Sebelius attacks Board of Ed, comparing it to Phelps

Suggesting the state school board is like the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. in the bad publicity it brings Kansas, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is promising to push for constitutional changes to strip it of its power to set education policy.

Sebelius, a Democrat seeking a second term this year, criticized the Board of Education's 6-4 conservative majority which will change next year because of elections this year for drafting science standards seen as anti-evolution.

She said she will propose a constitutional amendment to allow the governor to appoint a secretary to oversee the Department of Education and make the 10-member board advisory. The constitution now says the board's 10 members are elected, and they appoint a commissioner of education to run the department.

Speaking on Tuesday to The Topeka Capital-Journal's editorial board, Sebelius said the board's actions on evolution last year embarrassed Kansas, just as the anti-gay picketing of Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church does.

She said she has encountered people outside the state who have heard of the board's decisions and little else when it comes to Kansas.

"Fred Phelps and the school board are all they know about," she said. "No amount of economic development dollars can cancel that out."

A member of the board's conservative Republican majority questioned Sebelius' assessment of the science standards, and her GOP opponent, Sen. Jim Barnett, defended the board's decisions on evolution.

"In a free society, it should be perfectly acceptable to question what is taught and to allow for differences of opinion," he said. "I believe it's a disservice to limit the scope of what can be considered."

Last year, the board rewrote evolution-friendly standards used to develop tests that determine how well students are learning science. The standards say some evolutionary theory is controversial or has been challenged by scientific advances which doesn't represent mainstream scientific opinion.

While the new standards contained a disclaimer saying they weren't promoting intelligent design, the text incorporated language from intelligent design promoters. Intelligent design says some features of the universe are so well-ordered and complex that an intelligent cause is the best explanation for it. Many scientists view it as little more than creationism dressed up in scientific-sounding language.

The standards are likely to be rewritten next year, because moderate Republicans won Aug. 1 primaries for two seats held by conservatives.

Sebelius noted that two years ago, Kansas enacted legislation for stimulating its bioscience industry. She said the board has put a damper on that by questioning evolution, perhaps making scientists reluctant to relocate.

"It doesn't give a whole lot of confidence in coming to Kansas," she said.

Supporters of the science standards contend they encourage an open debate about evolution in the classroom.

Board member Ken Willard, a Hutchinson Republican who is part of the conservative bloc and is facing re-election this year, took issue with Sebelius suggesting the state was embarrassed.

"What is she doing about it?" he said. "What kind of communicating are we doing across the country about the great things in Kansas?"

Sebelius said she supports a constitutional change concerning the board because, "I think we have a real institutional, structural problem."

"The elected school board that we have in place doesn't function in this day and age. There's very little accountability," she said. "The board members don't really have a very uniform agreement on where we're going with education."

Barnett said taking away an elected board would make Kansans less interested in education policy.

Kansas voters approved the current setup as a constitutional amendment in 1966, with the board and its appointed commissioner replacing an elected superintendent of public instruction. Proposed amendments to strip the board of its power or allow for its elimination failed in 1974, 1986 and 1990.

"The further you get that decision-making from the voters, the less responsive it is to the wills and desires of the voting public," Willard said.

On the Net:

State board: http://www.ksde.org

Sebelius campaign: http://www.ksgovernor.com

Barnett campaign: http://www.barnettforgovernor.com

Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com