“The Legislature’s own research department said that in the current fiscal year, schools are being shorted $173 million from covering the 92% of statewide excess costs as the law calls for. That was also the figure cited by the Kansas State Department of Education. SPED services are mandatory, and the federal government and Kansas legislature need to fund it. Underfunding SPED hurts all students. #fullyfundsped Districts are sharing information on SPED costs. Click on the link below to see the real impact of special education funding and shortfalls for multiple districts in the state: https://www.facebook.com/reel/787833249837327 Use the search...
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Education Conference Committee Passes New SPED Funding; Floor Votes Expected during Veto Session
We survived another #kslegafterdark and it went better than they usually do! We know we had a lot of team members in the Capitol and watching online into the early hours of Saturday. The legislature is on break until they come back for the veto session April 25. The education budget/education conference committee passed out a report that included $74 million in new SPED funding and deleted the provision to count LOB funding as state aid, which was the biggest concern for education advocates. We don’t love everything in the bill, but it is much better than what...
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Leave a Comment Kansas Legislature attempts to resurrect education funding bill on last day of regular session; advocacy still needed
Stay vigilant, team! The conference committee is being resurrected to deal with the education/SPED budget since SB 387 failed the Senate. The right thing would be to reject Rep. Williams’s practice of hearing multiple policy bills in the K-12 Education Budget Committee, refusing to work them separately during the session and send them on to the floor of the House and then the Senate, which is the normal process for bills. Instead, her committee works them at the very end of the session with a series of amendments known in advance only to the other Republicans on the...
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Leave a Comment Flawed SB 387 Fails in Kansas Senate After Strong Advocacy Push by Education Supporters
We have good news! SB 387 failed in the Senate 12-26. Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators! Please thank the following who voted against this flawed bill: Senators Billinger, Blasi, Bowers, Corson, Dietrich, Doll, Faust-Goudeau, Francisco, Haley, Holland, Holscher, Kerschen, Longbine, McGinn, O’Shea, Olson, Pettey, Pittman, Pyle, Reddi, Shallenburger, Steffen, Straub, Sykes, Tyson, and Ware (although Sen. Steffen made clear in his explanation of vote that he voted against the bill because it didn’t include vouchers). Are the following representing you? Senators Alley, Baumgardner, Claeys, Erickson, Fagg, Gossage, Kloos, Masterson, Peck, Petersen, Thompson, and Warren. Sen....
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Leave a Comment Flawed education funding bill fails in Kansas Senate, after narrowly passing House
We have good news! SB 387 failed in the Senate 12-26. Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators! Please thank the following who voted against this flawed bill: Senators Billinger, Blasi, Bowers, Corson, Dietrich, Doll, Faust-Goudeau, Francisco, Haley, Holland, Holscher, Kerschen, Longbine, McGinn, O’Shea, Olson, Pettey, Pittman, Pyle, Reddi, Shallenburger, Steffen, Straub, Sykes, Tyson, and Ware (although Sen. Steffen made clear in his explanation of vote that he voted against the bill because it didn’t include vouchers). Are the following representing you? Senators Alley, Baumgardner, Claeys, Erickson, Fagg, Gossage, Kloos, Masterson, Peck, Petersen, Thompson, and Warren. Sen....
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