During the seventh week of the 2025 legislative session, numerous education-related bills had hearings in either the House or Senate education committees or were moved to other non-education committees to keep them alive.  

Bill Tracker 

The following bills have been passed out of their chamber of origin: 

Sub for HB 2007: Making and concerning supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025, and appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for KSDE and various state agencies. 

• Passed as amended in the House 83-36. It was received and introduced in the Senate, then referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. 

 

HB 2033: Including programs and services provided by nonprofit organizations accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council as approved at-risk educational programs. 

• Passed in the House 89-32. It was received and introduced in the Senate, then referred to the Senate Committee on Education. 

 

HB 2069: Enacting the school psychologist licensure compact to provide interstate practice privileges for school psychologists. 

• Passed as amended in the House 119-0. It was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4. 

 

Sub for HB 2102: Providing for the advanced enrollment of military students whose parent/guardian will be stationed in Kansas; and correcting federal statutory citations in the interstate compact on education opportunity for military children. 

• Passed 121-0. It was received and introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on Education. 

 

Substitute for SB 45: Requiring the Kansas State Board of Education to calculate graduation rates for all school districts for purposes of accreditation using an alternative calculation. 

• Passed in the Senate 32-8. It was received and introduced in the House. A hearing was held in the House Committee on Education on Wednesday, Feb. 26 with action scheduled for Monday, March 3. 

 

SB 47: Requiring school districts to publicly list the names and email addresses of current board members; authorizing local school board members to add new agenda items to board meeting discussions, ask questions or engage in discussion with members of the public during meetings and access school property; and the public may address the school board at meetings. 

• Passed in the Senate 21-19. It was received and introduced in the House, then referred to the House Committee on Education. 

 

SB 76: Requiring employees to use the name and pronouns consistent with a student’s biological sex and birth certificate; and authorizing a cause of action for violations therefor. 

• Passed in the Senate 26-14. It was received and introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Education. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4. 

 

SB 87: Expanding student eligibility under the tax credit for the low income students scholarship program; increasing the amount of the tax credit for contributions made pursuant to such program; and providing for aggregate tax credit limit increases under certain conditions. 

• Passed in the Senate 24-16. It was received and introduced in the House, then referred to the House Committee on Education. 

 

SB 114: Authorizing nonpublic and virtual school students to participate in ancillary public school activities and making it unlawful for the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) and school districts to discriminate against such students based on enrollment status. 

• Passed as amended 32-8. It was received and introduced in the House, then referred to the House Committee on Education. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5. 

 

The following bills have been passed out of their committees:  

HB 2104: Standardizing firearm safety programs in school districts. 

• The House Committee on Federal and State Affairs voted to recommend the bill be passed. It was withdrawn from the House calendar and referred to the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs. 

 

HB 2299: Prohibiting discriminatory practices on the basis of religion at public educational institutions and authorizing the attorney general to investigate violations and assess civil penalties under the Kansas act against discrimination. 

• The House Committee on Education voted to recommend the bill be passed as amended. It was withdrawn from the House calendar, referred to the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs, then rereferred to the House Committee on Education. 

 

HB 2382: Establishing the daily compensation rate for members of the state board of education in an amount that corresponds to the daily compensation rate of members of the legislature while in session. 

• The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget voted to recommend this bill be passed as amended. It was withdrawn from the House calendar on Tuesday, Feb. 25, and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget. The committee is scheduled to re-work the bill on Monday, March 3. 

 

SB 48: Requiring school districts to demonstrate improvement in academic performance and be in compliance with federal and state statutes and rules and regulations to achieve or maintain accreditation. 

• The Senate Committee on Education voted to recommend this bill be passed as amended. It was withdrawn from the Senate calendar, referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, then referred to the Senate Committee of the Whole. 

 

SB 49: Requiring attendance center needs assessments to be conducted by the local board of education and include input from board members, teachers, school site councils and administrators and that board members receive certain state assessment data and identify allocations of money in the district budget/summary. 

• The Senate Committee on Education voted to recommend this bill be passed as amended. It was withdrawn from the Senate calendar, referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, then put back on General Orders on the Senate calendar.  

 

Other bills KSDE is tracking: 

HB 2067: Establishing a feminine hygiene product grant program and grant fund to award monies to qualifying Title I schools to provide feminine hygiene products to students at no cost. 

• Referred to the House Committee on Taxation. This bill is exempt and still alive. 

 

HB 2104: Standardizing firearm safety programs in school districts. 

• Passed by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Feb. 13. It was withdrawn from the House calendar and rereferred to the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs. This bill is exempt and still alive. 

 

HB 2330: Designating Nov. 14 of each year as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in the state of Kansas. 

• A motion to pass this bill out of the House Committee on Education failed. Since the bill was originally introduced by the House Committee on Appropriations, it is exempt and alive. 

