Republicans Charles Macheers and Stephanie Meyer are facing each in the District 39 Republican primary election Tuesday.

The winner will compete against Democrat Marlys Shulda in the general election Nov. 6.

Macheers, a private-practice attorney, cites education as one of the most important issues facing not only his district, but the entire state.

He thinks the Kansas Legislature should be fiscally responsible with education spending and that local control is worth protecting.

As a small business owner, Macheers thinks Kansas needs a competitive tax policy to attract jobs to Kansas and enable current businesses to expand and add jobs.

He also thinks the Kansas needs more legislators who will stand up for Kansas rights against the encroachment of federal policies like “Obamacare.”

“Kansas is a great state that, like the rest of the country, has been faced with tough economic times in the past few years,” said Macheers. “ I am running to help find solutions that benefit everyone —solutions that keep our state moving forward in the right direction. I want to ensure that my son’s generation is left with a Kansas that has a secure and stable future where all Kansans have the opportunity to thrive and prosper.”

Meyer, a Shawnee planning commissioner, said inadequate school funding is a major problem she wants to address if elected.

“I believe the Legislature should revisit the current school finance formula, and support the broad strokes of the governor’s most recent plan,” said Meyer, in response to a Star questionnaire on the subject. “As one of the state’s primary responsibilities, we must craft a solution that provides the funding necessary to give all Kansas children a quality education, but also allows for greater local control.”

When asked in the same Star questionnaire if she would vote to increase the percentage of local option budget authority allowed school districts under current state law even though it might result in higher property taxes, she said yes.

When it comes to her district, Meyer wants to see more economic development and property tax relief.

District 39 pays some of the highest property taxes in the region, she said, mostly due to the limited number of businesses to offset taxes on homeowners.

She would support efforts to provide property tax relief before addressing further reductions in state income tax rates. She would also like to help draw more businesses and jobs to the area.