KSDE submitted its annual budget request on Wednesday, Sept. 7.

This year’s budget request included a revised estimate for the state fiscal year (FY) 2023 and an initial estimate for FY 2024. The state fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. A summary of the budget is provided below. The agency’s full budget request is available on the KSDE website under Fiscal Services and Operations. Please direct any questions regarding the agency’s budget to John Hess, director of Fiscal Services and Operations (jhess@ksde.org).

FY 2023

KSDE’s FY 2023 budget estimate totals $6.8 billion, including $4.5 billion from Kansas’ State General Fund (SGF). The budget includes $6.7 billion ($4.5 billion SGF) for state aid to school districts, other local education agencies, and individuals. This includes the last year of the five-year funding plan approved by the Kansas Supreme Court. Additionally, the budget includes $101.8 million ($17.6 million SGF) for agency operations, including staff salaries and numerous contracts.

The FY 2023 budget includes $496.2 million in expenditures from COVID-19 relief funds. Most of these funds are for funds awarded directly to school districts. The remainder are primarily for a variety of contracts to either make services available to all Kansas schools or to provide services directly to KSDE.

FY 2024

KSDE’s FY 2024 budget request totals $6.6 billion, including $4.3 billion from the SGF. The budget includes $6.5 billion ($4.3 billion SGF) for state aid to school districts, local education agencies, and individuals. This funds current law for state aid to school districts, which includes an inflationary adjustment beginning in FY 2024. The decrease from the FY 2023 amount for state aid is the result of a one-time increase in FY 2023 to eliminate delayed state aid payments to school districts. Once these delayed payments are eliminated, expenditures will return to normal levels and all school districts will receive their state aid in the appropriate fiscal year.

The FY 2024 budget also includes $85.3 million ($19.7 million SGF) for agency operations. The total decrease from the FY 2023 for agency operations is due to the expiration of some COVID-19 relief funds. The budget includes $413.3 million in expenditures from COVID-19 relief funds.

The FY 2024 budget includes the following requests for additional funding approved by the Kansas State Board of Education.

· $76.8 million for Special Education Services State Aid. The State Board recommends a five-year plan to bring state aid for special education up to the required 92 percent of excess costs.

· $1.9 million for Professional Development State Aid.

· $3.0 million for the Mental Health Intervention Team Pilot Program.

· $1.0 million for the Mentor Teacher Program.

· $1.0 million for Safe and Secure Schools Grants.

· $1.3 million for Parents as Teachers.

· $35,000 for the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.

· $35,000 for the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education.

Finally, the FY 2024 budget includes the following requests for additional funding approved by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund.

$3.0 million for the Early Childhood Block Grant.

$1.0 million for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.