Committee on Education adds preschool to military early-enrollment bill; KSDE outlines funding complexities

The Committee on Education voted to amend House Bill 02/2002 to include preschool programs in the list of classes for which military families may request early enrollment, and then recommended the bill favorably as amended.

The amendment was introduced by Representative Stogstill and seconded by Representative Ruiz; the committee approved the change by voice vote. After discussion, the committee voted to report the bill favorably and to allow the reviser to make technical changes. The committee also voted to report House Bill 2,033 (an item adding MSLAC-accredited organizations to an at‑risk list) favorably.

Why it matters: the change will allow military children who qualify for a district’s public preschool program — including programs funded through special education (IEP), at‑risk, or the state pre‑K pilot — to enroll before a family establishes state residency if the child provides evidence of an incoming military assignment and the program has an open seat.

Deputy Commissioner Frank Harwood of the Kansas State Department of Education told the committee that preschool funding is “all over the board,” with several distinct funding streams that only partially overlap. He said public schools are required to provide preschool services for children with disabilities (three- and four-year-olds with IEPs) and that state funding counts such students as 0.5 in the school funding formula. Harwood described four common funding pathways for district pre‑K programs: special education, at‑risk funding, the pre‑K pilot grant program and general/local funds or parent fees. He said the pre‑K pilot is a competitive grant program with a statewide pot slightly over $8,000,000.

Committee members asked how the amendment would interact with those funding streams and whether the bill would require a district to create a new preschool program. Jason, the committee reviser, and Harwood clarified that the amendment applies only to preschool programs already offered by a public school district. If a district offers a special‑education preschool and the incoming military child is not eligible for special education, the district would not be required to create a separate program for that child; eligible students may enroll if there are open seats, otherwise they would be placed on a waiting list. Harwood also explained that language about IEPs and Section 504 plans will be moved so it applies consistently to pre‑K and K–12 military students.

Representative Brantley asked whether preschool falls within the committee’s scope for education policy; staff and Harwood responded that public‑school preschool for three‑ and four‑year‑olds is within the committee’s purview. Harwood and other speakers emphasized that many program details (staffing ratios, whether a district charges fees for additional hours, whether districts use peer models, and transportation reimbursements) vary locally and can affect capacity and implementation.

The committee took the following formal actions during the meeting:

Votes at a glance - Amendment to House Bill 02/2002 to add preschool to the early‑enrollment provision for military families — motion to adopt amendment by Representative Stogstill, second by Representative Ruiz; outcome: approved by voice vote (tally not specified). The committee subsequently moved to report HB 02/2002 favorably as amended and to allow the reviser to make technical changes — motion by Representative Stogstill, second by Representative Hubert; outcome: approved by voice vote (tally not specified). - House Bill 2,033 (add MSLAC‑accredited organizations to at‑risk list) — motion to report favorably made by the vice chair, seconded by Representative Schreiber; outcome: approved by voice vote (tally not specified).

Discussion vs. decision - Discussion: Committee members questioned whether the amendment would require districts to create new programs and sought clarification on which preschool programs (special education, at‑risk, pre‑K pilot, fee‑based) would be affected. Harwood provided an overview of funding and program types. Committee members also raised operational questions about staffing, transportation reimbursement, and local decision‑making by school boards. - Direction: The committee allowed the reviser to reorganize language so that references to IEPs and 504 plans apply uniformly to pre‑K and K–12 military students. The committee asked staff for an informational spreadsheet summarizing program types, funding streams, and staffing requirements to inform future discussions and the Funding Formula Task Force. - Decision: The amendment to HB 02/2002 passed and the committee reported the bill favorably with permission for technical revisions. HB 2,033 was also reported favorably.

What remained unspecified in the meeting - Exact voice vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript. Committee members asked for state counts of total public‑pre‑K enrollment beyond students counted for state funding; Harwood said he would attempt to provide that number later. The transcript does not provide a final effective date, implementation timeline, or specific technical‑change language the reviser will make.

The committee scheduled further work on House Bill 02/1999 and said it would hear additional items on Monday, including a late‑filed bill (02/1930) on Ruby Bridges Walks to School and a presentation on school bus camera arms.