KSDE requests full funding for statutory professional development state aid

State education officials told the Committee on K‑12 Education Budget on Jan. 20 that Kansas statute (KSA 72,551) authorizes districts to receive professional development state aid at a 1:1 match up to 0.5% of a district’s general fund, but current appropriations are insufficient to pay the statutory maximum.

Dr. Brad Harwood explained the statute and KSDE’s enhancement request, which the department quantified in committee materials as about $4,480,000 to reach a total appropriation near $6.25 million that would fulfill the statutory cap. Harwood said the funds would be distributed as state reimbursement to districts that submit an approved professional development plan; districts retain local discretion over what professional development they provide so long as the plan is approved by KSDE’s teacher licensure office.

KSDE estimated that for FY25 the available appropriation will fund about 28% of the statutory entitlement, prompting the department’s request to restore full funding. Harwood told legislators that districts are already incurring professional development costs using local general or supplemental funds and that the enhancement would free those local dollars for other uses.

Committee members asked whether the statutory language contains “subject to appropriation” caveats; staff advised that the professional development statute does include subject‑to‑appropriation language and that the legislature ultimately decides whether to fund the entitlement. The governor’s budget did not include this enhancement.

No formal appropriation decision was made at the Jan. 20 hearing; KSDE staff said additional fiscal detail is available in the written materials they provided to the committee.