Members of the Kansas Legislature convened in Topeka Monday to tackle the annual challenge of how to pay for ever-growing state services, pay for new programs, hold new taxes to a minimum, please as many Kansans as possible and end up with a balanced budget.

In this process, lawmakers are supposed to carry out their responsibilities with the goal of doing what is best for the state and its residents and, at the same time, doing a first-rate job of representing the constituents who voted them into office.

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It is a difficult, frustrating assignment and, if there is to be any chance of success, it will require genuine statesmanship and flexibility on the part of the legislators and the governor. Money is tight and the state faces major competition from other states — there is no justification for complacency, and the clock is ticking.

It is understandable that various interest groups think their particular program or activity deserves special treatment or generous funding by the Legislature, but at the same time, there isn’t enough money to fund all of the good and deserving programs to the level their supporters suggest.

Education, from kindergarten through higher education, takes the largest single bite out of state revenues. Spokespeople at all levels of education are quick to claim they are not getting enough, they are falling further behind the funding for their peer institutions, faculty members are leaving for better-paying jobs and on and on.

There never is enough for those in education.

For one reason or another, it has been a long time since legislative support for K-12 schools has placed Kansas in the top national tier of funding on a per-student basis. Kansas Board of Regents universities have seen their peer institutions pass them in their level of fiscal support, and there is little cause for optimism that Kansas University and the other state universities can catch up to these peer institutions any time soon.

In this battle for funding, KU has one major asset that has not been fully utilized in recent years.

The KU Alumni Association has a proud record. It is doubtful many American universities have a group of alumni as loyal and supportive as KU’s alums. Unfortunately, in recent years there hasn’t been the vision and leadership to mobilize and organize these alumni and friends and transform them into enthusiastic, effective salespeople. Attention has been given to alumni activities in metropolitan areas around the country with trips and parties, but relatively little attention has been given to organizing and mobilizing Kansas alumni and friends.

There are approximately 130,000 people now living in Kansas who attended or graduated from KU. It is a good bet a high percentage of these men and women are loyal Jayhawks. They may not approve of everything KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway may do or stand for, they may not like the athletic director’s money-raising tactics, they may find fault with a particular professor or dean, they may not like the looks of some campus building, or they may find fault with the turf wars and egos on campus, BUT they do like KU. They think it is a good school that is important to the state, and they would like to do what they can to help. They probably are tired of the constant appeals for money and how some of these funds are used, but they like their school and they would like to help.

The KU Alumni Association has new leadership with Kevin Corbett taking over as president. The change is long overdue, and current association officers are to be congratulated for having the courage to take action. Corbett is enthusiastic and proud of KU. Board members are eager to take advantage of the power and enthusiasm of 130,000 alumni and friends in Kansas, and Corbett plans to do a far better job of organizing alumni activities throughout the state.

It would be wrong to expect overnight results, but there is every reason to believe Corbett’s approach to renewing and reorganizing the structure and activities of KU alumni in the state and making these alumni more knowledgeable about KU is like waking a giant who has been asleep for far too long. There’s no telling how much can be accomplished by taking advantage of the talents and interests of these friends, spread throughout the state, and encouraging them, in many different ways, to help KU.

Again, this doesn’t mean everyone is expected to fall in line and blindly support every action and policy of KU’s leaders or endorse whatever may or may not be taught in some KU classrooms. It does mean, however, that Corbett is excited about his opportunity to pump new energy into the association, revitalize and organize the enthusiasm of the school’s alumni and friends and ask for their participation and help.

This is good news for the school and is bound to pay off in the months and years ahead by making Kansas legislators more aware of the importance of a fiscally sound and healthy KU to the future of the state.