Kan. arts agency told all staff will be laid off
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Gov. Sam Brownback's administration has told the Kansas Arts Commission that its five employees will lose their jobs and the agency will be shut down next month.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Secretary of Administration Dennis Taylor sent a letter Tuesday telling the employees their jobs would end June 10.
Brownback wants to eliminate the commission and replace it with a nonprofit foundation relying heavily on private donations to finance arts programs.
Legislative negotiators plan to include $689,000 in the next budget to keep the commission alive, but Brownback is expected to line-item veto the funds.
Arts Commission Chairman Henry Schwaller says the agency was shocked by Taylor's letter. Schwaller calls the move a back-door attempt to circumvent what Kansas residents want.