Thank you to Rep. Melissa Rooker and Rep. Jarrod Ousley for starting off the final leg of our walk on Monday and to each of our speakers at the press conference. Here are the words some of them shared. (Some spoke without written statements and are not included here.)
Rep. Melissa Rooker
Good morning!
I’m honored to be here with this great group of parents, teachers and concerned Kansans to celebrate the grassroots activism that brings us all together today.
Once upon a time, I was a concerned parent with 2 kids in the Kansas public school system. My husband & I had chosen to reinvent our professional lives and move our family halfway across the country, from LA back home to Kansas, because we wanted to give our kids the same high quality education that we experienced as kids ourselves growing up in Kansas.
That was a real choice in 2004 when we made that move. The difference was significant, and the benefits of moving home were quantifiable – smaller class sizes, more program offerings and extracurricular activities, excellent teachers, and local communities that rally around and support their public schools. Kansans often take those qualities for granted, but we learned that elsewhere they were hard to come by.
I was privileged to be a stay-home mom after the move and busied myself volunteering with the PTA in our kids’ schools. At first it was the usual cookie baking and book-fair manning that we think of as typical of the PTA, but as the recession hit and cuts began to happen to our school budgets, I became more focused on the political side of things and the decision-making happening in Topeka.
The scope of the issues brought me together with a group of like-minded parents from a nearby elementary school who were meeting with their elected officials and trying to be better informed and more effective in their own advocacy work. They set their sights on expanding their network and including parents in their group from each of the schools in the high school attendance area. Once we had connected, the new goal was engage a district-wide network of parents. It was gratifying to see the movement grow over time, yet frustrating to realize the increasing awareness was directly related to the funding cuts our schools were dealing with.
After enduring a 3-year cycle of recession era budget cuts, and with a national recovery taking hold, the legislature broke its promise to Kansas kids by enacting a tax reform package in 2012, a time of plenty, instead of restoring cuts made to education during the time of need. That was the school year that both me, and Game On, as our movement was called, ended up in Topeka. A Game On parent (Heather Ousley) chose to walk, and I chose to run! The movement took off from there.
Today, thanks to the attention that the original walk brought to the advocacy work of Game On, the reach of this grassroots network is now statewide. The information distributed is evidence-based and focused on what is best for all Kansas kids, not simply the parochial interests of one particular demographic group, geographic region, or school district. Your communications network makes a difference when there are tough issues in front of the legislature. I know it can be discouraging to lose a battle, but I believe that with perseverance we can win this war.
With our schools facing a very uncertain future – block grant funding in limbo, additional budget cuts happening, and court action looming – your voice matters more than ever. Keep working, one parent at a time, to add to your network. Hold my colleagues and me accountable for our votes, and ensure that the spinmeisters and special interest groups who seek to control the agenda fail in their mission to dismantle our public education system.
Rep. Jarrod Ousley
Good Morning,
Before the vote on Senate Bill 7, I received an email from a colleague’s constituent. He had emailed his Representative questions about the bill, and he was very concerned by the response he received. He asked me, “Is it appropriate to make noise?” And I answered him, make some noise. Make all the noise you can.
This weekend, I took my own advice. I joined my wife and Game On for Kansas Schools this weekend, as we walked over sixty miles from a park inside our district in Merriam, District 24, to here in front of Topeka High. It was a nice weekend for a walk.
Thank you to my wonderful family, who are here today. They are a wonderful support system. Thank you to the 12 walkers who started on Friday and made it all the way through Sunday. Thank you to the 30 or so others who joined us for stretches along the way. Thank you to those who started us off in District 24 on Friday morning. And to those who spoke words of encouragement, Representatives Nancy Lusk and Stephanie Clayton, and State School Board Member Janet Waugh.
Thank you to those who cheered us on in Eudora. It felt like the whole town showed up. Thanks to those who celebrated our arrival in Lawrence, including Representative Tom Sloan and Representative John Wilson, and the awesome crowd that was there to greet us and give us high fives.
Thank you to our drivers with their pace cars, and the great people who brought us lunches and snacks, and who shuttled us to our starting points and from our stopping points each night.
