Five candidates vying for three local seats in the Kansas House of Representatives assembled at Lawrence’s City Hall Tuesday for a chance to expound on various issues as November’s election day nears.

Republican J. Douglas Robinson and Democrat Dennis “Boog” Highberger, who are contending for the Lawrence-dominant District 46, fielded nearly 20 audience-submitted questions in front of 30 people and a live local television broadcast.

They were accompanied by District 10 incumbent and Democrat John Wilson and his Republican challenger, Nick VanWyhe; as well as District 42 challenger Austin Harris, a Democrat. Harris’ opponent, incumbent Connie O’Brien, a Republican, was unable to attend.

The event was organized by the Voter Education Coalition, which provides information regarding candidates’ policies to the public. Among the topics the candidates touched on:

Education

Nearly every candidate repeatedly emphasized education’s importance for the various ways it influences the economy, but there were plenty of disagreements between party members on how to improve schools statewide.

The two Republicans, VanWyhe and Robinson, said they oppose Common Core standards, framing them as an imposition into how classrooms are run. They also favor House Bill 2319, which frees some districts from state laws to pursue innovation.

“I would support it, but my hopes are that we would fix the education system to where it would be less likely that they would seek alternative routes,” VanWyhe said.

Democrats countered that Common Core only establishes goals and does not dictate what methods are used in classrooms. They criticized the “innovative districts” law as an attempt to subvert state standards.

“It isn’t needed,” Wilson said of the law. “There’s nothing restricting school districts from being innovative right now.”

Robinson was the only candidate to downplay education’s role in the economy. He criticized schools for being too focused on producing “productive employees” and said, “I don’t think education has as much to do with dollars as people claim,” in regards to job growth.

State revenue

With state tax collections coming in shorter than expected, and forecasts for that trend to continue, the five candidates were asked how they would reverse shortfalls.

Democrats said the Legislature must reconsider tax cuts that exempted businesses from paying income taxes. In addition, Highberger said expansion of Medicaid coverage would generate $1 billion to $3 billion in economic activity. Wilson advocated for increased investment in biosciences and recruiting renewable energy companies, and Harris called for increased investment in better roads and schools to attract businesses.

VanWyhe also called for more investment in renewable energy, as well as arts and tourism. He defended tax cuts for businesses, saying they are needed for attracting economic development.

“We need to make sure that they are lower than other regions around us and give them a reason to come to Kansas and open a business,” he said.

Robinson said the shortfall situation is not “a huge crisis. I think that government can be smaller.”

Health care

Democrats blasted the idea of Kansas denying the Affordable Care Act and joining other states in a health care compact to form their own regulations. Wilson said it would jeopardize Medicare coverage for seniors in Kansas.

VanWyhe did not provide a reason for supporting the compact, while Robinson, who at first said he was unfamiliar with the topic, said he does not trust the system devised by the federal government.

The Democratic candidates, along with VanWyhe, also said the quality of service from KanCare must be overhauled. Highberger and Wilson called for the expansion of Medicaid to 100,000 Kansans.