Kansas education officials brief House panel on FTE counts, funding sources and hiring rules

Kansas State Department of Education officials outlined how the agency counts staff, budgets positions and uses federal and state funds during a Committee on K-12 Education Budget hearing.

Deputy Commissioner Frank Harwood and John Hess, director of fiscal services and operations, told the committee that KSDE’s FTE total counts only permanent full- and part-time positions and excludes temporary positions used for short-term training or other intermittent work. Hess said "1 FTE is considered 2,080 hours a fiscal year," and explained that temporary workers and elected state board members are not included in the FTE headcount.

The officials said those counting rules matter because KSDE budgets assume a level of vacancy called "shrinkage." Hess told the committee that for fiscal year 2025 the cost to fill all SGF positions would have been roughly $12.8 million, while the budgeted salaries and wages were $11.8 million — "a shrinkage of $1,013,570 for the year or 7.9%." He said the budget relies on that assumed vacancy rate to avoid running out of operating funds if positions are not filled the entire year.

The testimony described how positions are created and funded. Harwood said KSDE uses an internal approval form that…