Democrats: 2018 session presents opportunities to continue down path of recovery, fully fund Kansas schools

TOPEKA – In a news conference held tonight at the Kansas State Capitol, House Democratic Leader Jim Ward (Wichita) and Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley (Topeka), joined by members of their caucus, responded to Governor Sam Brownback’s 2018 State of the State Address.

“We all know that Kansas works best when we work together,” said House Democratic Leader Jim Ward. “But the progress we made last year is at risk.  There is a danger of the legislature falling back into the traditional partisanship that originally got us into this mess. I am looking forward to maintaining and building upon on our successful bipartisan coalition to address the challenges facing Kansas.”

Democrats understand there is still much more work to be done, and are ready to get to work addressing the needs of Kansans. Their first priority is fully funding public schools to ensure all Kansas children, regardless of where they live, have access to a quality education that prepares them for a future of opportunities.

“This past fall, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled for the twelfth time since 2003 that the Republican legislature has failed its constitutional duty to provide suitable funding for K-12 schools,” said Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley. “This came as no surprise as the level of funding in Senate Bill 19 four years from now would still be below where we were ten years ago. It’s time to do what Kansans want us to do: put politics aside and pass a school finance law that is adequate and equitable so as to end the school finance litigation we have endured for entirely too long.”

###