Board member warns of large special-education funding shortfall as Kansas Legislature reaches 'turnaround'
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Summary
A board member briefed the Lawrence Board of Education on recent Kansas legislative activity — including an override of a veto on Senate Bill 244 and movement of a student-cellphone bill — and highlighted a statewide special-education funding shortfall estimated at $226 million that could leave districts covering more costs locally.
A board member told the Lawrence Board of Education on Feb. 23 that the Kansas Legislature has reached 'turnaround,' a procedural deadline that effectively ends the path for many bills that do not move out of committee. The update covered several bills affecting schools and an urgent warning about special-education funding.
The speaker said the Legislature recently overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of Senate Bill 244, a measure the speaker said applies to all public buildings in Kansas and is likely to face legal challenges. The board member also summarized House sub for Senate Bill 281 — a student phone-restriction bill that would require phones be turned off and stowed, and that has undergone multiple committee revisions — and noted it will likely come before the Senate education committee next. Other bills noted included House Bill 2451 (addressing ballot issues and public-agency communications), House Bill 2593 (authority for the attorney general over some contingency-fee legal hires), a voucher-related House bill scheduled for a senate hearing, and several proposals affecting school nutrition and assessment cut scores.
Why it matters: the board member said the most immediate budget concern is special-education funding. Quoting the state education commissioner’s remarks to the State Board of Education, the board member relayed: 'That shortfall, it's a crisis in every one of the schools.' The speaker reported the state is roughly $226,000,000 short of the statutory target for funding special education. According to the speaker, the House budget position includes $10,000,000 in new special-education funding and the Senate position $5,000,000. At those funding levels, the speaker said, the state would fund roughly 65% of excess cost next year — leaving districts to transfer local general-fund dollars to cover the difference.
The board member added a practical estimate: the current shortfall works out to 'about $1,000 dollars off the base for every student in the state,' which the speaker said effectively shifts costs from state to local property-tax funded budgets. The speaker also noted that districts currently use roughly 39% of locally collected property-tax revenue for the supplemental general fund, a figure the speaker tied to the broader property-tax conversation.
The update urged district stakeholders and community members to track several bills — especially those that could change board communications around bond issues or affect staff-district communications — and to contact legislators if they are concerned about special-education funding.
The board member concluded by noting that some education-related bills died at turnaround but cautioned that policy elements sometimes reappear elsewhere in the session.
What’s next: the speaker said the legislative session resumes committee and floor work with several weeks left before adjournment; interested community members were advised to follow hearings in the Senate education committee and the State Board of Education for developments.