Building a consensus in the Kansas Legislature about issues related to higher education in the state has become a daunting task, especially when it comes to providing additional funding for state universities.

Although it may not be the entire answer, the formation this week of the Higher Education Caucus, a bipartisan group of state senators and House members, has the potential to be a step in the right direction.

Three legislators — Sen. Janis Lee, D-Kensington; Sen. Robert Reitz, R-Manhattan, and Rep. Jeff Jack, R-Parsons — have agreed to convene the group. Among the 23 founding members were Lawrence Sen. Marci Francisco and Rep. Paul Davis, both Democrats. Other Lawrence legislators should waste no time in getting involved.

With the proper leadership and motivation, the Higher Education Caucus could be a powerful force. If all the legislators whose districts include a state university, a community college or a vocational-technical school could get together on a higher education strategy, their influence would be formidable.

All those schools now are part of the Kansas Board of Regents system and have an important role to play in Kansas higher education. The goal of the Board of Regents, as well as state legislators, should be to build a higher education network that uses the strengths of all its universities, community colleges and vocational-technical schools and coordinates their efforts to provide the best educational opportunities for Kansas residents.

Although the state primarily is focused on funding K-12 education right now, the caucus organizers said this week that the debate must be broadened to include support of higher education. “We simply can’t afford to let our post-secondary schools fall behind,” Rep. Jeff Jack, said. “If we are going to compete in the knowledge-based global economy, we have to find ways to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty, students and administrators.”

That’s a sentiment that should be shared by all the members of the Kansas Legislature, but there hasn’t been much evidence of that in recent years. Legislators who value higher education in the state and especially those with Board of Regents institutions in their districts should recognize their common interests and form a united front to advocate for higher education in Kansas.