Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in federal, state and local races address leading up to the Nov. 3 election.

Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County.

Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.

Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:

Blue Valley, De Soto, Olathe and Shawnee Mission have hired lawyers to prepare a possible lawsuit against the state over special education funding. Some readers asked why districts should have to go to court for money state law already promises. Though the state board has no direct control over school funding, should the board publicly side with the districts, the state or stay neutral? What stance would you take individually if elected?

Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:

Amy Diediker (Democratic)

Even though the State School Board does not vote on funding decisions, the Board should side with the districts. Kansas law calls for the state to fund 92% of excess special education costs. Yet, the Legislature has failed to meet that statutory funding level since 2011. When special education is underfunded, it hurts all students and staff. Something must be done and I applaud these four districts for taking action and holding the legislature responsible for fully funding education.

Jim McMullen (Republican)

Litigation is never good, except for the lawyers. There is no question that the school districts of Johnson County have seen an increase in special education cases and costs over the past decade, and the financial burden is real, aggravated by some of the rigid rules in place on how and where districts can spend their funds. A more productive approach, I think, would be for a designated member from each political party serving on the state board to form a working group with a few members of both political parties in the Kansas House and Senate with the express purpose of developing realistic and actionable approaches to alleviate the financial burden that school districts are encountering with special education. The topic cannot simply be the appropriation of more funds, but also a close examination of regulations that impose costly burden on our school districts. It might not yield the results any participant is hoping for … politics has a way to not leading to the best results … but smart people of good will should be able to develop better solutions than litigation.

Coming up:

Tomorrow, we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:

Nearly a third of Kansas third graders scored at the lowest level in English language arts in 2024, and the state is now pushing evidence-based reading instruction through its “Blueprint for Literacy.” How will you judge whether it’s working, and what should happen to schools that aren’t improving?