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Board hears update on Topeka budget talks; district could lose current grants and stipends
Summary
Director of finance Pamela Kelly told the board that House and Senate budget proposals diverge on education funding; the House would add $10 million for special education while the Senate would cut multiple state grant streams, potentially affecting mentor stipends, professional development and safe‑and‑secure grants.
Pamela Kelly, Derby Public Schools director of finance, briefed the board March 24 on ongoing state legislative work that could change funding for the district.
Kelly reported that the two chambers have differing plans for K‑12 funding under HB 2007. “The house added $10,000,000 for special education funding, the senate added no new money for special education,” she said, noting the two chambers were in conference committee to reconcile differences.
Kelly said the Senate package proposed eliminating or reducing several existing funding streams that benefit local districts, including the Safe and Secure School grant, professional development funding, CTE transportation reimbursement, the mentor‑teacher program stipend and the Teacher Excellence (national certification) grants. Kelly estimated the current‑year impact of the Senate deletions at about $205,000 for the district, and said the House’s counterproposal would delay some reductions until next year while adding special‑education resources.
Board members asked practical questions: whether mentor stipends already paid would be honored (Kelly said the district has paid some Teacher Excellence funds for the current year), what the renewal cadence is for the Safe and Secure grant (applications are annual; the district was notified of awards in July), and how the district would absorb potential reductions. Board members said they had already been contacting legislators.
Kelly closed by noting conference committee work would continue through the week and that the first legislative adjournment was scheduled for March 28. She cautioned that the situation could change rapidly.
