Kansas Governor visits food pantry fully staffed by special education students

OVERLAND PARK – Today, Governor Laura Kelly attended the ribbon cutting for the Blue Valley Food Pantry, which will be staffed by special education students from Blue Valley School District. She joined district leadership, representatives from the Kansas Department of Education, students, families, and legislators for the grand opening and tour of the facility.

Governor Kelly also reiterated her call for Kansas legislators to put the state on track to fully fund special education. Kansas legislators have yet to finalize the K-12 education budget.

“Vocational programs like the Blue Valley Food Pantry provide our special education students with unique opportunities to learn in and outside the classroom,” said Governor Kelly. “To protect programs like this, we must put Kansas on track to fully fund special education because every child deserves the chance to learn and thrive.”

Governor Kelly was joined by Dr. Tonya Merrigan, superintendent of Blue Valley School District; Cassandra Delmont, director of secondary special education for Blue Valley School District; and Patrick Hurley, president of the Blue Valley Unified School District Board of Education.

“At Blue Valley Schools, we pride ourselves on providing our students with experiences that will best prepare them for life,” said Dr. Tonya Merrigan. “The Blue Valley Food Pantry does exactly that. But we have to ensure we have the funds to continue to support these kinds of programs, as well as our incredible teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff. We must fully fund special education across Kansas.”