TEA hears legislative changes that tighten nursing faculty requirements and limit Excel/CTE aid

Members of the Kansas Postsecondary Technical Education Authority on April 23 heard a legislative update outlining enacted and proposed changes that will affect two‑year colleges across the state. Elaine Frisbie, vice president for finance and administration, told the authority the 2026 session included several measures with direct operational impact.

Frisbie said Senate Bill 334 will require nursing faculty to “possess a nursing degree only one level more advanced than the degree awarded by the program in which they are teaching,” meaning, for example, instructors in associate nursing programs would need a bachelor’s degree. Frisbie said the board of nursing previously issued exemptions and that the full effect of SB 334 is not yet clear.

The authority also discussed House Bill 2485, which grew in the conference committee process to include additional items tied to the Board of Regents’ administration of service scholarships and new requirements derived from provisions in SB 341 that address agreements between school districts and two‑year colleges for concurrent enrollment. Frisbie said the legislation is prescriptive on payment flows and other contractual details.

Most consequential to colleges’ operating revenues, Frisbie described provisions in the budget act, House Bill 2513, that limit Excel and CTE state aid payments beginning in fiscal year 2027. Under the change, state payments tied to Excel and CTE will be limited to high‑school juniors and seniors who meet at least a 2.0 GPA and have completed at least half the credits required for graduation. Colleges may be authorized to charge tuition in FY27 to make up for lost state aid, Frisbie said. The legislature set an intent that future appropriations for Excel and CTE should not exceed $50 million and reduced the immediate appropriation to $36,500,000.

Frisbie also noted an amendment to the Promise scholarship that will prohibit scholarship awards from covering remedial credit hours, requiring students to cover those remedial hours separately. She said the system’s financial aid teams are preparing guidance so campuses can capture those distinctions.

Board members pressed for clarity about timing and fiscal‑year mechanics. Frisbie explained that the payments that will be issued this fall cover FY26 student enrollments, while the new eligibility rules will affect payments tied to enrollments for the coming year, effectively accelerating the change by one year. She cautioned that the legislature’s revenue estimate and spending priorities will influence prospects for additional funding, noting the state’s projected ending balance but also cautioning about ongoing structural budget pressures.

Why it matters: the combined effect of credential changes, more prescriptive concurrent‑enrollment rules and a smaller Excel/CTE appropriation will alter how colleges are funded, who generates state aid, and which courses scholarships may cover. The authority said it will bring more detailed implementation guidance to members in September and work with campuses to adapt to the new rules.