Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award

Nomination Criteria for the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award:

It is important that citizen involvement in government be encouraged and recognized. Each year the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County seeks nominations for the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award. Any Douglas County resident can nominate another resident for the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award. If you represent an organization, your nominee does not need to be a member but may simply be someone of whom you are aware. If you nominated someone in the past who was not an award recipient, they will be considered again if the nomination was submitted within the last two years; however, we encourage you to submit updated nomination forms. Please feel free to nominate another person as well if you so desire. The nominee should be a Douglas County resident over age 18, whose efforts may have promoted improvement in government. The nominee could have accomplished improvement in government in a variety of ways, such as:

• attempting to increase citizen participation in government,
• educating the public about an issue,
• working toward more "open" government,
• being involved in the community in ways that lead to better political decision-making. Tips for Nominations for the Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award:
• Up to three pages may be added to the nomination form. Please limit your additional text to no more than three pages.
• Explain in as much detail why your nominee is eligible for this award. How did they contribute? What kinds of activities did they engage in? When did they participate in these activities? What leadership role did they play in the efforts? What new effort or organization did they spearhead?
• Describe how far-reaching and community-wide the activities were. Did the activities or efforts of this individual reach or serve a large cross-section of the community or public?
• Although one activity or effort may have led you to nominate an individual, it is helpful to indicate all of the activities an individual has engaged in that strove for more open and accessible government. Sometimes longevity of efforts gives an edge over the other most worthy nominees.
• Did the nominee's efforts result in a policy change, new program, or other change within the government or community?

Download a Fluker Nomination Form 2012

Kansas Taxes: Who Pays?

2011-2013 State Study: Kansas Taxes: Who Pays? Visit the State Study Page , linked here, for Background, links and discussion.

Role of Federal Government in Public Education

The Lawrence-Douglas County League of Women Voters has completed its role in the LWV National Study concerning the Role of Federal Government in Public Education. The LDC League Consensus Statement is now available at:

- LWV Lawrence/Douglas County Final Consensus Statement [PDF]

The LDC Consensus Statement has been submitted to the National Education Study Committee. The remaining steps of the LWVUS process are as follows.

December 2011 to February 2012: Committee analyzes the data from consensus and writes the position paper for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

March 2012: LWVUS Board of Directors reviews the consensus results for comment and approval of the position for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

Timeline

May through November 2011: Local Leagues study the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education" and come to consensus

November 5: Lawrence-Douglas County League members meet to review the local Committee Consensus Statement (see link below) and adopt a Lawrence-Douglas County Consensus.

November 30: Consensus reports due to LWVUS website at http://www.lwv.org

December 2011 to February 2012: Committee analyzes the data from consensus and writes the position paper for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

March 2012: LWVUS Board of Directors reviews the consensus results for comment and approval of the position for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

- LWV Lawrence/Douglas County: Committee Consensus Statement [PDF]

- "Role of Federal Government in Public Education"

- Historical Perspectives

- Additional papers are added at this link, as available.

- Leaders Guide

- Consensus Questions

- Role of Federal Government [PDF]

- Common Core Standards and Assessments [PDF]

- Equity and Funding [PDF]

- Federal Education Budget Project

The Civility Project talks with Local League of Women Voters Members

From Consensus KC.

The Civility Project talks with Lawrence residents.

This summer, the Consensus Consulting team met with Lawrence residents in a series of seven focus groups on civility. The focus groups add depth to findings from another 15 focus groups the team conducted in metro Kansas City, and will be reported out when the team presents its findings at the Dole Institute on September 27, 2011.

The seven focus groups included Chamber of Commerce members, the League of Women Voters, school site committee members, a rural focus group, neighborhood leaders and senior citizens. Originally, the team had planned just one focus group with businesspersons, but when more than 75 individuals RSVP'd in response to the Chamber's invitation, we added another. "We were so impressed with the level of thinking we encountered in Lawrence, and in people's sincere interest in the topic of civility in public life," said Mary Jo Draper, a partner with Consensus Consulting. While many of the findings echoed what we heard in metro Kansas City, some aspects were quite distinct. To learn more, Download the focus group report.

The focus groups were part of an exploration into whether Lawrence might be the site of a pilot test of The Civility Project. With the help of local leaders, Consensus Consulting invited some 20 key community members to two meetings. After thoughtful consideration, the group determined that the pilot test wasn't feasible in Lawrence at this time. "The fact that almost everyone we contacted was willing to engage in the conversation made a big impact on us," said Jennifer Wilding, a partner with Consensus Consulting. "We appreciated their willingness to engage with us and help us engage their citizens."