The Senate Committee on Ways and Means held hearings this week for Sub for HB 2007, the budget bill for state agencies including KSDE, and other education-related bills were heard in the House and Senate education committees during the ninth week of the 2025 Kansas legislative session. 

 
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. A hearing was held Monday, March 10, through Thursday, March 13, in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (see below for more information). 

 

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. A hearing was held Tuesday, March 11, in the Senate Committee on Education and voted the following day to recommend the bill be passed. 

 

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

• Passed as amended in the House 119-0. A hearing was held Tuesday, March 4 in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare. The committee voted Wednesday, March 5, to add the contents of HB 2070, enacting the dietitian licensure compact, into this bill and voted to recommend the bill be passed as amended.  

 

Substitute 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 in the House 121-0. A hearing was held Monday, March 10, in the Senate Committee on Education and voted to recommend the bill be passed. 

 

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. 

• Passed in the House 115-7. It was introduced in the Senate, referred to the Senate Committee on Education and a hearing was held Wednesday, March 12. No action has been taken yet by the committee. 

 

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 and passed as amended in the House 86-36. Since the House added amendments, the Senate voted to nonconcur and a conference committee was adopted to review the amendments. The House voted to accede, and a conference committee was adopted on the House side. 

 

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. A hearing was held Tuesday, March 11, in the House Committee on Education and on Thursday, March 13, voted to pass the bill out as amended. 

 

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. The House Committee on Education held a hearing on Tuesday, March 4, and the committee on Thursday, March 6, voted to recommend the bill be passed. It will now head to the House floor. 

 

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. A hearing was held Monday, March 10, in the House Committee on Education and the committee voted to recommend the bill be passed as amended. It will now head to the House floor. 

 

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. A hearing was held Wednesday, March 5, in the House Committee on Education and the committee on Thursday, March 6 voted to recommend the bill be passed as amended. It will now head to the House floor. 

 
 

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 back 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. 

 

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 put back on General Orders on the Senate calendar. 

 

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.  

 

SB 75: Establishing the education opportunity tax credit to provide an income tax credit for taxpayers with eligible dependent children who are not enrolled in public school. 

• The Senate Committee on Education voted on Thursday, Feb. 13, to recommend the bill be passed. It was withdrawn from the Senate Calendar and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. 
   

 

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. Since it was originally introduced by the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs, it is exempt and alive. 

 

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. A hearing was held in the Seante Committee on Education on Thursday, March 13. No action was taken after. 

 

Hearings on Sub for HB 2007  

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing for HB 2007 Monday, March 10, throughThursday, March 13.  

The bill contains adjustments for fiscal year 2025, funding for most state agencies for FY 2026, and selected adjustments for fiscal years 2027, 2028 and 2029. 

After holding hearings last week, the Senate Committee on Education recommended zeroing out the following programs from KSDE’s budget: 

• Safe and Secure Schools grant 
• Career and Technical Education (CTE) Transportation 
• Mentor Teacher program 
• Professional development funding 
• Teachers of Excellence grant 
• Computer science advancement grants 
• SparkWheel 

 

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means voted to accept the Senate Committee on Education’s recommendations, despite a minority report presented by Sen. Pat Pettey, stating the minority’s opposition to the Senate Committee on Education’s recommendations.  

The minority report recommended adding funding for the Mentor Teacher program, professional development, CTE transportation and Safe and Secure Schools grant back into the 2025 budget. For FY 2026, the report recommended adding funding back for special education services, the Mentor Teacher program, professional development and CTE transportation. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means voted to not accept these recommendations and voted to approve KSDE’s budget for FY 25, 26 and 27 as amended. 

For FY 2025, the budget includes the following: 

• Deletes $5 million for Safe and Secure Schools grant (If HB 2007 is enacted into law, districts would have to pay this back to KSDE, since the funds have already been distributed) 
• Deletes $1.8 million for professional development (If HB 2007 is enacted into law, the money would not be distributed). 
• Deletes $1.5 million for CTE transportation (If HB 2007 is enacted into law, the money would not be distributed). 
• Deletes $1.3 million for Mentor Teacher program (If HB 2007 is enacted into law, the money would not be distributed). 
• Deletes $1 million for Computer Science Advancement Grants (PACK grants). 
• Deletes $360,693 for Teacher Excellence grants. 

 

FY 2026 includes the following: 

• Removes $10 million special education increase for FY 2026 and FY 2027 
• Deletes $1.8 million for professional development. 
• Deletes $1.5 million for CTE transportation. 
• Deletes $1.3 million for Mentor Teacher program. 
• Deletes $1.0 million for computer science advancement grants (PACK grants). 
• Deletes $360,693 for Teacher Excellence grants. 
• Adds $1.5 million for Safe and Secure Schools grant. 
• $1 million for AEDs and $250,000 for CPR and AED instruction for public schools. 
• $125,000 AEDs and $125,000 for CPR and AED instruction for nonpublic schools. 

 

The committee also voted in favor of the budgets for the Kansas School for the Deaf and the Kansas State School for the Blind for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. 

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, March 14, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means hads not taken action on HB 2007. This information will be updated when action is taken. 

To read more about what is currently proposed for KSDE’s budget, click here and go to pages 179-88. For more information on the bill, click here. 

 

Briefing on postsecondary success 

Dr. Frank Harwood, KSDE Deputy Commissioner of Fiscal and Administrative Services, on Wednesday, March 12, presented on postsecondary success at the House Committee on Education. 

Postsecondary success is one of the goals of the Kansas State Board of Education. Implemented in 2015, it looks at how high school students do two years after they graduate. 

Postsecondary success is measured by students meeting at least one of the following five criteria within two years of graduation: 

• Student earned an approved certification while in high school. 
• Student earned a postsecondary certificate. 
• Student earned a postsecondary degree. 
• Student enrolled in postsecondary in both the first and second year following high school graduation. 
• Student with disabilities who met the district graduation requirements for a diploma, but remained in school to receive transitional services deemed necessary by the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team. 

 

The postsecondary effective rate is calculated by multiplying the postsecondary success rate by the four-year cohort graduation rate.  

Students who joined the military are currently not included in this calculation. 

To watch the full presentation, click here.  
 

Coming up 

The last day for non-exempt committees to have bill hearings is Tuesday, March 18. 

The House Committee on Education is scheduled next week to hear presentations on teacher retention and the Dickinson County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunity. 

The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget is scheduled next week to hear presentations on Tuesday, March 18, from FastBridge Group and Dickinson County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunity. 

No meetings are scheduled for the Senate Committee on Education. 

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.