Kansas conservative BOE members are screwing up once again.

[atommom]

The National State Board of Education has quit as a consultant to the Kansas BOE, after conservatives refused to use its ranking system (which stressed educational experience more than business or political ties). This reminds me very much of the way the WH chooses people for plum positions ... actual experience in the field just isn't valued.

NASBE also developed a ranking system by which to judge applicants. The criteria -- scoring candidates 1 through 5 -- examined applicants' experience with education policy, school district management and the implementation of education legislation.

A separate category was given less weight. It examined candidates' experience outside public schools -- such as in business and politics.

"I know that's not what I was hoping for," said board member Connie Morris, a St. Francis Republican, who suggested giving that final category five times the weight of any of the others.

The board, led by its conservative Republican majority, eventually opted to combine several of the categories related to public education experience, giving it the same weight as the one analyzing candidates' business and political experience.

http://cjonline.com/stories/090805/kan_educomm.shtml

Red State Rabble has learned that the National Association of School Boards has quit as consultant to the Kansas State Board of Education. NASB was consulting with the board on the selection process for the unfilled State Commissioner of Education position.

NASB, which was hired to find applicants, is said to have dropped out because of criticism by the conservative board members.

Reportedly, the consulting firm weighted candidates based on certain skills. Conservatives didn't like this method and developed their own ranking system for applicants.

Moderate board members have said that the conservatives have undermined the quality of the process by altering the work of the consulting firm.

http://redstaterabble.blogspot.com/

[ComerPerro]

1. Nice. "We don't want qualified people. We want party stooges"

Toadies. Yes-Men. Kool-Aid Drinkers. Corporate Whores.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Why does this not surprise me?

sigh

[put out]

3. Well, fetch my smelling salts.

And now we have our own place on The Daily Show: Evolution Shmevolution.

I'm going to go start talking Growth and Development (otherwise known as some talk about sexuality and reproduction, physical and mental health} this fall instead of the spring. If we must do the "opt in" rather than "opt out", it will be a mess.

Rest of the country, sorry. We tried.