A Walk for Kansas began today as an advocacy effort for public schools.
The walk began March 27 in Merriam, where a nonpartisan grassroots public education advocacy group will walk 60 miles to Topeka.
The group includes parents, teachers, school board members and community members.
“We want for our children what we had attending school in Kansas at their age,” said Heather Ousley, a parent. “And for some reason, I thought that would be given, and that the excellent education I received would be a permanent fixture of our midwestern life. We must make it clear that our schools, and the children attending those schools deserve better. We have the power to change our state’s priorities, but we need help. I’m walking to ask for that help from my fellow Kansans. Our kids need you in this game.”
Another parent, Devin Wilson, making his second 60-mile trek, said he was inspired to get involved after seeing Heather on the news during her first walk in 2013. “I knew I wasn’t alone in seeing the impacts of low funding on my children. I could no longer just stand on the sidelines and hope for things to get better.”
A third parent, Judith Deedy, said, “Strong public schools are essential to our state. We are demanding more of our schools in terms of the students in our buildings as well as the education levels they will need to be productive participants in a global economy, but we aren’t adequately funding our schools. Many Kansans have joined our efforts, but we have many more to reach. We also see that many legislators are ignoring the will of their constituents. We seek to remind them that we are the Kansas families they were elected to represent.”