Committee hears where K-12 budget stands as Senate prepares to vote

Jennifer Light, Kansas Legislative Research Department, briefed the Committee on K-12 Education Budget on differences between the budget committee report, House action and the Senate committees as the Senate prepared to vote.

Light said: "In 2025, the Safe and Secure grants left this budget committee with $5,000,000 SGF," and that the Senate Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Ways and Means had removed that funding, leaving $0 for Safe and Secure Schools in the KSDE budget for 2025. She told the committee the 2026 Safe and Secure Schools amount originally left in the committee at $7 million in 2026 but was moved in House action to the attorney general's budget and that "in Senate Committee on Ways and Means, there was an addition of $1,500,000 with language regarding that it needs to be spent on AEDs and CPR." Light said she would follow up to clarify whether that $1.5 million is part of or in addition to the $7 million moved to the attorney general.

Light summarized other changes the committee should note: a Senate-side deletion of several items the committee had recommended on lines 10–16; a House Appropriations addition of language requiring reporting on the excess cost percentage for special education; and that a proposed $30 million SGF addition for special education state aid in fiscal 2026 (as recommended by this committee) was reduced to $10 million in the House and then removed by the Senate Committee on Education, leaving special education state aid at $601,000,000 SGF on the Senate side with no additional aid included.

She described shifts in program placement and funding. The SparkWheel initiative was moved out of a dedicated special revenue fund: a $50,000 special revenue line survived the House Committee of the Whole but was deleted in the Senate Committee on Education and reallocated in Senate Ways and Means to the Department for Children and Families (DCF); separately, KSDE retains $1,300,000 for SparkWheel within existing KSDE resources rather than as a separate grant line. The SparkWheel special revenue fund also had $550,000 moved to DCF on the Senate side, Light said.

Light also noted that Mentor Teacher Program and professional development base amounts were present in House action but removed by the Senate Committee on Education. CTE transportation funding, state board compensation language and several other items were altered in committee and bill working sessions. She said JAG K money, which did not run through KSDE originally, was moved into KSDE existing resources at $10,900,000 in Senate Ways and Means as a subsection under KSDE.

Other items she flagged: a new $2,000,000 line in KSDE existing resources for an American History online curriculum supplement (identified in Senate Ways and Means), language encouraging use of existing funds to expand Science of Reading teacher training, and the Children's Initiative Fund being consolidated as a section in the bill so funds for multiple agencies appear together. Light told the committee she had compiled the differences on a single page to help members advocate and prepare for fast-moving conference and floor action.

Committee members asked clarifying questions. Representative McDonald asked whether the $1.5 million for AEDs came in lieu of the $7 million moved to the attorney general; Light said she did not know and would follow up. Members also discussed ARPA interest funds and Economic Development Initiatives Fund (EDIF) items: Light said the House appropriations position spent down roughly $49 million in ARPA funds, and that the Senate had deleted many ARPA-funded items, creating anticipated conference committee debate.

Light concluded by offering to take additional questions and to provide follow-up on points the committee requested.

Ending: Committee members thanked staff for the consolidated overview and noted the budget process could move quickly, with conference committee and floor votes likely in the coming days.