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Board weighs legislative priorities; district conditionally supports phone‑ban bills with implementation caveats
Summary
Board reviewed KASB priorities (special education funding, KPERS/CAPER fixes, school finance stability) and discussed prefiled bills proposing a bell‑to‑bell cell‑phone ban; staff said they are conditionally supportive but seek flexibility for open‑lunch exceptions and implementation costs such as lockers or storage.
District legislative staff presented the district’s 2026 priorities and flagged a pair of prefiled bills (Senate Bill 302 / House Bill 2421) that would require personal electronic devices to be inaccessible from the start of the school day to its end. The district’s three focused priorities for this session are closing the gap in special education excess cost funding (statutory target 92%), strengthening KPERS (CAPERS) for recruitment and retention, and preserving stability in the school finance formula that is due to sunset in 2027.
On the cellphone bills, staff said the district is “conditionally supportive” in concept but urged amendments or guidance for practical implementation: they asked for explicit open‑lunch exceptions at high schools (so students leaving campus can access devices) and noted potential one‑time and recurring costs for locker rekeying, pouches or other storage systems and staff time to monitor compliance. Board members were divided: several favored a bell‑to‑bell approach for student focus and safety, while others urged preserving local control and cautioned against ceding too much authority to the Legislature.
The board gave staff direction to advocate for the three district priorities and to seek flexible language and implementation funding for the phone policy. Staff advised the board that this legislative session may be unusually fast and urged rapid monitoring of introduced bills and hearings.
