Blue Valley Schools a model of responsibility with Kansas taxpayer dollars | Opinion
The Blue Valley community deserves honest, informed conversations about public education — conversations that reflect the values, transparency and high expectations that define Blue Valley Schools. The Star’s recently published commentary about our budget priorities failed to meet that standard, relying instead on inaccuracies and mischaracterizations that do not reflect the reality of the district.
The Blue Valley school district has long demonstrated transparent, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Fund balances are publicly disclosed every month in board of education meetings. The assertion that Blue Valley has $315 million in unrestricted reserves ignores legal requirements and misrepresents the actual financial position. As of June 30, 2025, only $16 million was unrestricted, less than the $20 million the district needs to cover just one month of salaries and benefits. The remaining funds are legally committed to bond payments, capital projects and essential services such as food service, health insurance and special education.
In 2024 to 2025, Blue Valley transferred $16 million from its general fund to support special education services, services the state is statutorily obligated to fund but consistently fails to fund fully. These are not optional expenses, and are required to support students who rely on critical instructional and essential functioning services every day.
The commentary also omits this important fact: Blue Valley receives less state and federal funding per pupil than nearly every other Kansas district, ranked 269 out of 286 districts. Despite 94% of the school districts in Kansas receiving more state and federal funding per pupil, Blue Valley Schools continue to deliver exceptional results. Even the commentary concedes that Blue Valley Schools is a good steward of public dollars, so the question of “how much is enough” falls flat.
Since 2020, the district has invested $40.5 million ($8.1 million annually) to strengthen school safety, including door locks and cameras, alert systems and window security. Blue Valley Schools invests more than $1.4 million annually in campus officers and event security. These are critical costs to ensure staff and student safety, but they inevitably reduce the funds available for direct classroom investment.
And the results speak for themselves. Blue Valley is the academic standard in Kansas. Blue Valley’s five high schools rank in the Top 7 statewide and in the top 10% nationwide on the “U.S. News & World Report” list. Blue Valley Schools is a leader in the state in ACT performance and graduation rates. Since the pandemic, the district has recorded year-over-year gains in state assessment scores, supported by investments such as early literacy screening and the adoption of a new math curriculum. These scores continue to outpace state performance and national measurements. This year, Blue Valley Schools had 51 National Merit Semifinalists, more than any other Kansas district and more than several entire states. In 2025, 169 students earned the Kansas Seal of Biliteracy, demonstrating proficiency in a second language. Students continue to make the district and community proud.
Blue Valley Schools is also investing in people. Over the last three years, Blue Valley used reserve funds to support a 17.4% salary increase for staff, recognizing both inflation and the high cost of living in Johnson County. This investment moved the Blue Valley starting teacher wage to $52,104, representing the highest rate in the county, and increased the highest end-of-career salary to $109,233. Over the same time period, Blue Valley also absorbed an increase of 36% in health care insurance premiums. Employee salaries and benefits make up 85% of the district’s operating budget because Blue Valley Schools believes the most important investment that can be made is in the adults who teach, support, mentor and care for students.
Through Blue Valley Schools’ strategic plan, annual academic goals are set that challenge the district to continually improve. These goals are reviewed in public board meetings and posted on the website to ensure transparency and accountability. Continuous improvement is part of the Blue Valley culture.
Our state’s education funding is rooted in the Kansas Constitution and shaped by local accountability. The commentary did not just get the facts wrong — it inserted itself into a conversation it does not fully understand.
In Blue Valley, the focus remains on what truly matters: ensuring every student has access to a safe, high-quality public education. Blue Valley Schools will keep listening, keep improving and keep putting students first.
Dr. Gillian Chapman is superintendent of Blue Valley Schools.