Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, just two days after assuming office in January 2019, stood in front of state legislators and delivered a devastating indictment of the state’s foster care system. The system — designed to care for children when they can no longer remain in their home because of abuse or neglect — had reached a “crisis point” that required immediate and considerable attention, the new governor said in her first State of the State address. In recent years some agency leaders had demonstrated what she called a “callous disregard” toward vulnerable children and families. The number of children in the foster care system had skyrocketed, overwhelming programs designed to help children and saddling social workers with absurdly large caseloads. Four years later, as Kelly’s first term nears its conclusion and she runs for reelection, the Democratic governor has moved the foster care system down the road of improvement without reaching a final destination. Her Republican opponent, Kan...