Champions For Lansing Education

03/11/2026

Things are messy right now & there is a vocal minority that needs to read this graphic before posting on social media. But it’s important to remember that the vast majority of our community is supportive of our schools and teachers. Look for the folks who strive to make our community better and disengage from those who tear it down.

03/05/2026

[email protected]

The legislature is keeping us on our toes...send an email to senators ASAP.

Find your state level senator (upper chamber) at openstates.org or use the easy email link at bit.ly/SMAC3-5-26Alert

Ask them to:
- Respect local control and the cell phone restriction policies SMSD has already implemented that allow for flexibility and adjustment as feedback is received from parents, teachers, and students.

- Oppose the unfunded mandate in the bill that is estimated to cost SMSD over $500,000 as districts must invest in storage equipment to keep phones securely stored and inaccessible to students.

KANSAS PTA Opposition
Kansas PTA stands opposed to the bill because of the importance of supporting local control for this and other issues where we see legislative overreach. Locally elected boards and administrators understand the needs and complexities of their districts best.

Kansas PTA supports districts implementing cell phone restrictions. The great majority of districts in Kansas have enacted cell phone restriction policies with input from teachers and parents. These local policies have community buy-in and allow for feedback and adjustments as districts learn what works well or what doesn't. Mandating strict requirements into state law doesn't allow for flexibility as circumstances arise within a district that may warrant a policy adjustment or an exception.

03/04/2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in this bond process, especially those at the district office who worked so hard to present all of the data to our community.
We’re disappointed with the result, but believe this has been an important step in finally addressing the maintenace issues our district faces.

from the Leavenworth Times:
“Voters have rejected both bond issues proposed by the Lansing Board of Education.

That is according unofficial election results released by the Leavenworth County Clerk’s Office. The results from Tuesday’s special election in the Lansing school district will remain unofficial until they are certified by the County Commission.

According to the unofficial results, a $30 million school bond issue was defeated by a vote of 1,579 ‘no’ votes to 1,095 ‘yes’ votes.

A second $5 million bond issue was defeated by a vote of 1,779 ‘no’ votes to 890 ‘yes’ votes.”

03/03/2026

Tuesday March 3rd 7am-7pm will be your last opportunity to cast your ballot for the school bond. Check below if you have questions about where to vote.

It’s going to be a cloudy, chilly, and rainy day- a perfect reminder of what’s at stake- critical roofing and HVAC needs in most of our school buildings. Safety & lighting necessary upgrades.

This is likely to be a close vote. Do not leave the decision to chance- Vote YES! 🦁

03/02/2026

For the last fifteen years, at least, the legislature has not fully funded Special Education. According to a recent KASB podcast, that translates to 39% of local property taxes being used to bridge the gap. If you want immediate tax relief, contact your local legislators and tell them to fulfill their obligation to fund 92% of excess special education costs. In Lansing, that equals two to three million dollars per year!
Fully funded special education benefits *every* student and taxpayer.

02/27/2026

Like us, you probably received this extremely aggressive mailer from the “Do The Math 469” group. The one with the snarling lion devouring our tax dollars, accusing the district of wasting money for “promoting their agenda.”

Let’s talk about it.

This mailer claims the district chose March because they are counting on low voter turnout, but that just isn’t true. The district has worked hard to schedule many presentations across the community to discuss the bond and answer questions. And approving a bond in March allows the district to begin projects this summer, causing less disruption to our students.

This mailer claims the district has printed signs & flyers to promote their agenda, but that just isn’t true. Providing community members with the facts of the bond projects and financing isn’t “promoting an agenda,” it’s doing their due diligence. Flyers have been provided to people attending the presentations with a summary of the facts and a QR code attendees can use to review the bond info in depth. The district has worked hard to be fully transparent, devoting time and space on their website and pages with details of the bond.

The mailer claims the district is “already $90M+ in debt,” but the fact is the district is paying on previous bonds that were all approved by our voters.

This mailer claims they “desperately” need your no vote and then claims “LETS (sic) COME TOGETHER FOR A MORE SENSIBLE SOLUTION!” But does anything on that mailer suggest an interest in coming together??

If you visit the DoTheMath469.com website, you’ll quickly find a disclaimer that it is not associated with KPI or its affiliates- because it links visitors directly to a Sentinel article unrelated to our bond. (They moved that article from the top of the page to the bottom.)

The fact is that the forces behind the Vote No campaign do not care about our schools and want you to believe our district is failing and not worth investing in.

Last November, Lansing voters turned out in much higher numbers than other districts in our county. Voters rejected the negativity & outsider influence. We stood up for our schools. On March 3rd we have the same opportunity.

Throw this mailer in the trash- hopefully the same place you put the first Do The Math 469 mailer and then go Vote YES!

Lift Lansing Up!

02/26/2026

Scholarship Opportunity! Applications due March 8th:

https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/identifier?continue=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenYWboBdcPpGo4sRKwl05GKV6xj5LCuoKVshFywU8Sk8Snzw/viewform?usp%3Dsend_form&dsh=S201354755:1772066711049683&followup=https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenYWboBdcPpGo4sRKwl05GKV6xj5LCuoKVshFywU8Sk8Snzw/viewform?usp%3Dsend_form&ifkv=ASfE1-rB2pV5LdfF-QjAEBLUWvZ4e1vLTu2XxyowOXuUfkUl6tCM6HzmlEZOJel2aRmxrVQbKMI4<mpl=forms&osid=1&passive=1209600&service=wise&flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin&fbclid=IwRlRTSAQMdvFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeR3KoSigAddeYkBEtqCc7vd3oRGP1Z3n5_k16g2-NmSxWss3ZUH84q3IFUZQ_aem_LnW6ihEWlOP7lMeytDo5gw

Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

02/26/2026

Summer Camp Opportunities! Applications are due March 1st:

The Kansas Future Teacher Academy at Emporia State University, sponsored by The Teachers College and directed by the Jones Institute, has graduated more than 1,200 high school students over more than 30 years. KFTA provides high school students with the opportunity to learn more about the challenges...

02/25/2026

[email protected] (785)296-7522
[email protected] (785)296-7653

Contact your Representative in the Kansas House NOW and tell them they need to allocate more funding for Special Education. Tomorrow, the Kansas House will debate its budget bill, HB 2434, which currently has only $10 million in new Special Education funding-a number that will cause the state to fall even further behind in its funding levels. The state’s refusal to fully fund special education has the effect of cutting $1,000 from the base state aid for each Kansas student. Districts are required to provide Special Education Services, the legislature should be required to fund them.

02/24/2026

“We have a narrow window to stop the cycle of missed opportunities”
This is truly the heart of this bond.