 

SB 252: Expanding the tax credit for low income students scholarship program act to allow certain high school students and students eligible to be enrolled in certain school districts to be eligible for scholarships; increasing the tax credit for contributions made pursuant to such act and the aggregate tax credit limit; providing for aggregate tax credit limit increases under certain conditions; providing for program administration by the state treasurer. 

• Referred to the Senate Committee on Education. Since the bill was originally introduced by the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation, it is exempt and alive. 

 

SB 263: Establishing standards and requirements for active shooter drills conducted by public and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. 

• The Senate Committee on Education held a hearing for this bill on Thursday, Feb. 27. 

 

SB 275: Requiring the inclusion of a human fetal development presentation as part of the curriculum for any course that addresses human growth, human development or human sexuality. 

• Referred to the Senate Committee on Education. Since the bill was originally introduced by the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs, it is exempt and alive. 

 

The following bills are considered “dead”: 

HB 2034: Authorizing school districts to employ chaplains or accept chaplains as volunteers to provide support, services and programs for students; prohibiting certain persons from serving as chaplain. 

HB 2140: Creating the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) educator position. 

• The House Committee on Education voted to recommend the bill be passed. It was stricken from the House calendar on Feb. 20, and the bill is now considered dead. 

 

Recap of work done in the House, House K-12 Budget and Senate education committees this week 

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Senate Committee on Education members were briefed on the education-related bills that originated in the Kansas House. Committee chair Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, said the presentation was in preparation for three days of K-12 budget hearings next week, the week of March 3.  

Tamera Lawrence of the Kansas Revisor’s Office gave a high-level overview of the non-budget House education bills that have been passed as of Feb. 25, and have been referred to a Senate committee or should be soon. She said two K-12 bills the House Education Committee passed out of committee have been approved by the House. 

The first bill is HB 2033 that pertains to the state’s approved list of at-risk programs to include programs and services provided by nonprofit organizations accredited by the international multisensory structured language education council (Philips Fundamental Learning Center). The second bill, Sub for HB 2102, allows for the early enrollment of military students if a parent is going to be stationed in Kansas.  

Jennifer Light, fiscal analyst with the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD), presented information on the education-related adjustments the House Appropriations Committee made to Substitute for HB 2007, the budget bill approved by the Kansas House for supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025 and appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Light said these budget recommendations pertain to the Kansas State Department of Education, the Kansas State School for the Blind, the Kansas School for the Deaf, State Library, Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Board of Regents which includes community colleges.  

Light said the 2024 legislature approved $10 million in state general funds for FY 2025 in the Kansas Board of Regents budget for the Blueprint for Literacy. She said the request for FY 2026 was also $10 million. However, the Kansas House’s budget includes just $2 million in ARPA funds instead of the requested $10 million in state general funds. Chairperson Erickson emphasized the $2 million for the Blueprint for Literacy is coming from interest earned on the state’s remaining ARPA funds. 

Also on Tuesday, members of the K-12 House Education Budget Committee heard a presentation from Dr. John Hess, KSDE director of fiscal services and operations, on how the agency handles the filling and funding of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. 

Members of the House Education Committee heard testimony on Substitute for SB 45, on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The bill would require the Kansas State Board of Education to calculate graduation rates for all of the state’s school districts for the purposes of accreditation using an alternative calculation. The bill would allow for virtual school students who are “credit deficient” who transfer to another state or to a non-accredited private school to not be included in a brick-and-mortar school’s four-year cohort group’s graduation rate. Currently, those virtual school students would count as dropouts in their four-year cohort, making it appear their cohort has a lower graduation rate.    

Rep. Susan Estes asked how an accurate graduation rate is calculated. Gabrielle Hull, KSDE legislative coordinator, said KSDE follows the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to calculate graduation rates based on a regular high school diploma obtained through an accredited school, not including a General Education Development (GED) diploma. Hull also answered committee members’ questions regarding how virtual students are funded and how they receive services. 

On Wednesday, the House K-12 Education Committee heard a presentation from KLRD staff members about other surrounding states’ school finance funding formulas, including examples of states that use base state aid, states that use weightings in their funding formulas, how some states handle special education state aid and how states fund preschool programs, to name a few.  

At the end of Wednesday’s meeting, the committee asked the research staff to gather information on per pupil funding for the states with the top 10 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores. 
 

Coming up 

The House Committee on Education is scheduled next week to act on SB 45 and SB 76. The committee also will hold hearings on SB 76, SB 44, SB 114 and SB 78. 

The Senate Committee on Education is scheduled next week to hold budget hearings for the Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas State School for the Blind and the Kansas School for the Deaf. 

The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget is scheduled to act on HB 2382 on Monday, March 3. 

Click here to see calendars and journals of the House and Senate, and agendas for committees. Click here for other useful links and information from KSDE.