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Seventeen education-related bills were introduced and three bills were passed out of committee during week five of the 2024 Kansas Legislature Session.
Bill Tracker
Monday was the last day for nonexempt committees to request bill introductions, which must be officially introduced by Friday, February 9. Wednesday was the last day for individual legislators to introduce bills. There were 17 education-related bills introduced this week.
Other bills KSDE is tracking:
Hearing on HB 2612
The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Monday held a hearing on House Bill 2612. If passed, the bill would require the Kansas State Board of Education’s accreditation system require all school districts to be in compliance with all applicable state laws, including all rules and regulations. Any school district found not to be in compliance with any law, including rules and regulations, would not be accredited and the district would have to notify each parent in writing.
If the district was not accredited, it may only become accredited if an audit conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education determines that the school district has made the necessary changes to be in compliance.
The bill also would authorize the State Board to establish a process to allow an individual, even if they live out of state, to challenge a determination of a school district compliance or noncompliance with state laws or rules and regulations.
At least 81 people provided written or oral testimony.
No action was taken on this bill.
Discussion & action on SB 387, SB 386, SB 360
The Senate Committee on Education on Tuesday discussed and took action on three bills.
SB 387
The committee started with SB 387. If passed, the bill would clarify the open enrollment law to allow for the continued enrollment of students who attend an out-of-district school.. This provision would end when the student graduates high school or if the student would be deemed to “not be in good standing.” If passed, SB 387 would not affect state aid to school districts.
The bill was passed out of committee as amended and will now go to the Senate floor. You can read the bill and its amendments at this link.
SB 386
The committee moved on to SB 386. If passed, this bill would amend the definition of enrollment under the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act to require KSDE and school districts to use the current year student enrollment count to determine state aid entitlements, or for any school district that experienced a decrease in enrollment between the preceding school year and the current school year, the district may determine enrollment by using the preceding school year enrollment count.
If a district receives federal impact aid for the enrollment of military students and it experiences a decrease in enrollment between the second preceding school year and the preceding school year, the district may determine enrollment using one of the following:
If passed, the bill would go into effect on July 1, 2024, upon publication in the statute book.
SB 386 was passed out of committee as amended and will now go to the Senate floor. You can read the bill and its amendments at this link.
SB 360
The committee ended with SB 360. If passed, the bill would allow taxpayers who contribute to a qualified tuition program account, qualified ABLE program account, or first-time home savings account on or after Jan. 1 but prior to filing the individual income tax return on April 15, to use this subtraction modification in the previous tax year.
The contribution would not be allowed as a subtraction modification in more than one tax year. The changes to these subtraction modifications would become effective retroactive to tax year 2023. This bill also would remove outdated language from previous tax years.
Additionally, the bill would authorize the Kansas State Treasurer to appoint a Postsecondary Education Savings Program Advisory Committee to make recommendations for the implementation and operation of this program. The State Treasurer would determine the members of the committee, and no members would receive any compensation for serving.
SB 360 was passed out of committee as amended and will now go to the Senate floor. You can read the bill and its amendments at this link.
Farm to Plate
In the House Committee on Education on Tuesday, committee members heard from representatives of Farm to School, including KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) Farm to Plate Project Director, Barb Depew.
The Farm to Plate initiative is an effort to connect child nutrition program sponsors with regional local farms to serve healthy meals using local foods.
Depew works with the National Farm to School Network through the USDA to help districts learn how to access local foods and introduce opportunities for education.
She said they work with the USDA to offer opportunities for sponsors to apply for grant funding.
“We started with a state agency grant that was a workshop model that we did in the regions of the state to introduce them to Farm to School,” Depew said. “Beyond that, we applied for funding to do subgrants to increase local products in their menus. The first one we did was in 2020.”
Depew described additional efforts planned for the next four years to promote local products and to introduce education, including regional farm tours; adding a Harvest of the Month program; updating CNW’s Healthier Kansas Menus to add local products into recipes; and implement a joint effort with workgroups from Nebraska and Missouri.
“We want to do as much as we can with the funds that we have to educate about Farm to School,” Depew said.
Other presenters included Tom Buller, Kansas Rural Center executive director and Rachael McGinnis-Millsap, KC Healthy Kids vice president.
Hearing on HB 2613
The House Committee on Education on Thursday held a hearing on House Bill 2613. Under current law, the money in the Kansas Endowment for Youth (KEY) Fund can be transferred into the Children’s Initiatives Fund. If passed, HB 2613 would allow transfer from the KEY Fund into the newly created Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Fund. The bill also would require the attorney general to appoint a statewide DARE educator who would be required to provide instruction to students in public elementary and secondary schools using DARE curriculum, including content on fentanyl and other opioid drugs, , and perform other services to support the DARE program in Kansas.
The bill would create the DARE Fund that would be administered by the Office of the Attorney General to support the DARE program in Kansas.
Up Next
The House is adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Friday. The Senate is adjourned until 12 p.m. Friday.
The Senate Committee on Education is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday,
The House Committee on Education is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget is scheduled to meet at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Click here (Welcome | Kansas State Legislature (kslegislature.org) to see calendars of the House and Senate, track bills, and view agendas for committees.
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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