Please Sustain Governor Kelly’s Budget Proviso Vetoes

I am writing to urge you to sustain Governor Kelly’s vetoes of the budget provisos related to student walkouts and state assessment cut scores. The student walkout proviso would have a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of Kansas students by imposing excessively harsh penalties for peaceful expression. Students should not face punitive consequences for engaging in civic participation, and this measure risks discouraging young people from exercising their constitutional rights. Additionally, requiring the use of outdated state assessment cut scores for new assessments would undermine the integrity of student achievement data. Applying old benchmarks to new tests creates misleading results, making it more difficult for educators, families, and policymakers to accurately understand student progress and needs. Reliable data is essential for making informed decisions that support student success, and this proviso would compromise that goal. These provisions do not support Kansas students or schools. Instead, they create unnecessary harm—both by discouraging civic engagement and by weakening the quality of our education data. I respectfully urge you to vote to sustain these vetoes and support policies that protect student rights and uphold the integrity of our education system.