As Kansas students, families and educators have settled into a new school year, it is worth reflecting on the close ties between public schools and the communities they serve.   

The Kansas Constitution requires a system of public schools. Unlike most states, the constitution requires those schools to be "maintained, developed and operated by locally elected boards" to link schools to their community. Here are some of the ways that happens.  

Public schools enroll about 465,000 students in grades K-12, or about 90 percent of those aged 5 and 17. Unlike private schools, public schools must serve every child eligible to enroll. Public schools also enroll 25,000 preschool students, or about 30 percent of Kansas three and four-year-olds, and many schools partner with other public and private childcare providers. Schools educate these children and allow parents to be part of the workforce needed in Kansas communities.  

Public schools work to give students the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in whatever career path and community they choose to work and live in. For most students, this will mean eventually receiving postsecondary beyond high school. To prepare students, schools work with the network of technical and community colleges, state and municipal universities and private schools across the state, leading to the highest college attainment in Kansas history. Kansas ranks 17th in adults with “high value” educational credentials.  

More and more students are graduating high school with a technical certificate, associate's degree or significant college credit. Over 50,000 high school students participate in career tech pathways, in which their technical knowledge is validated through independent assessments, including industry-recognized credentials. Regional advisory committees of employer representatives support these efforts to ensure programs are meeting the needs of communities and students.  

Thousands of students annually are learning technical skills, employment skills and entrepreneurship through based learning in the schools and community, from student-run banks, coffee shops, theaters and other businesses to internships and community service projects/. Nearly 25,000 students participate in Career and Technical Student Organizations, which foster technical, employability and leadership skills.  

Thousands of grades 7-12 students participate in organized sports and activities. These provide students with benefits ranging from health and fitness through sports, arts and culture through music and drama, career and leadership skills through journalism and student government. Thousands more participate in school-based service clubs and projects. These activities also promote personal and interpersonal skills like teamwork, goal setting, and perseverance – skills that make students successful community members in the future.  

But these programs also benefit Kansas communities, providing entertainment, artistic and cultural opportunities, bonding families across generations, and fostering community pride. Frequently, It is said that losing a school means losing a community. This passion runs from the smallest schools, where the whole town turns out for big games, to the fierce pride and attachment of the largest schools in the state.  

Schools support their communities in other ways. With over 73,000 “full-time equivalent employees” – more if counting part-time workers – school districts account for almost five percent of Kansas's 1.5 million jobs, making school districts one of the state's largest employers in each section.  

School districts paid over $5.1 billion in salaries and benefits last year, almost all to employees living in Kansas communities. Districts spent another $2.8 billion on contracted services, goods and materials and capital costs, mostly paid to Kansas businesses. School employees are the largest group in the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, which pays out nearly $2 billion in retirement benefits annually – 90 percent of which stay in Kansas. The funding provided to school districts through taxes comes back to Kansas communities as salaries, purchases and pension benefits, improving education outcomes and all the other benefits listed above.  

Of course, there continue to be controversies in education, from what and how schools teach, how students learn and how we should spend school funding. But many of those issues can be decided in local school board elections, which will be held in November. That's how parents, family members, and other voters in the community can keep that vital link between public schools and their community strong.