Greenbush Service Center tells budget committee it supports small districts with special education, early childhood and professional development

Greenbush Service Center representatives told the Committee on K-12 Education Budget that the interlocal provides a mix of operational support, direct student services and professional development to small and rural school districts across southeast Kansas.

The presentation focused on why Greenbush exists and how it operates: to reduce costs for small districts by pooling services such as payroll and procurement, to provide specialized student services that districts cannot always staff themselves, and to deliver statewide professional development, including mentoring for new teachers and literacy coaching. "We support from the littlest kiddos to 21 year olds and beyond," said Stacy Clarkson, associate executive director of Greenbush Service Center.

The service center, founded in 1976, employs roughly 500 people, the majority of whom work in special education and early-learning programs, Clarkson said. She told committee members that Greenbush is lead or fiscal agent for several infant–toddler networks funded through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and that it also employs staff for other networks across the state. Those infant–toddler and early-intervention services generally operate under federal Part C funding administered by KDHE.

Greenbush described three main service areas: business/operational supports (for example, cooperative purchasing, E-rate application help, payroll support and grant writing); direct student services (audiology clinics, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, teachers of the deaf and visually impaired, and a virtual academy that does not issue credits); and leadership and learning services (mentoring for early-career teachers, instructional coaching and professional development in the science of reading).

Clarkson said Greenbush helps small districts access specialized professionals and equipment, citing an audiology clinic on the Girard campus and a recently opened clinic in partnership with TARC in Topeka. "Families in the Topeka area had to drive to Johnson County Hospital," she said, and the partnership reduced travel and wait times for intensive screening.

On financing, the committee was told that about 12% of Greenbush's budget is federal grants — roughly $6.5 million — and that Greenbush participates in a range of federal and state funding streams, including Perkins, Title III, Title IV, ESSER-era projects, and state categorical aid used to offset special-education staffing. Clarkson and staff emphasized that some programs flow to districts and then to the service center while others, such as certain infant–toddler grants, are applied for directly by the networks.

Committee members asked about workforce and program trends. Clarkson said more children are being identified for early intervention and special education now than five years ago, citing advances in neonatal care and increased attention to early language and social development. "Special education is not going away," she said, noting shortages of teachers for low-incidence disabilities and of speech-language pathologists.

The service center also described emerging work in cybersecurity training and support for very small districts that cannot afford a full-time technology director. Randy Korn, executive director, said Greenbush staff meet monthly with other district and service-center tech directors to share standards and security practices.

Committee members asked about literacy work. Clarkson described Greenbush's retention of instructional coaches who were trained under a prior LINK grant and ongoing partnerships with Pittsburg State University to align training and the regional literacy blueprint. She said Greenbush embeds the science of reading in mentoring and early-childhood professional development to reduce gaps between home and school instruction.

Members also asked about mental-health supports. Clarkson said Greenbush evaluates some community mental-health grants, partners with Kansas State Department of Education initiatives, and deploys home-visiting and early-childhood social-emotional screening through its infant–toddler and home‑visiting programs.

Representative Brantley asked for staffing breakdowns; Clarkson said more than half of Greenbush staff work in special education and early-learning services. On funding mechanics, she said KDHE grants, federal sources and state categorical aid cover portions of costs while local districts pay for percent-of-use when they contract specific services (for example, an audiologist used 5% by one district and 15% by another).

The committee and presenters agreed to follow up on a few items; Clarkson offered to provide the committee with the total number of 0‑to‑3 children served by Greenbush. After the presentation, the committee approved minutes for previous meetings (motion by Representative Hill, second by Representative Estes; approved by voice vote; exact tally not specified).

Clarkson and Korn asked committee members for public recognition of successful local programs and continued collaboration across agencies as Greenbush approaches its 50th anniversary. "If you're not collaborating and partnering, then you aren't able to meet the needs," Clarkson told the committee.

The committee adjourned after approving the minutes.