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Kansas TEA approves overhaul of course "buckets" used to calculate technical funding rates
Summary
The Kansas Technical Education Authority approved a staff proposal to reassign roughly 545 course instances into program-specific “buckets,” aiming to align funding calculations with actual course use across programs such as diesel, HVAC and welding.
The Kansas Technical Education Authority on Aug. 21 approved a staff recommendation to reassign several hundred college course entries into program-specific “buckets” used in the system’s funding calculations.
Board staff told members the change will move about 545 course instances (out of roughly 16,263 courses in the system) from content-based buckets into program-specific buckets so the credit-hour funding rate more closely follows how each course is used by students in particular programs. Charmin Chambers, director of workforce development, said the project began because identical course titles and content are often used across multiple programs, but funding calculations historically assumed content-based buckets matched a single program.
Chambers said the revisions are intended to make per-credit funding rates reflect the program where courses are most frequently used. “Everything in yellow is being recommended to move to a more accurate program specific bucket based on the use of that course at that institution,” she told the authority. Chambers said staff reviewed about 1,300 courses and recommended reassignment of 545; 815 courses were reviewed and left in their current buckets. The board packet lists the institutions and specific course examples that drove the recommendation.
The authority discussed implementation and consolidation of some content buckets into fewer program buckets (for example, several carpentry-related buckets collapsing into one carpentry construction bucket). Staff said the work requires manual review of how institutions actually use each course and noted Rita Johnson on the KBOR staff led that review.
The authority approved the reassignment by voice vote after a motion and second; no roll-call was recorded.
Implementation notes: staff said the reassignment will affect calculations in the annual cost model and that exact budgetary impacts will be determined when the model is run with updated enrollment data. The authority and college leaders said the change is intended to improve alignment and transparency in how Excel/CTE funding is calculated.
