Homeschooling & KS Legislature: Shaping The Future

MPE’s annual legislative event is from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, at Hope Family Fellowship, 2420 South 53rd Lane, Kansas City, Kansas 66106.

Protect homeschool freedom for your family and future generations!

At this event, you will have the opportunity to:

• Explore how the legislative process works in Kansas and how you can participate
• Understand the current threats to homeschooling at the national level
• Stay informed on legislative proposals impacting homeschool freedom
• Interact with local legislators involved in education policy and leadership 

Legislators

Senator Mike Thompson

After a 40-year career in television as a meteorologist, Mike Thompson retired from on-air work and pivoted to entrepreneurship and the political world.

Mike is currently the Senator for the 10th District in the State of Kansas. He is the Chairman of the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee, and also serves on the Senate Utilities Committee, Public Health Committee, Local Government Committee, and Transparency and Ethics Committee.

Mike originated, organized, wrote, and produced “Weathering the Storm” an educational weather show designed for school children, for 20 years ending in 2018. Hundreds of thousands of children have attended the program, held each year at Kauffman Stadium, in conjunction with the Kansas City Royals. Between 2006 and 2014, he won six Emmy Awards for his meteorological work on-air and in for his work producing the weather show for School Day at the “K”.

Mike retired from television at the end of 2018.

Off camera, Mike enjoys reading, economics, politics, public speaking, water sports, music, playing the guitar, and BBQ! He has been married to LeAnne for 47 years. They have three children, 9 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Rep. Tim Johnson

Rep. Tim Johnson serves the 38th House District covering portions of the Basehor-Linwood, Bonner Springs, Piper, and Tonganoxie school districts.  After a 31-year career in law enforcement, he went back to school for his master’s in education and taught high school social studies until his election to the Kansas House in 2021. He has also taught criminal justice classes as an adjunct at the college level and since his election teaches part-time in private Lutheran schools.  He is on the board of Lutheran High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where two grandkids attend.

Currently Tim serves on the House K-12 Education Budget Committee and has been active in legislation impacting private and homeschool families. This includes legislation to allow homeschool and virtual school students to participate in KSHSAA activities.

During the last four years in the House, Rep. Johnson has sponsored home school students as pages and hosted home school groups at the capital.  Homeschool students at higher levels are invited to serve as an intern during the session and receive expenses for travel.

Tim and his wife, Linda, have five children and 9 grandkids. They have downsized and live in rural Basehor where they enjoy a small lake. Linda works at Trinity Lutheran Family of Faith Church in the daycare, and Tim works with the church youth and is an elder.

For more information, check Tim’s website at: http://www.timothyjohnsonstaterep38.com/

Rep. Pat Proctor

Rep. Pat Proctor has a lifetime of service. He enlisted as a private in the Army in 1989 and retired as a colonel in July of 2019. He served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Since leaving the Army, he has continued to serve through his church and service organizations in Leavenworth. Since 2021, he has served the people of Leavenworth, Fort Leavenworth, and Kickapoo as their State Representative in the Kansas State House.  

Pat is also a business owner. With his wife, he owns Baan Thai Restaurant, with locations in Leavenworth and Manhattan.  

Finally, Pat is an educator.  He teaches as an assistant professor in the Homeland Security program at Wichita State University. As a college professor, he has seen firsthand that, in education, one size does not fit all; we need to make it easier for Kansas families to chose the education path that works best for their kids, whether that’s public school, private Christian education, or homeschooling. 

New to Homeschooling?

Do you want to start homeschooling, but don’t know where to begin?

We have detailed step-by-step instructions for starting your homeschool in Kansas or Missouri.

If you’ve been homeschooling for a while now but just want to make sure you’re doing it right, we can help too!

Our “how to homeschool” workshops and webinars help you set expectations, meet legal requirements, tailor curriculum, and choose philosophies for your unique family. You will leave with resources and confidence to begin or continue your homeschool journey.

Connecting with other homeschool groups and programs

Years ago when homeschooling was relatively new, only a handful of homeschool programs and resources existed. Now we have so many that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed before you even start!

Meet other homeschool families at our in-person events and get their advice on what worked and didn’t work for their family. Learning from others can help you avoid similar first-time homeschool mistakes and set you up for success.

Our website lists KC-area homeschool enrichment and athletics programs to streamline your research process and find the best options for your family.

You can also prepare to attend our homeschool conference and curriculum fair for in-depth, practical resources to encourage and equip you each year.

Explore ongoing homeschool opportunities

Our legislative event is just one of many ongoing resources for your homeschool family. Check out other events:

• GROW workshop for homeschool moms, Aug. 8
• Worlds of Fun Homeschool Week
• Great Wolf Lodge Homeschool Weeks
• Women’s Encouragement Day just for homeschool moms
• …and much, much more!