As Kansas teachers,  some of us are in our last week of school, others (like myself) still have another week to go. I’d like to wish all of you the smoothest possible finale to your year.

That said, once you have a chance to catch up on your sleep and spend some long overdue time with your loved ones, I have a request to make. I’d like to encourage you to work your civics muscle. We’re social studies teachers and since the civics engagement/government stuff is part of why we got into this content in the first place, I’m guessing you already keep up with what’s going on in Topeka and DC. The fact remains that we are busy professionals with personal lives and it gets hard to keep up with everything. If you have the opportunity this summer to attend a town hall or otherwise contact your Senators and Representatives, please do. Here’s a little on what KCSS has been doing and some sources for what else is happening with education funding. 

Last week, the Kansas Council for the Social Studies signed onto a letter with 140 other organizations, urging the continued funding of ESSA Title II-A. The proposed Trump budget would eliminate these funds which assist with funds for teacher training and quality.

ESSA Title II-A Funding Letter

The National Council for the Social Studies provides great updates on what’s going on with funding for the social studies, here’s their latest:

Status of National HGSS Funding from NCSS

Finally, the KNEA and Mark Desetti do an excellent job with Under the Dome, keeping Kansas teachers informed on what’s going on in Topeka.

Under the Dome – Kansas Education Funding from the KNEA

This post is already a day late and I have a bunch of essay left to grade, so I’m going to go now…then I’ll likely be making some phone calls.