When the 2016 legislative session begins in Topeka next week, northeast Johnson County will again have a representative on the House Education Committee.
House Democratic Leader Tom Burroughs announced last week that he was appointing Merriam Rep. Jarrod Ousley to replace Rep. Carolyn Bridges on the committee. Bridges, a Wichita representative first elected in 2012, announced in mid-December she was stepping down because of what she perceived as constant anti-education posturing by Republicans.
“All of us in public education are just beat up daily by the people who don’t believe in public education,” Bridges told the Associated Press at the time of her resignation.
In a statement announcing his appointment, Ousley said he would fight for improved public school funding.
“This is a critical time for education in Kansas,” he said. “There are those who would rather privatize public schools than provide them with the funds they need to continue to provide a quality foundation for success.”
Northeast Johnson County did not have a representative on the committee last session after Speaker Ray Merrick left 2014 committee-member Melissa Rooker off the Republican delegation ahead of the 2015 session.
