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House K‑12 committee narrows special‑education increase after heated debate
Summary
Committee debated large special‑education increases, approved a modest $10 million addition to FY2027 and a budget notation saying the recommendation fails to meet K.S.A. 72‑34‑22's 92% requirement; members warned districts are backfilling costs.
The House Committee on K‑12 Education Budget spent the bulk of its meeting debating how much to add for special‑education reimbursement before sending a budget recommendation to the Appropriations Committee.
Representative McDonald proposed adding $225,100,000 in fiscal 2026 and $239,600,000 in fiscal 2027 to move state aid toward covering 92% of excess special‑education costs. Several members pushed back on the size and timing of that request, arguing the larger increases could be fiscally unstable. “I visited a lot with Jennifer over the weekend … my numbers were really high,” Representative McDonald said, adding that Johnson County districts saw special‑education costs rise 11% between fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Committee staff clarified the substitute motion under consideration would add $10,000,000 in FY2027, raising the FY27 base from roughly $611,000,000 to $621,000,000 and moving the reimbursement rate to approximately 65.7% under current consensus estimates. “So 64.6 if we do nothing and 65.7 if we add $10,000,000,” Jennifer (KSDE) told the committee.
Members who pressed for larger increases warned about district impacts. “We have been underfunding special education for 15 years,” Representative Poskin said, adding prolonged underfunding effectively reduces per‑student state aid and risks school closures. Representative McDonald and others cited specific district backfills — Olathe moving $44 million from general funds and Blue Valley moving $37 million — to illustrate local strain.
After debate and an exchange of substitute motions, the committee ultimately approved the smaller increase that the chair characterized as the committee’s amended position for negotiations. Representative Poskin successfully moved a budget notation stating the committee recommendation does not meet the 92% reimbursement requirement under K.S.A. 72‑34‑22 for FY26 and FY27.
The recommendation will now go to Appropriations, where members said they expect to continue negotiations on the special‑education funding level.
