Issue Position: Education Policy

Issue Position

Education is around 50% of the state budget, because of that people sometimes view education as only a liability. I believe we need to change our way of thinking and view it as one of our greatest assets. I want to restore value and respect back to our education system. I will be a governor who brings a greater unity between the state and education system.

Kansas Can Education Redesign
With technology constantly progressing, the need for skilled workers is essential. Future jobs are going to require greater skill, and it's imperative that we give our children the best opportunity to succeed after high school. That's why I support Kansas Can's Education Redesign. It centers on the student rather than the system and involves more partnership with the student's family, community and local community colleges. While the student is in K-12, the program focuses on the individual plan of study specific to each student, with the goal to send students to a post-secondary school. With around 48,000 jobs not filled in Kansas it is important that we have students pursue postsecondary education, whether it be a technical school or a four-year school; they are both important to filling the needs of employers.

Exceptional Results
Although Kansas spends around 50 percent of the state budget on education, we rank 31st in spending per pupil and rank 10th in the nation across a wide spectrum of student measures. This confirms a recent study done by national school finance consultants, Dr. Lori Taylor and Jason Willis, which show that Kansas is producing at nearly 96 percent of their potential cost efficiency on average. This means, that given the funds available to us, Kansas is doing exceptionally well.

I believe Kansas' dollars are spent well and that we are getting exceptional results for investment that goes towards schools. If we invest a little more into Kansas Can's program, I believe we could be one of the top five states for education. A quality education system will attract more people to live in Kansas.

Teachers
We are losing our teachers to Missouri and Nebraska, and young people are not pursuing teaching anymore. After visiting with many school administrators across the state, nearly everyone had a teacher shortage. We need to build a competitive field again for our teachers and make sure they feel valued and supported. Teachers in Kansas have done an exceptional job teaching our kids and often spend their own money on our kids in the classroom. It's time we show value and respect by supporting them.

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