Kansas School for the Deaf requests SIBF repairs and warns proposed SGF lapses would force service cuts

Amanda Prosser of Legislative Research briefed the committee on the Kansas State School for the Deaf’s fiscal‑year‑25 and fiscal‑year‑26 budget requests, including capital requests proposed to be paid from the State Institution Building Fund (SIBF). “Figure 4. Yes, there's 2 takeaways. So first, item 1 in that table, the agency did have about $156,000, unspent money in the language assessment program account that was unspent in '24 and reappropriated into '25,” Prosser said.

Prosser said the language assessment program—authorized by statute and intended to monitor developmental milestones for Kansas children who are deaf or hard of hearing from birth through age 8—had about $156,000 reappropriated into FY25 after ARPA funding was entirely spent. The special committee on legislative budget spared this reappropriation from a global motion to lapse reappropriations; however, Prosser said the House budget bill later deleted the reappropriation from that language assessment account and added the same amount into the SGF operating account for FY25.

Capital projects and enhancements: For FY26 the school requested roughly $17.8 million in all funds and asked for approximately $766,000 in capital improvements from SIBF, according to Prosser. Prosser listed the enhancements: an increase in base maintenance (not recommended by the special committee or the initial House bill), $200,000 for utility‑tunnel repairs (parking removal, structural repairs, and resurfacing to support delivery vehicles), asbestos and hazardous‑materials abatement (coordinated with the School for the Blind), $70,000 to install a new gas service line to the pool mechanical room, and $350,000 to replace the Taylor Gym roof. Prosser said several items not recommended by the December special committee were later added back into the House amendment of the budget bill.

Superintendent Lou Anne Barron, appearing virtually, told the committee the school is growing across services and campus enrollment, citing outreach and birth‑to‑3 increases: “we are growing at the Kansas School for the Deaf, in every area of our school.” She said outreach served about 800 students statewide and campus enrollment was “well over 150 students.”

Budgetary risk: Barron and Prosser warned that the statewide global motions would reduce the school’s resources. Barron said the 1.5% SGF lapse would amount to about $185,260 for the school in FY26 and could require cutting counseling, paraeducator positions and other essential services; she also warned that removing funding for vacant positions would impede the school’s ability to hire qualified teachers if funding is eliminated while recruitment is ongoing. Prosser stressed both schools are tied by statute to match the Olathe pay plan for teacher salaries, creating additional complexity in interpreting the pay plan and proposed SGF adjustments.

Program details: Prosser explained the school sometimes contracts for certified deaf interpreters—individuals who specialize in deaf culture and communication beyond standard ASL interpreting—because certified deaf interpreters are hard to find for staff positions, so the school uses contracted services and reallocates budget lines accordingly.

What happened and next steps: The Legislative Budget Committee and the December special committee did not recommend several enhancements; the governor’s proposal included some, and House amendments restored certain SIBF projects. No committee votes occurred during the briefing. Committee members were scheduled to continue working on budgets in subsequent meetings and were told they did not need to submit recommendations in writing before those sessions.

Ending: Superintendents and fiscal staff urged lawmakers to reconsider SGF lapsed items and to preserve reappropriation language for programs that cross fiscal years; the committee planned to take up the budgets at later meetings.