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 students in foster care” (Harwood clarified the governor’s definition: free-and-reduced-price eligible students and students in foster care); and a $5,500,000 estimate to eliminate the reduced-price meal co‑pay for eligible students. He explained the $5.5 million estimate was based on last year’s number of reduced-price meals purchased; the appropriation would cover student payments (40¢ lunch, 30¢ breakfast) where families currently pay a portion. Harwood noted some students counted as eligible may not use school meals, and that the appropriation would lapse if actual costs were less than estimated.

Committee members pressed Harwood for details: Representative Steele asked how many reduced‑price students actually pay the copay; Harwood explained the 36,000 figure is the count of reduced‑price-eligible students and that the $5.5 million is based on last year’s paid reduced-price lunches. Representative Hill asked about the origin of the CTE transportation proposal; Harwood explained that the department submits a full budget to the governor but typically does not receive line‑by‑line explanations for items the governor omits. On the CTE transportation enhancement, Harwood said community and technical college tuition is funded through higher education appropriations; the KSDE request targets district reimbursement for transporting students to colleges and reimburses by vehicle type and miles.

Harwood described a separate agency request to restore parity in State Board of Education compensation, explaining board compensation had remained tied to legislative per‑diem statutes since the 1970s and that a recent change disconnected the two. The request would increase State Board daily compensation (not an annual salary) and KSDE asked for enabling legislation; the packet listed an approximate $170,000 cost.

On E‑Rate support, Harwood said KSDE historically received a contribution (about $95,000) from the Kansas Board of Regents to help districts with E‑Rate application assistance and a helpline. KBOR told KSDE this fund is no longer reliably available because of an audit liability; KSDE requested the committee continue funding that service either by preserving the KBOR transfer language in the bill or by an SGF appropriation. Jennifer Light (KLRD) later reported a KBOR fiscal analyst that the fund balance at end of FY 2025 was $282,375. Harwood said without KSDE’s verification work, some districts could be ineligible for E‑Rate funding. Separately, outside witnesses urged the committee to consider a $1,000,000 state match to draw down federal broadband construction dollars under E‑Rate special construction funding; suppliers said that match can reduce long‑term broadband costs for districts.

Harwood closed by noting KSDE administers roughly $6 billion in K‑12 payments while state agency operations total roughly $21 million (0.35% of that cash flow) and reiterated that an expanded accountability and reporting workload requires staff if the legislature expects thorough evaluation and public posting of at‑risk plans. The transcript records no committee vote on the enhancements; members requested further documentation and follow‑up on the at‑risk pilot, fiscal breakdowns, and the KBOR transfer status.