Issue Position: Resolve K-12 Funding & Academic Uncertainty

Issue Position

The uncertainty hanging over Kansas schools is rooted in nearly 40 years of litigation. For too long, the legislature's K-12 policy has forgotten our kids and has instead intentionally served as a wedge for politicians and a slot machine for the plaintiffs. That's why the litigation persists, why politicians don't solve the issue, and why special interest groups infiltrate our schools to pit the interests of parents, teachers, and students against each another to drive an agenda.

For far too long, politicians in Topeka have used all Kansas schools, including Blue Valley schools, as leverage to obtain a certain financial outcome in a lawsuit where none of the plaintiffs are Blue Valley schools, parents, teachers or children.

That approach is the problem. Those currently in Topeka directing K-12 education policy have lost sight of the mission -- educating our kids through vibrant and effective schools, not closing the doors in a tantrum. Regardless of the funding issue, how would closing Kansas schools do anything to benefit the academic advancement of our kids? As a mom, I can say that it wouldn't!

Some Kansas schools may indeed struggle. But, rather than penalize successful schools like Blue Valley, whether by closure or diversion of resources, better for our kids would be to apply greater effort to fix the problem where it exists and raise those struggling schools to a higher standard.

The legislature has already written another check, claiming the problem is solved.…until the Supreme Court said it wasn't. Why? Because the politically easy fix is only about dollars, not improving the system with safeguards to ensure each new dollar spent is for students and teachers in the classroom.

The K-12 funding uncertainty will only be permanently resolved when those making decisions regarding school funding are directly accountable to Kansas taxpayers. We also must have a policy that contains a clear mission statement setting forth academic expectations for our K-12 system, a defined yardstick by which to annually measure whether expectations are being met, and specific stated remedies for when expectations are unmet. We can make it happen by keeping special interests and politics out of our schools and uniting as Blue Valley parents and neighbors to put students first.

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