Improving public schools in Kansas isn’t purely a matter of dollars and cents, but the state school board is on the right track by focusing on increased funding for teacher salaries and full-day kindergarten.

This week, the Kansas State Board of Education asked state legislators to direct an additional $26 million toward those two goals. Two-thirds of the state’s kindergartners currently are enrolled in full-day programs, and the increased funding would cover the other third.

It also would help address the state’s ranking as 38th in the nation in terms of average teacher salaries. The average Kansas teacher earns $39,351, compared with the national average of $47,602.

Full-day kindergarten is a proven winner when it comes to getting youngsters off to a good educational start. Early training at home is important, but additional time with professional educators helps smooth out the bumps for many children.

Providing those professional educators at all levels of K-12 schools in Kansas will be a growing challenge. A huge number of dedicated teachers in the state are close to retirement. It’s hard to attract young people to a career with such limited earning potential.

Kansas is doubly handicapped in this area because even the teachers who graduate from our own state universities are likely to be lured to jobs in other states by higher salaries. Rural districts already are having significant difficulty in attracting teachers in high-demand subject areas.

Teaching is one of our society’s most vital professions. There is nothing more important to the education our youngsters receive than the quality of their teachers. We’ve loaded teachers down with many responsibilities over the years, asking them not only to deal with many social issues, but to document their own teaching success through extensive student tracking and standardized tests.

It’s a demanding job that many teachers love. There is a special satisfaction in having a positive impact on the next generation, but good feelings don’t pay the bills.

The school board’s funding recommendation got a less-than-enthusiastic response from some legislative leaders this week. That is understandable considering the many funding demands that legislators face. In the big scheme of things, though, an investment in teacher salaries and early childhood education seems like a good priority for Kansas.