Wichita board authorizes district to press 2025 legislative agenda on staffing, school finance and at‑risk flexibility

The Wichita Board of Education on Jan. 13 voted unanimously to authorize district leaders to advocate a 2025 legislative agenda focused on recruitment and retention of staff, maintaining an adequate and equitable school finance formula, and expanded flexibility for at‑risk funding.

The board’s vote followed a presentation by Addie Lowell, chief financial officer, who said the district’s goal was to approve a targeted, specific set of asks for the 2025 Kansas legislative session. "Our ultimate intent tonight is to, approve a legislative agenda for the district to use for the 2025 legislative session," Lowell told the board.

Why it matters: Wichita Public Schools is the state’s largest district and officials said state funding and rules materially affect their ability to recruit teachers, serve students with disabilities and operate programs for high‑poverty students. The agenda asks legislators to consider changes to the KPERS (referred to in the presentation as CAPERS) Tier 3 retirement model, to sustain special education funding added in 2024 and to remove a sunset on the current state school finance formula that now expires July 1, 2027.

Lowell summarized several specific components the district will press lawmakers to consider: commissioning a further cost study or options for KPERS/CAPERS Tier 3; pursuing licensure changes so special education endorsements can funnel into a unified model to ease recruitment; supporting the governor’s multi‑year proposal to increase special education excess cost funding; removing the sunset on the current school finance formula to provide stability; and seeking statutory changes to allow broader local use of at‑risk dollars and a K‑12 alternative school model.

On special education funding, Lowell said the 2024 session included a $73 million statewide increase and Wichita’s share was about $9 million. She also said state-level implementation details and timing may change how funds are delivered.

Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld and board members discussed the at‑risk request as a matter of local control and flexibility. Bielefeld said the district supports evidence‑based practices but argued that the current list and annual process can be slow and exclude locally successful programs. "We fully support the use of the evidence based practices," Bielefeld said. "We would keep our own data and evaluate the success of those programs too." She described the request as seeking common‑sense flexibility rather than removing accountability.

Board action: President Stan Reeser moved to authorize the district to advocate for the identified issues and to educate legislators; the motion was seconded and passed 7‑0. The board did not adopt statutory language but authorized staff to carry out advocacy and education consistent with the packet presented.

Next steps: District staff said they will use the approved agenda to guide meetings with legislators, the State Board of Education and partner organizations, including the Kansas Association of School Boards. Officials also said they will continue monitoring the education funding task force charged by the legislature to review the school finance formula and report by 2027.

Context and limits: The presentation referenced Senate Bill 387 and prior 2024 funding actions but did not itself change district policy or commit funding. Board members repeatedly framed several items as requests to state government or the State Board of Education (KSDE); the board’s authorization simply permits district staff to pursue the stated advocacy.

Votes at a glance: Motion to authorize district advocacy on the 2025 legislative agenda — moved by Stan Reeser; second — not specified in the on‑record transcript; vote 7 yes, 0 no.