It’s Graduation Week in the Blue Valley School District. But did you know that the Blue Valley Schools’ Class of 2026 has NEVER received a fully-funded education during the past 13 years of schooling, K -12? Not ONE year. The Kansas Legislature is to blame for this, including some BV-area legislators, both past and present. Incredibly, even some legislators who have students IN BV Schools vote AGAINST our district. This dates back to the Brownback years, but continues as a s

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

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

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

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

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

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

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 Kansas voter, whether registered with a political party or Unaffiliated, will have at least one important issue on their August 2026 Primary ballot: Whether to keep the Kansas Supreme Court appointment process as it is (Vote NO), or whether to change it to an election for KS Supreme Court justices (Vote YES). 𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗡𝗢 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲. Legislators who don’t like it when the Kansas Supreme Court requires them to uphold the state Constitution voted i

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

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

Blue Valley Schools’ operating budget, which provides funding for class sizes, teacher pay, availability of specials classes, and many other factors that impact BV students, is determined by the Kansas Legislature. The 2026 KsLeg session starts tomorrow, Mon., Jan. 12. KsLeg is required by law to fund 92% of excess Special Education costs - that is, the excess money it takes to educate students with IEPs (gifted and disability). But did you know that KsLeg has actually FAILE

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

The Kansas State Board of Education voted recently to make changes in the way Kansas State Assessment scores are labeled. This was last...

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

We’ve compiled news excerpts detailing the state budget approved by the KsLeg March 27, along with our comments. Links to each news article are listed at the bottom of this post. Kansas lawmakers last week passed a budget that would put the state roughly $460 million in debt by 2028. When coupled with the five-year, $2 billion slash to income taxes from last year’s special session, and assorted new legislation that would deliver tax cuts, the state would be an estimated $

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

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

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

Some Blue Valley legislators vote against our kids' schools.

More than 18% of Blue Valley students receive SpEd services - that’s much higher than the state average. The law calls for the state to reimburse 92% of the excess costs the district incurs - that is, costs over and above that of students who don’t get SpEd services. But the legislature has ignored this responsibility for years, and is currently only reimbursing 63%. This year, the difference is $12 million in Blue Valley. That means thdistrict must pull $12 MILLION from gene