Members of the Kansas State Board of Education heard during their December meeting how the Kansas school improvement model is beginning to align systems that will lead to greater student achievement. 

Dr. Renee Nugent, deputy commissioner for the division of learning services with the Kansas State Department of Education, told the State Board the accreditation process, known as KESA 2.0, is only one mechanism of school improvement. She said the other areas in the process of moving into alignment with the school improvement model are at-risk accountability, the legislative needs assessment and the Title I programs under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). 

The intention, Dr. Nugent said, is to reduce fragmentation of processes by prioritizing collaboration, support, and the sustained use of evidence-based practices to strengthen the capacity of every school system. She said the work of school improvement will require a deeper dive into the implementation of the Four Fundamentals with the following examples: 

• Structured Literacy: Going beyond LETRS training and focusing on implementation. 
• Standards Alignment: Bridging high quality instructional materials (HQIM) with assessments and ensuring lessons, instruction, and materials align. 
• Balanced Assessment: Aligned and strategic balanced assessments that allow teachers to analyze questions and inform instruction. 
• Quality Instruction: High expectations, grade-level access, and strong materials. 

Dr. Nugent also told board members data was collected this past fall from Kansas school systems about their curriculum materials for Tier 1 instruction for K-12 English language arts and math as well as K-8 science. This data also includes the year of the next selection process for the content area, the primary screener for reading and preschool instructional materials. 

She said collecting this data is the beginning of the process intended to have KSDE  support, signal quality and incentivize districts to select high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). She said having HQIM allows teachers to focus their time and efforts on teaching and increase access to grade-appropriate assignments. 

Dr. Jay Scott, director of KSDE accreditation and design, updated board members on the school improvement days designed to help systems create and reflect on their accreditation action plans as part of KESA 2.0.  

Scott told board members that of the 27 KESA action plans submitted to date, 14 systems are emphasizing Standards Alignment, most working on that fundamental through professional collaboration, while seven systems were emphasizing Structured Literacy, most through their professional development program. 

State Board 2026 legislative priorities 

Board members also approved their priorities for the 2026 legislative session under the following categories: 

Academic Support Efforts  

• Student opportunities to gain workforce experience before graduation, including:  
• Encouraging incentives to support school district expansion of public-private partnerships with business and industry to allow for internships, mentorships, and other opportunities.  
• Continued coordination and investment in career and technical education programs that are aligned with workforce needs.  
• Reduced waiting time after retirement to return to teaching and reduce or eliminate the financial penalty.  
• The goal to move Kansas school employees currently on KPERS 3 to KPERS 2.  
• Additional funding to expand and enhance the current state assessment program and ensure adequate test security aligned with best practices.  

Health and Safety  

• The legislative recommendations of the school Bus Stop Arm Violation Committee.  
• The efforts to reduce human trafficking in Kansas.  
• The ongoing work and recommendations of the School Mental Health Advisory Council, including, but not limited to, bullying prevention; efforts for suicide prevention and awareness; and child abuse and neglect program.  
• Expansion of the Farm to Plate initiative to support student and family access to healthy foods in local communities. 

Funding 

• Only using public education funds for public schools.  
• Following state statute and moving toward funding 92% of the excess cost of special education. 
• Opportunities to expand and fund early childhood and kindergarten readiness.  
• Funding transportation for all students in all unsafe situations, regardless of mileage.  
• Continued funding for the teacher apprenticeship program.  
• Increased state support on bond and interest. 
• Financial support for school districts to enhance and improve their cybersecurity efforts.  
• Adequate funding for the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas State Board of Education to allow for the implementation of their constitutional and statutory duties.  
• Adequate funding for the Kansas School for the Deaf and the Kansas School for the Blind.  
• Funding to provide equitable compensation for State Board members in line with recent changes in legislative compensation.  

Education Governance  

• The constitutional authority given to the State Board of Education, the Kansas Legislature, and the Governor, including the State Board’s authority to accredit school systems through the continued implementation of the Kansas Education System of Accreditation (Quality School Improvement Board Goal.)  
• The governance responsibilities assigned to the Kansas State High School Activities Association.  
• The authority of local boards of education.   
• Support in eliminating, revising, and designing regulations to enhance the school improvement process, allowing school systems to focus on student success. 

Other action board members took during their December meeting included: 

• Approved requests from Olathe USD 233 and Newton USD 373 to hold bond elections and receive capital improvement state aid.  
• Approved the request to renew the contract with the Bruman Group to support the administration of Perkins V at $20,000 annually.  
• Approved the recommendation for 2025-26 supplemental AmeriCorps funding for Derby USD 260.  
• Approved contract requests for Cheney USD 268, Holton USD 336 and Manhattan Catholic School for testing revisions to the Healthier Kansas menu.  
• Approved and signed a resolution supporting the placement of tactile (Braille) flags in all Kansas schools.  

Board members also heard the following presentations during their December meeting: 

• An update on the new and expanded definition of dyslexia from the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). 
• Information about Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy in school settings. 
• Thomas Fulbright, a history and social studies teacher at Hope Street Academy, Topeka USD 501, discussed the lesson plan he created for the “Becoming American: What does it take to become an American citizen?” award in which he placed third in the national 2025 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s Building Better Citizens Innovative Curriculum Contest.   
• What potential impacts artificial intelligence (AI) may have on children now and in the future. 

The State Board will convene for a special meeting, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Representatives of Hazard, Young, Attea Associates, the firm selected to find a new Kansas education commissioner, will discuss a number of items with board members related to the search process.

Click here for the agenda. The meeting will be in first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka, and livestreamed here. 

The next regular monthly meeting of the State Board will be Jan. 13-14, in Topeka.