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KSDE presents FY2026 budget request and nine enhancements, committee to review
Summary
KSDE fiscal staff briefed lawmakers on a $6.8 billion FY2026 request (about $5.1 billion SGF) and nine enhancement requests including special education increases, school safety grants, professional development and implementation funding for 2024 legislation.
The Committee on K-12 Education Budget received a high‑level overview of the Kansas State Department of Education FY2026 budget request and a list of nine enhancement proposals that KSDE will present for more detailed review in the coming days.
Jennifer Light, fiscal analyst for the KSDE budget, said the agency’s FY2026 request totals about $6.8 billion including roughly $5.1 billion in State General Fund (SGF). She said the Special Committee on Legislative Budget did not recommend any of the nine listed enhancements but the committee will evaluate them during deliberations.
Why this matters: the enhancements include targeted funding that would change allocations to districts and to state operations, and several proposals would increase recurring SGF obligations if lawmakers approve them.
Light summarized the nine enhancements KSDE listed for FY2026: an $87.6 million SGF enhancement for special education state aid (first year of a multi‑year plan toward 92% of excess costs); a $10 million SGF increase for Safe and Secure Schools Grants (bringing the program to $15 million total, intended to pay districts’ full requested amounts if demand remains); a $4.5 million SGF boost for the Professional Development program (bringing the total to about $6.25 million); a $1 million SGF increase for the Mentor Teacher Program (total $2.3 million); a $1 million SGF replacement for State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) money used previously as the state match for E‑Rate discounts; funding to implement provisions of 2024 House Sub. for Senate Bill 387 (roughly $626,500 SGF and six FTEs reported by KSDE, including salary, equipment and contractual costs); $517,000 SGF to fully fund Career and Technical Education (CTE) transportation (raising the program to $2 million); $170,000 SGF to increase compensation for Kansas State Board of Education members; and a roughly $95,920 SGF request to replace an e‑rate transfer from the Kansas Board of Regents.
Light also outlined changes in state aid estimates under the fall consensus revenue process: a mix of decreases and increases across foundation aid, supplemental aid, capital outlay and other categories driven by enrollment, property‑tax exemptions enacted in special session (residential exemption raised to $75,000), and federal fund changes (for example, ARPA/ESSER timing). She said KSDE carried $21.6 million SGF forward from FY2024 into FY2025, and the Legislative Budget Committee removed about $2.1 million of reappropriations for certain uses.
Questions from committee members touched on the scope of the professional development proposal, the district impacts of supplemental state aid (LOB) and capital outlay/state aid mechanisms, ESSER/COVID fund timelines, and whether the 20‑mill reauthorization language could be included in an appropriations bill (administration counsel said it would likely need to be separate legislation because of single‑subject and revenue‑raising concerns).
Ending note: KSDE and legislative fiscal staff told members they will dive deeper into individual enhancement requests and distribution mechanics in hearings later this week and asked lawmakers to focus questions on the differences among the Governor’s request, the agency’s request and the Legislative Budget Committee recommendations.
