GOP leader hopes new map moves Kansas school board to right

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas are pushing a redistricting plan that the state Senate's top GOP leader hopes will move the state school board to the right and give conservatives more say over what's taught in public schools.

The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would redraw the districts for the 10-member elected State Board of Education so that districts are as equal in population as possible after a decade of shifts across Kansas. The 31-8 vote sent the measure to the House, and lawmakers expect to give final approval to new lines for board districts and for their own districts before the Republican-controlled Legislature begins its annual spring break Saturday.

Republicans hold a 6-4 majority on the state school board, but it has become far less conservative than the Legislature. The board sets curriculum guidelines for public schools, and from 1999 until 2007, Kansas endured international ridicule over debates about teaching evolution in its public schools as the board adopted five sets of science standards in eight years and its majority seesawed between conservatives and a Democratic-moderate GOP coalition.

Senate President Ty Masterson, a conservative Andover Republican and the redistricting plan's architect, said he’s hoping for “more vibrant conversation” among board members about education policy “instead of one monolithic vision.”

“It would be good if there were more conservatives on the board,” Masterson said during an interview. “You have these offices that need more attention because we need more discussion on that, so the result is the State Board of Education doesn’t reflect Kansas.”

Conservative lawmakers are frustrated that the board hasn't moved on its own to limit what can be taught about race and the role of racism in...