K-12 budget panel approves roof repairs, procurement flexibility and pay increases for state schools for the blind and deaf

Jennifer Light of the Kansas Legislative Research Department told the committee the green handout shows the State Institutions Building Fund would have an illustrative ending balance of $28.2 million at the end of fiscal 2026 and $23.8 million at the end of fiscal 2027 if every agency request were included.

Representative Vestas moved the committee fund the Edmond Dorm and Dining Hall roof replacement at the Kansas State School for the Blind for $718,750, with a capital-improvement base increase of $87,272 from SIBF. Members who visited the roof described rust penetrating the support structure and supported the full request. The motion passed unanimously.

Representative Brantley moved that the committee recommend language authorizing the Kansas State School for the Blind to procure goods and services under school-district procurement statutes rather than the state agency procurement statutes, contingent on a follow-up report to the committee demonstrating cost savings and operational efficiencies. Committee counsel outlined the difference: the school is currently a state agency subject to procurement rules in chapter 75, article 37 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated while school districts follow K.S.A. 72-1151. The committee approved the recommendation for FY2026–FY2027, with a reporting requirement during the 2027 legislative session.

A member asked for a budget-committee report notation regarding a vendor preference for a van purchase; that specific procurement motion was withdrawn and replaced with a notation encouraging consideration of the requested vehicle. The notation was recorded in the committee report after a roll-call style check that recorded two ‘no’ positions.

Representative Brantley also moved a budget notation that the state's financial support for the Kansas State School for the Blind be recognized in budget materials as a state appropriation for special education and related services. Several members debated whether such a notation would alter statutory formulas or mislead the public about the state’s 92% special-education target for school districts. Counsel Jennifer Light clarified that a budget notation goes into the committee report, not into statute, and does not change the excess-cost calculation, which applies to school districts. The committee approved the notation; several members asked to have their opposition recorded.

The committee approved the School for the Blind budget favorably for FY2026 and FY2027 as amended.

For the Kansas State School for the Deaf, the committee approved a $600,000 SIBF request for an elementary roof remodel and an increase to repair-and-replace funding. Representative Steele led a successful motion to restore the LAP (assessment program) portion of a 1.5% SGF lapse.

Committee members spent substantial time on a pay-parity package requested by the School for the Deaf. Jennifer Light read agency testimony that showed an original enhancement request of $430,900 for FY2026 and $447,300 for FY2027 (a two-year total of $878,200) to cover certified teacher pay increases, additional days for support staff, and related needs. After debate about whether to add six school days for some staff, whether parity should apply to both schools that share staff, and how negotiated agreements affect pay, the committee amended the motion to provide not-to-exceed amounts tied to the negotiated agreement for certified staff and to permit the schools discretion to allocate pay to other employees. The committee approved the amended motion (committee discussion cited a not-to-exceed figure of $375,000 for FY2026 and approximately $391,400 for FY2027 as the working not-to-exceed numbers).

The committee also approved ASL proficiency and summer-workshop incentive funding for the deaf school and agreed to pass out the School for the Deaf budget favorably for FY2026 and FY2027 as amended. A separate motion to add $1.8 million from SIBF to demolish a powerhouse building was proposed but withdrawn for consideration by the joint State Building Construction committee.

The meeting closed with chair remarks and adjournment.

Quotes used in this report come directly from the committee record: “The green handout in front of all of you is the status of the SIBF fund,” Jennifer Light told members; Representative Vestas said the roof request was “their full request for this enhancement”; committee counsel Nick summarized procurement law, noting the difference between “state agency procurement statutes” and “school district procurement” under K.S.A. 72-1151.

What’s next: the committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to Appropriations and other committees as part of the budget bill process; the procurement authority granted for the schools carries a reporting requirement to the committee in fiscal 2027.