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Kansas education department lists 20 statutorily required reports; committee to consider trimming low-value ones
Summary
KSDE told the committee it produces about 20 statutorily required reports to the legislature, identified several that are labor intensive or rarely used, and agreed to send the full list for committee review and potential repeal or amendment.
Kansas State Department of Education officials told the Committee on K-12 Education Budget that the agency currently compiles roughly 20 reports statutorily required to be sent to the legislature and said several may be candidates for removal or consolidation.
Dr. Harwood said some reports are federally required or tied to appropriations and therefore must continue, while others appear to be legacy items that receive little attention. He told the committee the list includes reports dating back to the early 2000s (for example, an early retirement incentives report first required in 2002) and newer requirements such as a 2024 annual assessment-data report that carries a sunset.
KSDE highlighted a handful of examples: the bond elections notification (KSA 72-54-62), which affects about 90 qualifying districts and is straightforward to compile; the ACT/preACT/WorkKeys exam data report (KSA 72-51-79), for which KSDE already collects student-level data and provides aggregate summaries; and a virtual math program report tied to a 2023 appropriation and local vendor contracts (IXL), which the department said is particularly labor intensive at the school level.
Some reports are redundant with other agency publications or are primarily posted on the department’s data portal. Dr. Harwood said the department will flag which reports consume the most staff time, which are federally required, and which attract legislative questions, and will provide a clean list (without commentary) to the committee for consideration.
Committee members asked KSDE to annotate which reports are most laborious and which could be discontinued without undermining accountability. The committee did not adopt any changes during the hearing but agreed to revisit the list and consider drafting strikes or amendments in the coming days.
Next steps: KSDE will provide the committee with the list and suggested notes on burden and usage; the committee said it may amend bills this week to strike or consolidate the reports considered unnecessary.
