Van Wagoner walks 60 miles for Kansas schools

Hoyt resident Lauren Van Wagoner recently participated in a 60-mile walk for Kansas schools with the organization Game On for Kansas Schools.

Van Wagoner was one of more than a dozen education activists to walk 60 miles in three days from Merriam to Topeka to protest how the state currently funds public schools. The event concluded with a rally and press conference at the state capitol building on March 30.

During the press conference, which was held inside the Statehouse, Van Wagoner shared her motivation for walking the 60 miles.

“On June 27, 2013, my life was forever changed when my oldest daughter received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Van Wagoner said. “It did not take long for my husband and me to realize how thin the resources were spread in our small rural school district. I fear that with recent cuts to educational spending, those too thin resources will be spread even thinner. I fear for children like my own.”

Van Wagoner and her husband, Colby, have lived in Hoyt for three years. They have three children, Liz (6), Presley (4) and Brody (nine months).

As the walk progressed, Van Wagoner said she saw how grateful people were for what the walkers were doing.

“I watched the little town of De Soto welcome us,” she said. “I saw practically the entire town of Eudora turn out, complete with a police escort. As we arrived in Lawrence, we were greeted by a large mass of people chanting ‘Fund our schools!’ Each and every one of those stops helped me to realize that I was a part of something remarkable, something bigger than myself and my family. I know that what I did, and what the other walkers did, meant something to these towns.”

After the walk, Van Wagoner said she felt very liberated.

“As we walked this weekend, I saw Kansans from all across the state, both in rural and urban areas discussing the challenges facing their schools. The similarities were endless,” she said in her address. “In the future, the urban and rural areas of Kansas need to pull together to help solve the challenges facing our schools. I want to see the schools of Kansas fully funded. I want a Kansas where parental concerns are not just heard but acted upon. The children of Kansas deserve so much more than they are getting. They are our future, and they deserve it now.”

Van Wagoner said it will take a group of people, working together, to get more funding back into the classroom.

“When I began this walk, people would ask me about my career. I would say that I’m just a mom. But after this walk, I have changed my job title. I’m a mom who walked 60 miles for Kansas kids. For those of you who say I am just one person, what can I do? Can I really make a difference? Yes, you can. It just takes one person to begin a movement. You can support your school district, contact your legislators and educate your neighbor. The time to act is now. Tomorrow may be too late. Game on.”