KSDE requests staff and program funding for at-risk accountability, AP tests and E‑Rate support; committee presses for details

Frank Harwood, deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education, briefed the Committee on K‑12 Education Budget on a set of agency enhancement requests and technical budget issues.

Harwood said KSDE seeks six full-time equivalent positions to implement the at‑risk accountability plan included in House Sub 4/Senate Bill 387, describing new duties to collect, evaluate and publicly post districts’ at‑risk plans and related longitudinal reporting. Harwood said KSDE is piloting the system with 13 districts beginning in 2026 and that full statewide implementation would require additional staff; the total appropriation request listed in the packet for 2025 was $626,500. He said the 6 FTE request was included in fiscal notes tied to the statute and that administrative duties have grown without commensurate staff increases.

Harwood also summarized two policy-related enhancement requests that currently carry no dollar amounts in the budget summary: a governor-requested $500,000 appropriation to pay Advanced Placement exam fees for “low-income students and…