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Students upset with lawmakers in funding debate

Posted at 9:40 PM, Jun 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-07 23:24:43-04

Students want Kansas lawmakers to take responsibility for the budget crisis and find a fix so their schools open on Aug. 12. 

A group of Shawnee Mission debate students spent Tuesday evening talking politics over pizza.

"It's pretty appalling and that's going to be a glaring hole in my college application if that is the case," said soon-to-be senior Lily Ottingger. 

She's worried school won't start on time this fall.

"No high school student should have to worry about going back to school in the middle of their summer and no high school student should have to be concerned about their own government having the ability to govern themselves," she said.

Sophomore Josh Marvine wants to see his elected officials take responsibility, but most importantly, find a fix. 

"It's pretty upsetting that our governor has implemented plans and experiments that have not only defunded the schools but created this budget crisis we're seeing now. And it's also really upsetting to see this complete, lack of accountability," he said.

Lawmakers have roughly 23 days to fund schools as of Tuesday. The high court then has to approve their funding formula.

The students on this debate team already feel as if they aren’t getting a fair slice of the pie.

Junior Ashley Ellis worries she’ll lose the activities that she enjoys. "They're going to be cut off from the things that make them, themselves."

No date has been set for lawmakers to return to Topeka.  

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Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.

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