Education is the most important function of Kansas government. It is to the state government as defense is to the federal government: its primary function and the lion’s share of its budget. Our K-12 funding formula is broken as evidenced by the endless lawsuits filed against it. Our public universities have faced severe cuts. We will work to craft an education system that prepares our residents to succeed. Our focus so all students and educators Excel in Education will include:

K-12

• Focus the state’s dollars on classroom instruction.
• Promote unified accounting of school districts’ use of state funds and require transparent online spending reports.
• Reform the school finance formula and break the cycle of litigation.
• Ensure that students who pass the 4th grade read at grade level.
• Promote math and science in order to maintain Kansas’ leadership in engineering, energy, and bioscience.
• Support local economies by creating and expanding accredited apprenticeship and technical programs in high schools around the State.
• Limit professional liability for teachers.
• Promote higher pay for master teachers.
• Open up Kansas schools to programs that will provide dollars and opportunities to expand the Kansas education framework.
• Promote innovation in education such as virtual learning so that a school’s size doesn’t limit course offerings. Additionally, alternative teacher certification programs must be enhanced so that lack of a traditional educational background doesn’t limit highly qualified individuals from teaching.

Higher Education

• Stabilize funding so our public universities remain strong to power a robust 21st Century Kansas economy.

Build the biosciences:

• Get the National Cancer Institute designation at KU’s Cancer Center.
• Build the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility at K-State.
• Support the Kansas Polymer Research Center at Pitt State.
• Encourage the National Institute for Aviation Research at WSU to continue to explore new orthopedic uses for composite materials.

• Work with Fort Hays State and Emporia State to meet our state’s future demand for international business leaders and teachers.
• Graduate more engineers to future industry needs in our state.
• Improve Rankings for KU’s School of Medicine, K-State’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and WSU’s aerospace research and development mission.
• Promote innovative programs at our State’s community colleges to meet future industry needs. Kansas community and technical colleges are positioned to be, and should be, our first responders to emerging workforce needs.