Thank you to all the legislators in the crowd and those who still believe in the cornerstone of our democracy, public education. I want to mention that public education is not a partisan issue. It should be supported by all our legislators, regardless of their party affiliation. And while some legislators take their marching orders, others march. So I want to extend a special thank you to Senator Laura Kelly and Representative Nancy Lusk for finishing the journey with us on Sunday.
With all that being said, it is my understanding there is a drum line here to lead our march to the Capitol. Let’s march.
Judith Deedy, Executive Director of Game On for Kansas Schools
Thank you for coming today. I’m Judith Deedy, Executive Director of Game On for Kansas Schools and a mother of 2 fifth graders and a 7th grader. Game On is a true grassroots effort. We are Republicans, Democrats and Independents from across Kansas. We are parents, teachers and other concerned community members. We have no paid staff, and we are not a PAC. We are people who have decided we can’t sit idly by while KS schools are threatened.
We have seen the impacts of budget cuts in our schools. We don’t seek funding for funding’s sake but for the staffing, supplies and programs that funding provides. This is not “no big deal”. Our walkers didn’t walk 60 miles, sacrificing time with their own families and enduring hours of physical pain for trivial matters. They walked for their children and their fellow Kansans’ children.
We have all been drawn to this cause by the realization that our students are not being given the support they need. The number of Kansas students in need is rising. So are the standards our children will need to attain in order to be productive members of our society. So are the costs schools face. Districts across Kansas are feeling the impact of funding levels in different ways, but they are feeling them.
We also see that our legislature is not heeding our concerns. The block grant bill was recently passed despite being opposed by numerous school boards, superintendents, teachers and parents. We find the fact that it was signed in a closed-door ceremony quite telling. In addition to problems with the bill and its funding, it is being referred to as a “time out” as they figure out a new formula. But our children do not stay in one place during this time out. We have seen over 7 years pass since the start of the recession. With 2 more years of a “time out” we are at 9 years. In 9 years a child goes from kindergarten to 8th grade or 3rd grade to senior year. That is too long to wait.
And this isn’t just about funding. We see proposed changes to school board elections moving forward despite opposition from our local school boards and parents. We view that as an effort to erode the support of our school boards. We see challenges to the authority and independence of our courts due to the courts’ rulings that our schools are underfunded. We see multiple bills directed at teachers leaving them feeling underappreciated and under attack and threatening our ability to retain and recruit good teachers. And we see efforts to divert funding to nonpublic schools. We still remember the final days of the 2014 legislative session as well.
So this walk is part of our ongoing effort to educate Kansans about issues in public education and to encourage them to “get in the game” and participate in the political process that determines the fate of our public schools and our children. We shouldn’t have to walk to Topeka. We shouldn’t have to contact our legislators repeatedly about bills that defy common sense. We shouldn’t be back here for our third walk. But we are. And our group is getting larger and reaching farther each year.
This year we had 12 3-day walkers, and over 50 more people who walked significant portions. Our walkers included parents, teachers and school board members, and I am proud to introduce you to a few of them today.
Jeffrey Sykes, 2nd year 3-day walker, parent, Game On leadership group member
Today I wish I could stand before you with full confidence that the people and their representatives support public education in Kansas. I wish I could stand before you with confidence that our teachers are valued and their contributions were properly recognized. I wish I could stand before you with confidence that our representatives were listening to constituents and working to make sure that constituents input was carefully considered and weighed on the important issues of the day. I wish I could be confident of the future of public education in our state but I cannot.
Today I would forgive public school advocates who are tempted to despair. There is so much happening in our state that is wrong. Many of our legislators and our governor regard schools and by extension children as a burden on the state and an obstacle to their goal of eliminating income taxes. Many of our legislators and our governor regard teachers as if they are incompetent mooches determined to mislead our children and enrich themselves by bilking taxpayers. Many of our legislators and our governor listen to paid lobbyists, consort with large companies behind closed doors and ignore the concerns of constituents in favor of a closed ideology. There is so much happening in our state that might lead us to despair and conclude that any action is a waste of effort and time. I might give up on writing legislators who consistently vote in favor of their campaign donors rather than the ordinary citizens they “represent”.
