A bipartisan group of 13 educators with more than 300 years of combined experience are calling on legislators to pass a clean, policy-free school funding bill. 

Kansas Teachers of the Year held a press conference at the Kansas Capitol on Tuesday, standing in front of a mural recognizing the Brown vs. Board of Education milestone. 

The KTOY honorees are asking lawmakers to pass a clean, policy free school funding bill that: 

• Fully and constitutionally funds Kansas public schools. 
• Opposes tax dollars used for private entities without the same accountability measures as public schools. 
• Affirms the important relationship that exists between parents and public schools. 
• Provides full special education funding. 

“History has proven again and again that when we invest in Kansas public schools and in Kansas children, Kansas taxpayers reap rewards for a lifetime,” said Samantha Neill, a communication arts and journalism teacher at Buhler High School, Buhler Unified School District 313, and the 2018 Kansas Teacher of the Year. 

Gov. Laura Kelly also stopped by to support the educators’ message and take questions from the media.  

“School is not just school. It’s not just education,” Gov. Kelly said. “This is the foundation of our state. Without the work that these people do in our school buildings, there will be no Kansas. We will have no workforce. We will not have the skills, the training of the workforce development that happens within our schools.” 

She went on to say educators are building the future of Kansas.  

Dr. Josh Anderson, a language arts teacher at Olathe West High School, Olathe USD 233, and the 2007 Kansas Teacher of the Year, closed the press conference by saying, “When we grow our public schools, we grow our state’s economy.” 

“When we support our students, our teachers, our kids flourish,” he said. “When we invest in kids, our communities thrive. Our classrooms are your classrooms. Our communities are your communities. Our kids are your kids.”