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Which legislators voted FOR cuts to our kids' schools?
The anti-public education Republican supermajority, controlled by Senate President Ty Masterson and Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins, is wholly responsible for the program and staff cuts recently announced in Blue Valley Schools (and in other districts in JoCo and across the state). 𝗜𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁

Stand Up Blue Valley
Oct 183 min read


Which BV-area legislators voted to CUT the Chinese Immersion program?
When they voted for a state budget that 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 Special Education costs - 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 - these BV-area legislators voted to put the district so far into the red that they KNEW 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙨 were coming to our kids’ schools. 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗘𝗦 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗩 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: KS Representatives Chris Croft, Chip VanHouden, Sean Ta

Stand Up Blue Valley
Oct 153 min read


Pro-public education candidates needed ASAP for KsLeg
Our neighborhood schools suffered real damage in the 2026 Kansas Legislative session. Unless community members are willing to run for the KS Legislature NOW, Blue Valley Schools stand to face irreparable damage. Despite the work of some legislators to protect our schools, the overall legislative body in Topeka is strongly anti-public education. The legislature is controlled by a supermajority of anti-public education state senators and representatives. This means even a veto

Stand Up Blue Valley
May 33 min read


2026 KsLeg Session: Voting Rights
How did BV-area legislators vote on limits on voting rights and potentially overturning the US Constitution? Wait, WHAT? Kansas became the latest state to vote (via legislators) for a “constitutional convention” - purportedly to place term limits on the US Congress. Why do KS legislators - who don’t have term limits - care about them for US congress reps? Well, once such a Convention is called (by having 34 states pass the resolution), there are NO limits on what can come ou

Stand Up Blue Valley
Apr 292 min read


2026 KsLeg session: School Funding
How did BV-area KS legislators vote on 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 in 2026? We’ve already shared information from BV Schools about the dire situation the district is facing due to the KS Legislature’s failure to fully fund Special Education (as statutorily required). The funding shortfall has caused the district to pull MILLIONS of dollars from general funds and cash reserves every year since 2011 to meet student needs. This robs EVERY student through class

Stand Up Blue Valley
Apr 253 min read


2026 KsLeg session: Big Brother bills
How did BV-area Kansas legislators vote on Big Brother bills that directly impact our neighborhood public schools? Who knows better what policies and procedures are needed by Blue Valley Schools? Our locally-elected School Board members - who live in our community, have kids and grandkids in our schools, and hold regular community conversations? Or the Kansas Governor and state legislators? Communities elect local officials who live in their neighborhoods, have a vested inter

Stand Up Blue Valley
Apr 214 min read


2026 KsLeg session: Overview
After passing a state budget that CUTS funding to public schools, extending government overreach, and attempting to restrict mail ballots, the KS Legislature has ended its 2026 session. But Blue Valley-area legislators didn’t vote for any of that bad stuff, did they? After all, every legislator in our area claims to “support” our neighborhood public schools. Remember: Don’t listen to what they say - watch how they VOTE. In some cases, their claims versus their votes don’t li

Stand Up Blue Valley
Apr 192 min read
Parents receive Email from District with concerning Legislative Update
Blue Valley-area legislators 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗧𝗝 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗳𝘁, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻, 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 voted AGAINST parental rights when they voted to “prohibit students from using or accessing personal electronic communication devices during the school day, and require that all personal electronic communication devices be turned off and securely stored away from the student's person in an inaccessib

Stand Up Blue Valley
Mar 114 min read


How did BV-area legislators vote on a bill to give MORE tax money to private schools?
How did BV-area legislators vote on a bill to give 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 tax money to private schools, taking it from the state general fund and therefore from public schools and other public functions? Private schools pick and choose which students they want to take. They aren’t required to meet the needs of students with special needs, including intellectual and physical disabilities or giftedness. They can kick out any kid, for any reason, at any time. They aren’t required to follow an

Stand Up Blue Valley
Feb 133 min read


JoCo Schools to KsLeg: Fund Our Schools!
School Board members and district Superintendents from all 6 Johnson County school districts made a plea this week to BV-area legislators: 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. (That is, to the legislators who attended the invitation - see below.) They distributed the attached handout which explains: In 2024-2025, districts transferred $1397 𝙋𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙏𝙐𝘿𝙀𝙉𝙏 out of their general funds to cover excess Special Education costs Total Base State Aid per Pupil = $5378 (b