Today I will not despair. I will not give up. Though the walk we have undertaken is not that far, it is long enough to represent the commitment that we have to the future of all kids in Kansas. It is long enough to represent the commitment to support the teachers who use their considerable talents to educate our youth. It is long enough to gather enough attention so that even those who disagree with us will notice. It is long enough to get to know others who walked with us and who care passionately about restoring the public good of public education. It is long enough to see encouragement through social media and know that there are many good people in Kansas who are paying attention and working to support our schools.
So today rather than rejoicing in victories (there are not many to rejoice over) or dwelling in the painful failures of our legislature and governor to do more than spend their energies seeking to avoid their constitutional duty, I will hope for the future. I will hope that the collective energies of our friends will, in time, help the good people of Kansas realize that as neighbors we can band together to ensure a better future for our children. We can honor our teachers and their contribution to our state. We can support the legislators who are standing up for our kids and teachers. Each day more people are tuning in and paying attention. Each day more people are joining the game. With hope I say: Game on!
Devin Wilson, 2nd year 3-day walker, parent, Game On leadership group member
I am walking to Topeka for my kids, for ALL of our kids, because not enough people got the message November 4th. Only half of Kansas turned out to vote, and it shows this legislative session.
How did I get here? I was born in Belleville, Kansas. Dad and my late grandpa went to a country school in Jewell County, Steuben School District Number 5, finishing 8th grade there. Dad graduated from high school in nearby Burr Oak, and I did also from what was then White Rock High School.
Fast forward to the 2000’s, and I had all but forgotten about Kansas public schools, until I was married, and ready to buy a house. My wife and I bought a house in a safe neighborhood, in an excellent school district, with a great nearby elementary school. We started a family and enrolled our kids in school.
We started noticing something odd. Despite the Great Recession being over for several years, it seemed like our school had been forgotten. Class sizes CONTINUED to increase, which made no sense to me. Finally my youngest started in a kindergarten class of TWENTY SIX! That got my attention. Digging deeper, there were other sacrifices, such as reduced janitorial staff, reduced funding for library books, the fee for all-day kindergarten increased substantially, and other things. I emailed my principal at the time and he said that the school district and elementary school have done what they could, reallocating resources as best they could, but some of the responsibility lies with our elected in Topeka.
About this time, I just happened to see on the 6 o’clock news a mother from Merriam, Kansas, who was so fed up she was walking to Topeka. I realized that I was not alone. The things I saw at my school were happening elsewhere. At this point, I could no longer just stand on the sidelines and hope for things to just get better on their own. I contacted Game On for Kansas Schools and got in the game.
I became more active in my community, joining my local PTA to help convey legislative information to other parents and teachers in my area. Last year, I joined Heather Ousley and others and walked to Topeka. Last summer and last fall, I made phone calls and knocked on doors for several local candidates that actually support Kansas public schools. I shook hands. I walked in parades for these candidates. Unfortunately, not all the good ones were elected November 4th. As a result, bad bills detrimental to Kansas Schools have been introduced this year, and some of those have passed.
Fortunately, we are seeing that more and more Kansans are tuning in and getting the message, but we need more of our friends and neighbors to hear us. We need more people to see what is going on in Topeka. We need more people to hold our electeds accountable. We need more people to GET IN THE GAME! GAME ON!
Lauren Van Wagoner, 1st time 3-day walker, parent
Many have asked what possessed me to lace up my sneakers and walk 60 miles. Well, on June 27, 2013, my life was forever changed when my oldest daughter received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It did not take long for my husband and I to realize how thin the resources were spread in our small rural school district. I fear that with recent cuts to educational spending, those too-thin resources will be spread even thinner. I fear for children like my own.
As we walked this weekend, I saw Kansans from all across the state, both in rural and urban areas discussing the challenges facing their schools. The similarities were endless. In the future, the urban and rural areas of Kansas need to pull together to help solve the challenges facing our schools. I want to see the schools of Kansas fully funded. I want a Kansas where parental concerns are not just heard, but acted upon. The children of Kansas deserve so much more than they are getting. They are our future, and they deserve it now.
When I began this walk, people would ask me about my career. I would say, “I’m just a mom.” As of last night, I have changed my job title…”I’m a mom who walked 60 miles for Kansas kids.” For those of you who say I am just one person, what can I do? Can I really make a difference? Yes, you can. It just takes one person to begin a movement. You can support your school district, contact your legislators, and educate your neighbor. The time to act is now. Tomorrow may be too late. Game on!
