A quality public education system is the key
to social and economic vitality.

Schools have always been the cornerstones of communities. Kansans identified the importance of education in Section 1 of the Constitution, with two sections of land set aside in each township for public schools. The commitment to public schools is made before the Constitution lays out the state’s governance, constitutional rights of citizens,! and powers of the state. We have a network of common interests, with public schools at the heart.

Kansas is getting tarred as the anti-science state. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education think tank, gave Kansas an F- for science standards. The institute said Kansas’ treatment of evolution was “radically compromised”, leading to the worst standards in the country. A Des Moines Register columnist recently wrote that Kansas was racing to the economic bottom in its hostility to the science mainstream. He proposed that Iowa, by contrast, position itself as a good science state. A bio-science company CEO recently wrote to the Kansas State Board of Education stating he would not expand his business to Kansas because his employees would not consider living here.

State board members have received thousands of e-mails condemning the actions of the 6-member radical majority. Concerned writers from out-of-state have said things like “I won't travel to Kansas” or “I won't send my kids to a Kansas university”. In a recent advertising campaign at a Subway Restaurant in Reedsport, Oregon, a salmon sandwich was touted as "Another reason you're lucky not to live in Kansas.''

With the actions of the 6-member majority, Kansas will have increasing difficulty attracting employers and employees from out of state. When Iowa and rural Oregon have the economic high ground, we should all be concerned.

The radical members of the board are not only creating perception problems with people outside the state; the board is creating problems within the state for how to retain the best and brightest Kansans. Today’s students are the business-people, political leaders, educators and doctors of tomorrow, the parents of future generations and providers for us in our old age. I! f we can’t provide future high-quality jobs for today’s students, if we can’t commit to educating their children to a competitive standard that prepares them for a world economy, why would they stay?

You are critical to making a change in Kansas. If you think the actions of the Board are silly and embarrassing, but don’t really matter - or that other people far smarter than you should do something - or that this issue will never affect your local school - we hope we’ve changed your mind because change on the state board will not happen without your participation.

The Kansas Alliance for Education is committed to the election of informed and moderate candidates focused on high quality public education. These elections will be long, difficult and expensive. Please lend your support to quality public education by making a contribution to the Kansas Alliance for Education. With your help, we can reach more people to ensure voters turn out to support quality public education. Stand with us in saying “Enough is Enough”.