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District lobbyist outlines mid‑session Kansas bills, school finance task force and K‑12 budget developments
Summary
SMSD’s lobbyist briefed the board on the midpoint of the Kansas legislative session, special education funding changes under consideration, the school finance task force timeline and several bills affecting school operations and board authority.
Shawnee Mission Public Schools received an update on state legislation affecting K‑12 funding and policy from lobbyist Dr. Stewart Little (appearing by phone) and Chief Communications Officer David Smith.
Dr. Little told the board the legislature is at its midpoint "turnaround" and that the calendar is accelerated this year, leaving roughly 18 workdays for committee work before the session’s end. He said the House budget that passed committee included a $10 million increase for special education funding (down from earlier higher proposals) and that other budget items recommended by the governor had been reduced or excluded during the House process.
Dr. Little outlined the School Funding Task Force, which is charged with recommending changes to the school finance formula by the sunset date of July 1, 2027. He said the task force includes legislators and non‑voting members and has begun monthly meetings; its work may produce draft formula changes for the 2026 session.
He reviewed Senate activity and bills the district is tracking: Senate Bill 47 (addressing local board authority and agenda/public comment issues and a provision about board members entering facilities during regular hours), bills on parental consent and school record/identification practices, and a large refundable tax credit proposal for nonpublic and homeschool scholarships that had been scaled back in the Senate. He said most bills that passed the Senate did not pass with veto‑proof margins.
Dr. Little noted additional bills with hearings scheduled, including one (SB 254) that would prohibit unlawful presence in the U.S. from receiving state or local public benefits and another (SB 263) requiring curriculum procedure for active shooter drills. He cautioned that separating policy bills from the budget process this year has made the legislative environment less predictable.
Board members asked whether the task force must rewrite the formula (Dr. Little said the task force could remove the sunset, keep the existing formula, or produce changes) and whether the task force has a model to consider (he said staff are collecting state model formulas and other resources). No formal board action was taken during the update; the presentation was for information and discussion.
