asked Williams to explain why the proposal was a good idea. Williams agreed to come and talk to the public about the program.
SB83, also known as the Sunflower Education Equity Act, would use state money to fund private schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year. Each eligible private school student could draw a maximum of $5,000 annually from the state treasury. Any nonpublic preschool, elementary or high school that teaches reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science would be eligible to benefit financially from the proposed law.
The voucher-like bill passed the House 64-61 with arm twisting by GOP leaders. It contrasted with the approach embraced by the Kansas Senate calling for tax credits and student scholarships for the benefit of private schools. The bill specifies eligible schools wouldn’t be subject to government oversight.
During the Sunday meeting, several audience members expressed concern about the impact of the voucher-program proposal on the future K-12 public education, while others suggested regulation of the program could be insufficient. Jamie Klem said the audience was frustrated by William’s answers.
“Just about every single question that we posed to her, she skirted around or danced around the issue rather than directly answering the question,” Klem said. “So after a few of those, the crowd grew more and more frustrated with her and started to vocalize that. I wouldn’t say it was angry but more so impassioned.”
During the event, Williams said teacher licenses and credentials didn’t necessarily define a good educator.
“I actually believe great teachers are not made through licensure,” said Williams, who chairs the House K-12 budget committee. “I think great schools are made not through accreditation. I think great schools and great teachers and great people come through great practices and hard work.”
Under the legislation, the context or religious nature of a product or service couldn’t be considered when determining expenditure of the $5,000 allotment from the state, meaning the money could be used to buy Bibles and religious objects.
Williams said the proposal would give more options to Kansas parents looking to provide their children religious education.
“I’ll tell you one thing that’s missing in our society, and you won’t find it, generally, openly in public schools, and that’s the spiritual perspective,” Williams said. “If a parent believes having Jesus with their education is important, they can do that. There’s a God-sized hole in a lot of people’s hearts.”
The House also merged into the voucher-like bill appropriation of $592.7 million for special education programs in fiscal year 2024 and placed a mandate on school districts to increase teacher salaries.
Gov. Laura Kelly, who has repeatedly campaigned for increased special education funding, said she disapproved of bundling special education funding and teacher pay raises with the controversial voucher-like legislation.
“I believe that public monies ought to be spent on public schools,” Kelly said during a Monday news conference. “Public schools are very important here in the state of Kansas. We’re a rural state. Public schools are often the hub of the community and anything to undermine them would be undermining the entire fabric and structure of Kansas itself.”
There are thought to be 125 accredited and 28 unaccredited private schools operating in Kansas, and most of those would be characterized as religious based. Sixty-five Kansas counties don’t have private schools, with one-third of the total established in Johnson and Sedgwick counties.
Ybarra said Williams didn’t pay attention to her constituents’ concerns.
“What we wanted from her was for her to listen to us because she represents us, her constituents, and she should be taking what we want back to Topeka,” Ybarra said. “She was there to change our minds, but she wasn’t there to listen to us.”
“She’s not capable of listening,” Rob Klem added. “She made that very clear.”
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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Alvin Bragg is 'asking for trouble' if he's going solely off Michael Cohen's word — here's why
March 20, 2023
Former President Donald Trump appears to be on the cusp of being indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for falsifying business records relating to his $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, to cover up their alleged former affair from voters in the 2016 election.
But a big problem for this case, argued former federal prosecutor Elie Honig on CNN's "OutFront" Monday, is that the key element of intent rests on the word of Trump's former attorney and fixed Michael Cohen, who was convicted of perjury from his claims in this very case.
"So one of the lawyers who quit because [Trump previously wasn't indicted] wrote a book about it," said Burnett. "That book came out recently. And Mark Pomerantz wrote it about Bragg. He says, at one point, 'Alvin Bragg commented that he could not see a world in which we would indict Trump and call Cohen as a prosecution witness.' "Unless there's something that no one knows about, that seems like exactly what he's going to do."
Honig concurred with this assessment.
RELATED: Trump 'knows what’s coming': Michael Cohen
"From a prosecutorial point of view, to stake a case solely on the word of Michael Cohen — yes, there are checks, yes there are documents, but on the key issue of did Donald Trump know about and authorize the false booking — if you base that solely on Michael Cohen, you are asking for trouble."
"There is one example that we just he did from Mark Pomerantz," continued Honig. "But if you go beyond that, Cohen has been convicted of perjury. He was convicted of financial fraud and tax fraud for himself. He also said the exact opposite back in 2018. He told the FEC these payments were entirely nonpolitical, entirely legal. So, he is going to be a very problematic witness."
Watch below or at this link.
Elie Honig warns Alvin Bragg will struggle to convict Trump on Michael Cohen's word alone www.youtube.com
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Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman and Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen met on Monday on MSNBC to discuss recent comments from Trump ally Robert Costello.
Host Ari Melber played a clip of Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina, who spoke last week to MSNBC.
"Shame on Joe Tacopina," said Cohen. "First and foremost, was there no fraud in the medallions? I don't know what he's talking about. Second of all, this whole thing of lying and my credibility, I've even said this to you and to others on this station, what did I lie about? And the lie to congress on the 1001 violation I pled guilty, was the number of times I spoke to Donald Trump about the failed real estate project at the direction of, and for the benefit of, and in coordination with Donald Trump. I said three, and the real answer was ten and if you think that will stop [District Attorney] Alvin Bragg or anyone on using me on credibility? It's not. And there are so many things that not only will come up, but have already drip, drip, dripped out regarding credibility, testified before seven congressional committees, the attorney general, the district attorney and Mueller, not one person has turned around so far and said that anything that I told them has not been accurate and truthful and relevant to the investigation."
Cohen went on to say that when he heard that Trump was announcing his own arrest, "This is really panic and fear. He knows what's coming on Tuesday, Wednesday, whatever. He knows what's coming down the pike, and what he's trying to do is trying to get the advanced jump on to the story. We did the exact same thing at the Trump University case with Schneiderman when we found out he was filing and before he filed, we jumped on to it, and it's a typical jump play."
RELATED: Watergate prosecutor reveals how Robert Costello just opened Trump up to even more charges
Akerman agreed, saying that nothing Cohen said before is relevant.
"If you go to the jury, the prosecutors are not presenting Michael Cohen as a choir boy. Sure, he lied before, but he lied for this defendant who is sitting in the dock, and if you look at the other evidence and you look into the do you mean and you take into account the other testimony you will conclude that Michael Cohen is telling the truth, and the key is the corroboration and the support that they have that what Michael is saying is absolutely spot on."
See the clip below or at the link here.
'This is really panic and fear — he knows what’s coming': Cohen says of Trump www.youtube.com
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