Kansas Board of Education Amendment

We the Undersigned urge members of the Kansas Legislature to amend Article 6, Section 3, paragraph (a) of the Kansas State Constitution (see below), thereby changing the method by which members of the Kansas State School Board are selected. We believe that recent history demonstrates that the current system is unable to ensure that qualified individuals are selected to serve on the board. Rather than furthering the goal of improving education in the State of Kansas, the system has been used to further the political and religious agenda of a minority of Kansas citizens. We recommend the elimination of partisan elections to determine board membership and, instead, urge that members be appointed in the manner described in the Amended Version below.

THE CURRENT PROVISION
IN ARTICLE 6 OF THE KANSAS STATE CONSTITUTION
3: Members of state board of education and state board of regents.
(a) There shall be ten members of the state board of education with overlapping terms as the legislature may prescribe. The legislature shall make provision for ten member districts, each comprised of four contiguous senatorial districts. The electors of each member district shall elect one person residing in the district as a member of the board. The legislature shall prescribe the manner in which vacancies occurring on the board shall be filled.

AMENDED VERSION
(a) There shall be ten members of the state board of education with overlapping terms as the legislature may prescribe. The legislature shall make provision for ten member districts, each comprised of four contiguous senatorial districts. The four senators of each district shall together submit for the Governors consideration a list of no fewer than three candidates residing in the district, along with a list of the qualifications of each candidate. This list shall be submitted to the Governor no later than the date of the State Primary Election immediately preceding the end of that districts members term. The Governor will submit a nominee for confirmation from this list to the State Senate. The Governor will submit the nomination to the Senate no later than the 15th of October immediately preceding the end of that districts members term. The State Senate will vote upon State School Board nominees at the Senates first regular session following the submission of the nomination(s) by the Governor. A two-thirds majority of the State Senate shall be required to confirm each specific nominee. In the event of a vacancy, the Governors nominee shall serve as that districts acting representative on the board, until such time that the Senate convenes again and votes upon the nomination. In the event that a nominee does not receive the two-thirds majority needed for confirmation, the Governor will submit another nominee to the State Senate from the list of candidates provided by that districts State Senators.