OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The governor of Kansas visited an elementary school in Overland Park to see how her education funding bill is making an impact.
Teachers and staff at Indian Valley Elementary are among the thousands of Blue Valley School District employees getting a 6% raise this school year thanks, in part, to the state’s funding.
In May, Gov. Laura Kelly formally signed Senate Bill 113 to fully fund education across Kansas. This was the fifth consecutive year Kelly had committed to fully funding K-12 education. She criticized a previous governor for not doing so. Kelly was pleased to learn the funding led to pay increases.
“I think Blue Valley is one of many school districts that has used the increased funding to ensure their teachers are more fairly paid,” Kelly said. “We’re not there yet. We need to keep working on it and I will.”
This semester began a ban on transgender athletes participating in girls sports in Kansas. Kelly opposed the new law, but the legislature overrode her veto.
Kelly believes the new law impacts two student-athletes directly, but worried about broader impacts.
“What it does though to the psyche of other kids, other families, is something that is very, very difficult to measure,” Kelly said. “We know it’s got to be difficult to be targeted that way.”
Legislators initially planned to challenge Kelly’s education funding bill because she vetoed certain provisions of their proposal, but have since backed off.
Kelly says her veto allows rural schools to maintain resources.
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