Education Funding... It's the Law!

I attended a meeting yesterday with several small, rural district superintendents. I was struck by the conversation we had concerning how fearful many district are about additional funding losses during this school year. I, of course, share that concern. I believe it was a board member from Hutchinson who said last week that our Kansas constitution says that it is the state’s responsibility to adequately fund education all the time, not just when times are good. It would appear that a civics lesson is overdue for some of our legislatures. Education funding is not arbitrary – it is the law! And, our legislature is choosing to ignore state law. You might guess the consequences for our School district if I and the board chose to do the same. It is unfortunate that, once again, we see litigation as one of our major options in dealing with the adequate financing of educational opportunities for all of our students in Kansas. In the months ahead, we are going to have to be very vigilant if we are to support education which is a primary investment in the future of our community, our state, and our nation. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, suggestions, relative to how we might proceed during this upcoming legislative session.