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Bills no longer alive
The following bills did not get voted out of their committees before Turnaround, which means they are no longer “alive.” The bills themselves should no longer see movement this session.
Informational briefing on SB 532
The Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education held a joint informational briefing on SB 532 on Monday, March 4.
If passed, the bill would establish the Literacy Advisory Committee, composed of 15 voting members as outlined in the bill. Non-voting members would include the Kansas Commissioner of Education or designee and any members appointed by the Director of Literacy Education. Members would be appointed on or before July 1, 2024, and voting members would serve a four-year term.
The Committee would have several duties including:
As the bill is currently written, KBOR, in collaboration with postsecondary educational institutions and research experts, would establish a comprehensive reading and literacy assessment system with universal screening measures, diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to be used by each school district. The assessment system would allow teachers to adjust instruction to meet specific needs of students. KBOR would be required to make recommendations to the Kansas State Board of Education on the assessment system and ensure that it is available to school districts on or before May 1, 2025. KBOR member Dr. Cindy Lane testified on the bill and requested the addition of an amendment to clarify the literacy assessment system would be used in teacher preparation programs rather than school districts.
The Literacy Advisory Committee would develop a plan to establish six regional centers of excellence in reading as outlined in the bill. If passed, the bill would go into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Register.
A hearing on SB 532 was held on Thursday, March 7 in the Senate Committee on Education. To read more about SB 532, click here.
Hearing on SB 387
The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Monday, March 4 held a hearing on SB 387. If passed, the bill, as amended, would modify a provision governing open enrollment in the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act to provide for the continued enrollment of nonresident students in a school district until the student graduates from high school.
SB 387 would clarify that any student enrolled as a nonresident in a school district during the 2023-2024 school year will be permitted to continue their enrollment and attendance in that school district, as long as the student is deemed in good standing. The student would not be required to go through the lottery process to remain enrolled at the school district for the 2024-2025 school year.
The bill also would specify that no school district would be required to provide transportation to nonresident students unless otherwise required by applicable law.
Additionally, the bill would add a deadline of July 30 of each year to a current notification requirement of school districts to notify the parent of the student’s denied enrollment and creates the ability for the parent to appeal the denial to the school district’s board of education. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the parent would be permitted to appeal to the Kansas Commissioner of Education, who would be required to conduct a hearing.
To read more about SB 387, click here.
Hearing on SB 509
The Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation on Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 7 held a hearing on SB 509. If passed, the bill would provide a refundable tax credit, referred to as the Education Opportunity Tax Credit, to certain taxpayers who have a dependent child enrolled in a private school who are also eligible to enroll in a public school.
For taxpayers who have a child enrolled in an accredited private school, the tax credit would be equal to 75% of the Base Aid for Student Excellence (BASE) for each dependent child enrolled during the tax year. For a child enrolled in a non-accredited private school, the tax credit would be equal to 50% of the BASE. The BASE in the calculation would be for the school year in effect on Jan. 1 of each tax year.
A taxpayer would have to provide a valid social security number issued by the Social Security Administration for each dependent child to receive the tax credit. The Kansas Department of Revenue would be required to consult with the Kansas Department of Education for determining whether a dependent child of a taxpayer is enrolled in a public school during the tax year for which the credit is claimed.
If passed, the bill would become effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.
The hearing continued Thursday. You can read more about the bill at this link.
Up Next
The House is adjourned until 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 8. The Senate is adjourned until 9 a.m. Friday, March 8.
The Senate Committee on Education is scheduled to hold a hearing on HB 2567 and HB 2703 at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12.
The House Committee on Education is scheduled to take final action on HB 2731 and receive an update on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. This will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12.
The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget doesn’t have any meetings scheduled for next week as of now but may begin work on KSDE’s budget next week.
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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