Committee hears bill to require biannual State reporting on federal K‑12 funds
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Summary
At a Committee on K-12 Education Budget hearing, lawmakers and state education officials discussed House Bill 2618, which would require biannual reports from the State Board/Department of Education on federal funds, amounts, purposes and plans to sustain programs if federal support ends.
At a hearing of the Committee on K-12 Education Budget, members heard testimony on House Bill 2618, a proposal that would require the State Board of Education and the Kansas State Department of Education to submit biannual reports to the Legislature detailing federal financial assistance that flows through the state and how federally funded initiatives would be sustained if federal funding stops.
The bill, as explained by committee staff, would require reports on the preceding and current fiscal years and on anticipated amounts for the remainder of the current fiscal year, to be filed on or before July 1 and January 1 each year. The reports would include the purpose of each federal program, which office in the department manages the funding, the federal agency administering the program, exact dollar amounts accepted, distributed and expended, anticipated timing of funds, and “a description that details whether and how the educational initiatives … will be sustained” if federal funding ceases. Committee staff said the bill would take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.
Representative Sherry Brantley, a proponent, told the committee the requirement would “strengthen two essential pillars of responsible governance, accountability, and transparency in the administration of federal education funds.” She said making a full report available by Jan. 1 is important so lawmakers have up‑to‑date information at the start of the legislative session. “Without timely and comprehensive information, the legislature's ability to provide meaningful oversight is limited,” Brantley said.
Several legislators pressed proponents and staff on what the sustainability description would mean in practice. Representative McDonald asked, “Is that a binding commitment? Is it speculative? Who would fill this part out?” Brantley said the bill asks for a plan, not a directive: local districts or the Legislature would still decide whether to continue programs, and the report would document how programs might be supported if grant funds end. Committee staff added the agency would likely provide a description of what it knows and a general statement about whether a program could be sustained.
Dr. Harwood, testifying neutrally for the Kansas State Department of Education, told the committee KSDE already compiles an annual budget document that shows the department’s receipts and expenditures (referred to in the hearing as a 451‑page “red book”). He said much of the information asked for is already collected and suggested coordination with the Department of Administration to produce cross‑agency federal fund reporting. “We already have the information. We're putting it in one form,” Harwood said, while warning that reporting in statute often remains on the books and is rarely repealed or reviewed.
Harwood also cautioned lawmakers about assuming the state could replace large federal programs if they ended, offering an example: “If it's $250,000,000 of child nutrition funds, we can come to the legislature and say, hey, this is going away. Do you have $250,000,000 you wanna chip in for that? I would not guarantee that that's gonna happen.” He recommended directing the bill’s report to the chair of the K‑12 budget committee so recipients and users of the report would be clear.
Committee members and staff discussed implementation details and administrative burden. Harwood said collecting and formatting statutory reports requires staff time but does not generally create a new full‑time position; the department has been working to streamline and reduce unnecessary reporting. Representatives suggested options such as sunsetting rarely used reports and using proviso language in the budget to modify reporting requirements by fiscal year.
The chair noted two written proponents on the committee drive — James Franco of the Kansas Policy Institute and Claudia Fury of the Aligned Group — and closed the hearing. The bill may be referred for further committee consideration; the chair indicated a tentative schedule for additional hearings and said the item could be placed on the committee calendar once referral clears the floor.
No formal vote on the bill was recorded during the hearing.
