Election Preview: Kansas’s Supreme Court Wants the State’s Schools Fully Funded, but the Two Candidates Vying for Governor Have Very Different Ideas About That
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Only a few years ago, Kansas schools were forced to make drastic changes due to the tax plan introduced by former Governor Sam Brownback. This plan, implemented from 2011 to 2018, resulted in major income tax cuts in an effort to stimulate the economy. However, instead of experiencing economic growth, the state faced slower growth and a decline in revenue, leading to severe cuts in funding for schools and other public services.
Fortunately, Kansas schools are slowly recovering from this setback. In 2017, Brownback’s tax program was rolled back and the state Supreme Court issued a ruling that demanded increased spending on education. Nevertheless, the question of whether Kansas will continue to prioritize funding for schools remains a crucial issue in the upcoming gubernatorial election, where Democrat state Senator Laura Kelly will compete against Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Laura Kelly, a 68-year-old candidate, has positioned herself as the "education governor" and has made education a focal point of her campaign. Her platform, consisting of 20 paragraphs, emphasizes early childhood education, increased funding for schools, vocational training, higher education, and student mental health. Kelly has served in the state Senate since 2005 and has garnered endorsements from the state’s teachers union, former Republican governor Bill Graves, and former Republican U.S. Senator from Kansas Nancy Kassebaum.
On the other hand, Kris Kobach, who is 52 years old, has pledged not to increase state spending or taxes. He has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump and received his endorsement prior to the August 7 primary elections. Kobach is widely recognized for his involvement in Trump’s voter fraud commission, which ultimately found no evidence of fraud, as well as his anti-immigration work. Currently, a grand jury is investigating whether he obstructed voter registration. Kobach’s education platform focuses on allocating more existing state funds to classroom instruction and supporting trade schools.
Greg Orman, a 49-year-old candidate, is trailing in the polls but may still have a significant impact on the election. Rick Ginsberg, the dean of education at the University of Kansas, believes that Orman’s support for fully funding schools, in accordance with the court order, aligns closely with Kelly’s education platform and could potentially divide the vote, benefiting Kobach.
Despite Kansas being a state that voted for Trump, the race for governor remains highly competitive. According to a recent poll conducted by the Kansas National Education Association, Kelly and Kobach are virtually tied two months before the election, with 38 percent of voters supporting Kelly and 39 percent supporting Kobach. Nine percent of voters favor Orman.
While Democrats and Republicans have previously exchanged control of the governorship, Republicans have generally maintained control of the legislature. The Republican Party in Kansas is divided between conservatives and moderates, especially following the economic downturn that resulted in Brownback being one of the least popular governors in the country. Consequently, the 2016 state election saw a surge of moderate Republicans being elected into the legislature. In 2017, the legislature voted to repeal Brownback’s tax plan and successfully raised taxes across the state, overriding his veto.
However, it remains uncertain how voters will respond to the candidates’ stances on taxes. Jeff Colyer, Brownback’s lieutenant governor who assumed office in January, lost to Kobach by a narrow margin of fewer than 400 votes in the Republican primary.
Kobach has not shied away from supporting Brownback’s unpopular tax cuts, but he claims that he would have implemented them differently by also reducing state spending. However, there are concerns that his plan could potentially harm the economy. As Ginsberg explains, "The fear that I’m hearing about his candidacy is that he has talked about reverting to the tax cuts that proved detrimental to the economy under Brownback. The state managed to get through the recession relatively unscathed… but Brownback pushed through substantial tax cuts, and unfortunately, the worst fears people had about them became a reality."
Kobach, along with other conservatives, has expressed the belief that the court has exceeded its authority. "The next governor will have to confront this issue," Kobach told the Kansas City Star. "And ultimately, according to the Kansas constitution, it is the elected representatives of the people who have the sole authority to decide how much money to allocate and how much taxes to impose on the people of Kansas."
Kelly, on the other hand, holds a different viewpoint. "I appreciate the court’s efforts, and I respect its ruling," she stated in a written statement. "In the upcoming year, we will collaborate to ensure that our schools are fully funded and that all children have access to the opportunities they deserve."
According to Mark Tallman, the associate executive director of the Kansas Association of School Boards, this will be the primary education issue that the next governor will face. If the legislature fails to comply, there is a possibility that the court could order the closure of schools.
"That has been suggested as a last resort," Tallman commented. "Some legislators are challenging the court to take that step. If that were to happen, we would find ourselves in uncharted territory, facing a constitutional crisis."
Thanks to an additional $500 million in funding allocated by the legislature for the next five years, Kansas schools have been able to hire new staff and provide teachers with substantial raises, the largest in decades.
Furthermore, the Department of Education has launched a school improvement program called Kansans CAN. This initiative was developed in response to input from parents, teachers, and community members who expressed a desire for students to acquire more than just academic skills. Pilot districts have already begun to redesign their schools to better support social-emotional learning, kindergarten readiness, graduation rates, career-based education, and higher education.
"The education community is concerned that Secretary Kobach’s policies may significantly alter the current direction we are heading in," Tallman stated.
Despite multiple requests for comment, Kobach did not respond. As of the publication date, Kelly’s team offered to provide a statement but failed to follow through.
