Aligned proposes statewide longitudinal data system; commission and Office of Longitudinal Data included in draft bill

Torrey Peterson, president and CEO of Aligned, and Eric Severson, Align’s director of policy and research, presented a draft statewide longitudinal data system they plan to introduce as legislation in the coming days.

The proposal would establish an independent Kansas Data Commission under Chapter 74 of the Kansas statutes to set a research agenda and hire an executive director for a new Office of Longitudinal Data; the executive director would be subject to Senate confirmation. The presenters described the system’s core functions as (1) an integration phase to link de-identified education and workforce records (early childhood, K–12, higher education, and workforce) over time, (2) a formal data-request process for legislators, agencies and members of the public (public requests paid at cost), and (3) an initial public-facing credential-and-skills registry (a dashboard showing in‑demand, high‑wage jobs and associated credentials).

Peterson and Severson emphasized data privacy: the system would use unique, de-identified student identifiers and implement safeguards to prevent re-identification. Severson said the system is modeled on elements of other states’ approaches (Utah’s request process and Kentucky’s variable definitions were cited) and noted Education Commission of the States reporting that 42 states operate or are developing longitudinal data systems; Kansas is one of eight without such a system in operation.

Committee members expressed budget concerns. A committee member cited a draft fiscal estimate of about $3,000,000 per year and suggested reducing the number or pay of legislative appointees to lower costs; presenters said they had not yet written specific FTE lines into the legislation and that the commission and executive director would decide staffing or whether to contract with vendors. Other questions covered whether unions/trades would be engaged (presenters said yes), whether Align would run a vendor RFP (Align said it would not but would participate in procurement), and where the office might be housed (presenters said they were open to legislative research division or other homes but had proposed an independent commission).

Severson said the authors expect to introduce a revised bill shortly and to route it to K–12 budget/education committees; he and Peterson requested feedback on governance and cost containment (for example, number of legislative appointees and stipend levels).