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Committee hears bill to keep pay parity tied to USD 233 for School for the Blind and Deaf
Summary
Revisor Long explained House Bill 2565 would change statutes so teachers at the Kansas School for the Blind and the Kansas School for the Deaf are paid at the current USD 233 (Olathe) rate for the same school year, removing an outdated statutory date. The committee heard clarification that the provision sets a minimum (a 'floor') and discussed timing and retention concerns.
The Committee on Education held a short hearing on House Bill 2565, which would amend two statutes to maintain pay parity for teachers employed by the Kansas School for the Blind and the Kansas School for the Deaf with teachers employed by Unified School District 233 (Olathe), using the current USD 233 rate for the same school year.
Revisor Long (Jason) told the committee the bill strikes an older date and leaves the rate of pay aligned with USD 233 for the current school year; if enacted it would take effect July 1. When the chair asked whether prior language had been misinterpreted as a maximum, Long clarified: “The not less than is not a ceiling, it is a floor in terms of the rate of compensation.”
Members raised confusion over school locations and compensation comparability: Gabby clarified the Kansas School for the Blind is located in Kansas City, Kansas, while the School for the Deaf is in Olathe, and both are governed by the State Board of Education. Several members noted timing challenges tied to negotiation schedules and prior appropriations; Representative McNorton referenced a $6,000 per‑teacher reallocation intended to help address recent inflationary gaps.
The chair closed the brief hearing, said she will not carry the bill this year, and invited solutions from the State Board of Education, the schools and committee members to address the timing and retention issues raised.
The hearing clarified statutory intent (minimum pay parity tied to USD 233) but did not produce committee passage; members said they want to explore options for appropriation timing and retention actions.
