GUEST COLUMN

The Kansas Department of Education’s mantra – Kansas leads the world in the success of every student – would be more accurately stated as Kansas leads the world in ACT score declines.

District-level ACT scores for 2025 were finally made public yesterday, and it’s no surprise that KSDE kept them hidden for months.

GUEST COLUMN, Glenn Brunkow, Kansas Farm Bureau

Spring has started for many of us already, the mild and even warm temperatures have allowed many of us to get a jump on spring activities already.

All of us are ready for warmer temperatures and new life spring brings us. The warmer weather comes with spring field work and longer hours. Often, we are pushed to get work done before the spring rains and that means stretching ourselves thin.

Those long hours and a rush to beat the rain brings its own set of risks and dangers. We all know farming is one of the most dangerous professions and spring and fall accentuate those dangers. I know I am preaching to the choir, but the long hours coupled with large equipment can be a deadly combination.

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

It took until Week 10 of the Legislature to do it, but if we ever had a session goal of taking more than 100 votes in a 4-day period, that has been met and exceeded. Actually, our 107 doesn’t quite match the 115 we had a year ago this time, but the 88 in a single day may have set some sort of record.

Only one was particularly controversial, which certainly helps in the decision-making, but still, that’s a LOT to discuss and ponder in a short period of time. Now, if you’re wondering, “How is it possible to make informed judgments on that many bills, amendments, resolutions, confirmations, and reports so quickly?” the answer is, “It is definitely a challenge, but thanks to the hearing process, advance notice, staff summaries and briefings, a lot of reading, caucuses, constituent and interest group input, good leadership, and actual debate, we somehow make it happen.” Then, too, as we used to tell our kids, “Anything is possible if you put your minds to it.”

GUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative

Next week is conference committee week, where members of the House and Senate meet in small groups to work through the differences between bills that have passed each chamber. These are three on three negotiations where we focus on resolving disagreements, finding workable compromises, and finalizing legislation that both bodies can ultimately vote on.

This is where much of the detailed work happens. It is a deliberate process aimed at making sure the final version of each bill is thoughtful, balanced, and ready for final passage.