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Director Brown outlines timeline and proposed definitions to implement House Bill 2195
Summary
Director Brown told the committee that House Bill 2195 requires TEA input on allowable expenditures from the technical college operating grant but does not define 'instruction' and 'operations'; staff and technical college leaders developed a proposed working definition and a March–May schedule for colleges to present objectives to TEA ahead of reporting.
Director Brown presented the committee with the portion of House Bill 2195 that requires the Technical Education Authority to set objectives and guide allowable expenditures from the Kansas Technical College operating grant. "All expenditures from the Kansas Technical College operating grant fund shall be for instruction and operation to meet target objectives established by the postsecondary technical education authority for each technical colleges region and the entire state," Brown read, noting the statute does not define what constitutes "instruction" or "operations."
Brown said staff and technical college leadership developed a broader, grouped definition intended to be easier to apply across institutions than the original line‑by‑line strikeout version. The proposed definition groups administrative and infrastructure expenses that are necessary for college function but are not directly tied to teaching, while excluding items (for example, some athletic expenses) that one technical college representative said should not be considered an allowable use of the operating grant.
Brown described a timeline and review process: technical colleges will negotiate proposed objectives and present them to the committee and full TEA in March–May (four colleges in March, three in April under the proposed schedule), submit reports to board staff in July, and present to the Board of Regents' budget and finance committee in August and the full TEA later that month for final review. A technical college representative noted that each college must also obtain local board approval before submission.
Committee members asked whether the proposed definition was required by the statute; staff and representatives said it is not specifically defined in law and that the TEA is creating a working, operational definition to guide allowable expenditures. The committee agreed to "pass through" the recommendation to present the packet to the full TEA for review rather than to adopt final changes at this meeting.
The committee did not adopt a final definition at this session; Brown said the draft is flexible and can be revised after further input. The packet and the proposed definition will be presented to the full TEA as recommended.
