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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education are scheduled to vote on the next education commissioner on April 14, during their monthly meeting in Topeka. 

Dr. Randy Watson announced his intent to retire in September after having served as education commissioner since 2015. The new commissioner is scheduled to make some remarks after the board vote. 

The State Board is also going to hear several presentations during their April 14 meeting, which will be in the first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson.  

• Members of the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year team will each present on  the topics and issues they shared during their travels across the state, including visits to schools, teacher preparation programs and presentations at conferences and professional development events. 
• Dr. Bret Church, associate professor at Emporia State University, will present the latest data gathered for the Kansas Educator Engagement and Retention Study. 
• Sen. Mike Argabright, a former superintendent, will introduce the superintendents who are participating in the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI). 
• The 2026 CTE Scholars will be announced. These are Kansas high school students who are taking career and technical education courses and have met rigorous criteria. 
• Representatives from the Kansas State School for the Blind and Heartspring will discuss how the Kansas Education System Accreditation (KESA) process works in their schools, including how the students in these schools are gaining life and employability skills. 
• A Dighton USD 482 elementary teacher will present information about how her school was recently recognized in a national publication for overcoming obstacles in third grade reading. 

The board’s consent agenda includes acting on a one-year extension of the board attorney’s contract and the contract with the National Student Clearinghouse for postsecondary attendance data. Board members will also vote on Professional Practices Commission (PPC) and Evaluation Review Committee (ERC) recommendations.  

Board members will travel to Kansas City, Kansas, and Olathe on Wednesday, April 15, for their annual visits to the Kansas State School for the Blind and the Kansas School for the Deaf, respectively.  

Click here to watch the livestream on April 14 only. Click here for the full agenda and meeting materials.