Returning to Success: The 3 R’s and Setting Our Schools Free

Good morning!!

I’m home from a quick trip to Scott City, and once again I’m filled with hope. Every community I visit reminds me how deeply Kansans love their hometowns and how determined they are to see them thrive.

And always—the same questions arise:

• How do we unleash our potential?

• How do we stop the outflow of people?

• How do we reduce taxes and increase efficiencies?

• How do we stop corporate welfare and embrace the free market?

• And most urgently, how do we stop the avalanche of failure in Kansas schools?

Our Schools: The Heart of Every Community

Growing up on a farm, I know schools are more than classrooms—they’re community centers, employers and the heartbeat of small towns. I remember Dad would have us do chores early so we could cheer on OUR Uniontown Eagles under the Friday night lights.

But our schools’ core mission is education, and on that front, we’ve failed. Over 50% of Kansas students aren’t proficient in reading or math. Civics has been replaced with ideology.  Even our school libraries contain pornographic materials beyond explicit and are blocked from being read in school board meetings.

My Plan for Education

• Eliminate the Kansas Department of Education — approximately 330 employees and at least $30 million in savings.

• Refocus the State Board of Education on graduation standards, not curriculum mandates.

• Restore local control by giving school boards the authority to build curriculum.

When I propose this some ask, “How would we do that?”—as though freedom was something to fear. But when they realize how Federal Regulations, Common Core and Social Emotional Learning shackle them, they find the space to dream of REAL EDUCATION.

Let’s Return to What Works

• Say NO to federal funds…the strings attached have been the road to failure.

• Throw the NEA out of Kansas schools…repeal KSA 72-2219 Kansas is a right to work state, we don’t need a union to provide liability insurance.

• Teach phonics, cursive writing, and factual math….clarity not confusion.
  

• Keep computers out of classrooms until at least 9th grade—they track kids, cost too much and deepen screen addiction.

Computers, Common Core and SEL were all promised to be the “holy grail” of education. They weren’t. Failure means change direction.

I was interviewed by Rod Haxton, editor of the Scott City Recorder. He lamented that my plan sounded like we were going backwards.  I told him, no, we simply would be returning to success.

A Lesson from History

Early in the 20th Century and especially after WWII, mothers were told formula was better than breastfeeding. By 1972, only 22% nursed. Today, over 83% do—because the “new way” wasn’t better and we returned to what was and is best for mothers and babies (if possible) since the dawn of time.

The same applies to education. Reading (phonics), writing (cursive), and arithmetic (facts)—returning to the 3 R’s—is not going backward. It’s reclaiming success.

We’re cheating our children out of a good education, time to change direction from failure to success. Will some people fear change in education? You bet!!! Especially those with vested interests, the bloated education bureaucracy.

I am Charlotte O’Hara and I will be your BOLD free-market and pro-life governor come January 2027.

👉 Please contribute $100 or more today so my voice will be heard on the KSGOP debate stage in January 2026. We are halfway to our goal, we need your help to get to the finish line.

💻 Donate online: oharaforkansas.com
✉️ Make checks payable to:

                        O’Hara for Kansas
15712 Windsor St.
Overland Park, KS 66224

Charlotte O’Hara
Republican for Kansas Governor, 2026