Aaron Estabrook, 1st time 3-day walker, school board member, parent
I am Aaron Estabrook. I am on the Board of Education in Manhattan. When Heather (Ousley) asked me if I would join her in the walk, I thought man 60 miles is a really long way. Even in the Army I never did that all at once at least. Thinking about my role on the Board of Education knowing the deep cuts that were coming and as a parent of daughters in public school, one starting kindergarten this year, I couldn’t say no.
Over 60 miles you have a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think about education and your own personal educational experiences. Walking across Kansas I couldn’t help but think of one particular memory.
The memory is of attending Wilroads Gardens’ Elementary School near Dodge City in rural Ford County. It was in that school with combined classes of 4th & 5th grades, almost 100% free and reduced lunch and at least 60-70% hispanic that I learned to love Kansas. Celebrating Kansas Day, coloring box turtles, meadowlarks, and buffalos. Learning the history of the settlers before us, the hardship of the pioneers. Respecting the struggles and admiring the self-determination. Those teachers worked so hard and did so much.
In the military when we come back from war and we train others for battle at some point we acknowledge that we respect that person, we trust them with covering our back, we do this by saying “ I’d go to war with you”. For everyone in this room I want to say, “I’d go to war with all of you”, and it’s important to know that it’s not a war we started. The Kansas legislature and Kansas governor are demonizing teachers; they are delivering crippling blows to rural schools across the state. Their policies and cuts are an assault on public education. There are people in this building who say there is more money going into the classroom. They are not telling the truth.
Thank you. We need more people to get in the game!
Laura Robeson, 1st time 1-day walker, parent
Fred Rogers said, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” In that context, we are surrounded by heroes today.
This quote directly speaks to why I chose to walk. I walk because I believe it is all of our responsibility to ensure that every child matters. Public education may be the greatest achievement of modern society. EVERY child – regardless where they live – should have access to quality public education. Our schools need skilled and innovative teachers to meet the diverse needs of our classrooms. These teachers should experience the full weight of our confidence and support in the work they do every day. They should be teaching class sizes that make sense and in which our children can have their needs met. Our classrooms need the curriculum and resources necessary for students to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Our students should be able to compete with any other students and be prepared to meet the demands of our ever changing world.
That is why I walk. I walk to remind our leadership that our values have become misplaced. I walk because our children are our most valuable investment. I walk because every child matters.
Ian Gould, 1st time 2-day walker, 7th grade student
Hello, my name is Ian Gould, and I am a seventh grader at a Kansas public school. I walked because of my future. And my brothers’ future. And my friends’ future. The future of everyone like me that deserves a good education. I have heard stories of families struggling to give their kids the education they deserve. I have heard stories of teachers that no longer make enough to support themselves and their families. And that makes me sad. It makes me sad that schools all across Kansas continue to lose support and funding from our government every day. That is why I walked. Thank you everyone, and Game On.
Chelli Martin Cranmer, 1st time 3-day walker, teacher
I’m wearing several “hats” during the walk this weekend. I’m a parent, I’m a school teacher of 24 years, I’m public school graduate, I’m a union member, but the hat I want to talk about right now is my Aunt hat.
My dad was a principal in Andover for 19 years before he passed away. Robert M. Martin Elementary in Andover is named after him. He loved his munchkins. My nephew is another Robert Martin, but goes by Robby. He is currently a junior at WSU in secondary education. He was wanting to be a high school social studies teacher, but after doing some student teaching in the middle school this semester, he has decided he wants to teach middle school social studies…and he’s not a coach!!! He has done some student teaching this semester, and his enthusiasm for teaching is amazing. He’s so excited to be a teacher. It reminds me of how I felt when I started. He tells us about the lessons he teaches and how the kids respond.
He’s going to be another amazing Mr. Martin in the education profession. He’s a lot like my dad. I think when I first hear students call him Mr. Martin, I’m going to bawl. I want the teaching profession to be a valued and respected profession for him when he graduates. Robby wants to have a family someday. He should be able to have the career he wants in the education profession and be able to support the family he wants to have in the future. That is one of the reasons I walked to Topeka this weekend.