Senate education committee reviews Kansas State Department of Education budget; special education, school-safety grants and program staffing among top issues

The Kansas Senate Committee on Education met to review the Kansas State Department of Education budget and the substitute for House Bill 2,007, focusing on special education funding, school-safety grants, program staffing needs and several line-item changes.

KLRD fiscal analyst Jennifer Light opened the hearing with an overview of the substitute bill and supporting documents, saying, “In front of you, you have 4 pieces of paper that we've printed off for you today,” and describing the documents she would reference for spending and proposed enhancements.

The budget summary in the substitute for House Bill 2,007 holds total KSDE spending near the agency request—about $6.6 billion—with $4.8 billion from the State General Fund (SGF) for FY2025. Light told senators the substitute bill includes a $10,000,000 SGF addition for special education state aid in fiscal year 2026 but noted that the agency’s three-year plan request and the governor’s larger multi-year proposals were not fully adopted.

Why it matters: agency officials and senators emphasized that small percentage changes in special education aid affect statewide compliance with statutory guidance on excess-cost reimbursement. Dr. Frank Harwood, deputy commissioner for fiscal and administrative services at KSDE, warned of the gap versus the statutory target, stating, “KSA 70 two-thirty four-twenty 2 calls for appropriation at 92% of statewide excess costs for 2025. That's at 75.4%.” Harwood said the net effect of one-time federal funds in FY2025 reduces the continuing SGF increase that carries forward into later years.

Major items discussed

- Special education: Sub for HB 2,007 includes a one-time $10 million SGF addition for FY2026. Harwood and Light explained that earlier proposals sought larger, multi‑year increases (agency asked for $87.6 million as part of a three‑year plan; the governor recommended $72.6 million on a four‑year plan), but the substitute bill’s action is a single-year add with maintenance into 2027 but no additional scheduled increases.

- Safe and Secure Schools grants: The committee heard that the substitute removes ongoing Safe and Secure Schools grant funding for FY2026. Light said the House had appropriated $5 million annually in FY2024 and FY2025, but the sub for HB 2,007 shows $0 in FY2026. Harwood noted that the Attorney General’s office received earmarks for a firearms-detection program totaling $20 million across three years (7,000,000 in FY2025, 7,000,000 in FY2026, 6,000,000 in FY2027), but he emphasized that those funds are administered separately and are not specifically limited to K–12 public schools.

- Professional development and mentor-teacher funding: KSDE requested enhancements to fully fund professional development and to add $1,000,000 for the mentor teacher program to extend supports into a third year. The substitute bill retains baseline funding (the mentor teacher program remains at $1.3 million in the sub), but it does not include the requested enhancements.

- E-rate and KBOR transfer: KSDE sought $1,000,000 to replace State Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars used as the state match for E-rate; the substitute carries $500,000 SGF for that purpose. The existing transfer of roughly $95,000 from the Kansas Board of Regents to KSDE for E-rate operations remains in the substitute bill; the governor had recommended removing the transfer without adding equivalent SGF.

- Implementation staffing for House Sub for Senate Bill 387 (at-risk accountability): KSDE asked for 6 FTE and $626,500 to implement reporting and administrative duties required by the 2024 law. The substitute currently includes $184,500 and funding for two positions in the fiscal note but does not add the six FTE the agency requested. Harwood said KSDE would prefer retaining the funding without adding net FTEs immediately and would repurpose unfilled positions if needed.

- Career and technical education (CTE) transportation: KSDE requested about $517,000 to fully fund CTE transportation reimbursement (bringing total FY2026 funding to about $2 million). The sub does not include that enhancement; current funding remains in place (roughly $1.5 million), meaning the requested addition is not in the substitute.

- State Board compensation and 20-mill reauthorization: The agency requested $170,000 SGF to adjust State Board of Education member compensation; the substitute does not add that funding. Separately, the 20-mill reauthorization (a policy decision historically included with the education mega-bill) was removed from the substitute and is being treated as a policy bill rather than an appropriations item.

- Children's Initiative Fund (CIF) language concern: Melissa Rooker, executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, supported the CIF line items but warned that a motion in House appropriations reorganized CIF and related transfers under a section headed “Kansas Children's Cabinet.” She said the clause’s wording makes the “above agency” ambiguous and could inadvertently create a new agency in budget mechanics; she and revisers are seeking a technical fix.

Other clarifications and next steps

Committee members pressed for details on carryover funds and federal amounts. Light said KSDE carried over $21.6 million in unspent SGF from FY2024 to FY2025, tied to reappropriations such as state foundation aid and supplemental state aid. Harwood said federal special-education aid used for FY2025 consensus was roughly $128 million.

Senators were told that several House additions (including a $2 million ARPA interest allocation for a Southwest Kansas child-care facility program) were not present in the Senate version because they were removed by a Senate Ways and Means global proviso.

The committee did not take final action on the substitute bill in the hearing; members were instructed to prepare recommendations. The committee plans to vote on its recommendations at an upcoming session and then transmit them to the full Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Quotes from the hearing

• “In front of you, you have 4 pieces of paper that we've printed off for you today,” Jennifer Light, KLRD fiscal analyst, told the committee at the start of her overview.

• “KSA 70 two-thirty four-twenty 2 calls for appropriation at 92% of statewide excess costs for 2025. That's at 75.4%,” said Dr. Frank Harwood, deputy commissioner of fiscal and administrative services, describing the gap between statutory guidance and current funding levels.

Ending

The committee will hear additional education budgets in coming days, including the state schools for the deaf and blind, and will meet to make its recommendations to Senate Ways and Means. Staff told senators there is written testimony available on the committee’s S‑scribe record for members who want fuller line-item detail.