Settle in, Kansas K-12 friends. I want to share a #ThrowbackThursday 🧵 to reminisce about the creation the school finance formula. 1/ I’ll skip the backstory on our legal battles prior to the Gannon lawsuit other than to remind that our Kansas constitution has had a clause regarding the funding of public schools (originally referred to as common schools) since inception. All K-12 decisions track to that 2/

I say this as a former state lawmaker with a voting record - it takes courage to do the right thing. Standing up to “leadership,” reading bills - actually thinking about each vote, not just voting party line. My first gun vote happened on the 3 month anniversary of Sandy Hook. 1/ HB 2052 was toxic bundle of gun policy making it 1) lawful to discharge a firearm within city limits overturning local ordinances, 2) require any/all public buildings to allow conceal carry unless “adequate security measures” (equipment & personnel) were put in place 2/

We want what we want when we want it. That’s human nature. In the case of state government, when revenues are up its easy to forget how far we’ve come Our troubles began with the Great Recession and were exacerbated by the tax cuts of 2012 & 2013. For our public schools, the trouble was further compounded by the repeal of the funding formula. Frozen funding under the Block Grant still impacting the system today.