Stand Up Blue Valley
Jan 232 min read


Impact of legislature's curriculum mandate
Can state legislators dictate exactly what curriculum Kansas public school districts must teach? Does this conflict with the State Board of Education’s role, and the authority of local School Boards? If legislators 𝗰𝗮𝗻 mandate curriculum, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙨 - if any? These questions are being asked by SUBV members following the KS Legislature’s passage of S Sub House Bill 2382 earlier this year. S Sub HB 2382 provided for a salary increase for members of

Stand Up Blue Valley
Nov 23, 20253 min read


Our summary of the 2025 Legislative Session
What grade did the 2025 Republican supermajority-controlled KS Legislature earn when it comes to supporting public education in Blue Valley? Some of the state’s most influential Republican legislators hail from Blue Valley and Johnson County. Certainly they voted for our kids and their neighborhood public schools, right? Read our summary below and tell us what you think. Here are our thoughts, as parents and community members who’ve advocated for our neighborhood public schoo

Stand Up Blue Valley
Jun 2, 20256 min read


Kansas neighbors, have you seen our elected officials anywhere?
BV resident Krista Gordon, who has worked in BV public schools for 10 years and whose kids attended BV Schools, highlights a concern that many citizens have with certain southern Johnson County legislators. During campaign season, they’re knocking doors and making promises. After Election Day, they’re unavailable and unresponsive. Read Gordon’s opinion piece in The Kansas Reflector here: https://bit.ly/4liJU2c As Gordon says in her editorial, Kellie Warren and Carl Turner d

Stand Up Blue Valley
Apr 5, 20251 min read


The first in a series of assaults on voting rights
By the slimmest margin possible, Kansas voters lost their rights to a 3-day grace period on mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day. Five BV-area legislators are among those who previously voted to take away the grace period, and then voted today to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the bill. This is just the first in a series of predicted assaults on voting rights since a MAGA supermajority claimed KsLeg in 2024. Even more alarming: KS House Election Committee Chair, Le

Stand Up Blue Valley
Mar 25, 20252 min read


Email your legislators: Vote NO on veto override
Email your legislators NOW: Vote NO on the veto override to repeal 3-day ballot grace period. Find your legislators and their email addresses here: https://ksleglookup.org Mon., March 24, Gov. Kelly VETOED a bill that would END the 3-day grace period for properly completed ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to be received by the Election Office. The KsLeg will attempt to override her veto - and your legislators need to hear from you. If this bill becomes law, it w

Stand Up Blue Valley
Mar 24, 20252 min read
Croft, Holiday discuss dissolving School Board
JoCo MAGA candidates are posing as “moderates” in campaign commercials, mailers, and texts. But behind your back, they’re plotting against - and voting against - the schools your kids attend. In a leaked video posted Nov. 2 on X, BV-area Rep. Chris Croft plots with Johnson County Republican Party Chair Maria Holiday to unseat duly-elected school boards across the county! Watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/4faBNRQ This is a wake-up call for every JoCo voter. It’s

Stand Up Blue Valley
Nov 3, 20243 min read


How much money has AFP spent (so far) on BV candidates in 2024?
In their efforts to keep the voucher-supporting, anti-tax supermajority in the KS Legislature, Americans for Prosperity has spent almost $190,000 on five Blue Valley races through Oct. 24 of this year. We won’t know AFP’s TOTAL 2024 spending on their BV-area candidates until weeks after Election Day. Total AFP spending on area candidates through Nov. 5 could exceed $250,000. Who funds AFP? Nobody knows. Like other dark-money groups we’ve seen in this election cycle - includi

Stand Up Blue Valley
Nov 3, 20242 min read


When they say they "voted to fully fund schools..."
Kellie Warren, Carl Turner, Chris Croft, and Sean Tarwater love to say they voted to “fully fund our public schools.” Here’s what they...

Stand Up Blue Valley
Oct 30, 20242 min read


Kellie Warren voted to make drop boxes ILLEGAL
Kellie Warren voted in 2023 to make drop boxes ILLEGAL as a way to return mail ballots. Despite assurances from local and state election officials about the efficiency and security of ballot drop boxes, and the fact that they’ve been used since 1978, the Kansas Senate last year voted on a bill to completely ban them. Sen. Cindy Holscher voted NO on the ban and Sen. Kellie Warren voted YES. (This provision was passed by the KS Senate but later removed from the bill.) Also in

Stand Up Blue Valley
Oct 30, 20241 min read


Chris Croft working to hold onto Supermajority
Rep. Chris Croft, in recently-released Zoom calls with JoCo Republicans, including KsLeg candidates, “touted his success in getting...

Stand Up Blue Valley
Oct 21, 20242 min read
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