Issue Position: Education
Issue Position
If I had to rate the quality of a K-12 education here in Kansas, I would give it an average rating. We have many great teachers, counselors, coaches, and staff who love our kids. We should set aside politics and focus on student outcomes, expect results, recognize and support excellent practices, and support kids who want technical training instead of college. Parents and students should have the freedom to make educational choices. Schools could partner with businesses to help students understand employer expectations.
I believe that the stateâs level of spending on K-12 schools is fine as is. In 2018, over 50% of the state general fund went to K-12 education. But are school boards properly allocating funds? It was recently reported that the superintendent of a local USD received a $12,000+ raise, increasing her compensation to over $300,000 per year. Should spending money be our goal, or should we focus on student outcomes and ensure money spent is actually making it into the classroom to support students and teachers (including teacher salaries)?
I believe that voters are more than capable of setting educational spending levels through the ballot box. The power to spend is a legislative power. Our elected legislators (not judges) are in the best position to determine how much to spend.
For 2019, over 61% of the state general fund is allocated to education (K-12 and higher ed). College tuition continues to rise and lock students into years of college loan repayments. It used to be possible to pay tuition by working during the semesters and summers. The universities and the state should work together to make higher education more affordable so students arenât locked into debt for the remainder of their lives.
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