Kelly opposed Iowa, South Carolina, and Utah's broad plan to utilize public education resources to help parents pay for private or home schooling.
Vouchers will destroy rural schooling. Our instructors oppose vouchers. Local politicians oppose vouchers. She stated vouchers aren't popular in Kansas, to cheers.
Water difficulties are “an existential issue” for rural Kansas and the state, she said. “My goal for the rest of my term is to put Kansas on the path to overcoming this crisis,” she stated.
The Ogallala Aquifer, which encompasses 175,000 square miles (453,000 square kilometers) across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, is losing water.
Over 20% of the nation's wheat and 18% of cattle are fed in Kansas. West Kansas, home to much of the Ogallala, contributes for 60% of Kansas crops and cattle value. Water makes that possible.
She spoke after state Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert informed legislators earlier in the day that courts are recovering from a Russian ransomware gang infiltration three months earlier.
Wednesday saw the return of the public court portal and electronic filing in two judicial districts, with the others due in the coming weeks. Luckert highlighted that the state did not pay the ransom and is identifying and notifying victims of data theft.
We are optimistic that full functionality of our systems, including appellate e-filing, is on the near horizon,” Luckert said in her State of the Judiciary address.
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