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Members of the Kansas State Board of Education heard several presentations during their July meeting about the initiatives to support high-quality instruction in the classroom and the number of Kansas educators staying in the profession as of the 2025-26 school year. 

Quality instruction is one of the Four Fundamentals of the school improvement model board members approved in 2024. It refers to the implementation of evidence-based lessons designed to reflect high expectations, meaningful student engagement, and learning activities aligned to the Kansas curricular standards.  

Dr. Renee Nugent, KSDE deputy commissioner of the division of learning services, told board members that increasing student achievement through quality instruction takes building coherence. She said it includes focusing on high-leverage instructional practices, supporting systems in addition to simply monitoring them and working together through the Kansas education ecosystem, “the interconnected network of schools, districts, state agencies, and partner organizations working together to improve outcomes for every Kansas student.”  

Nugent said increasing student achievement through quality instruction also includes the following: 

• Teachers with high expectations 

• Deep student engagement in learning 

• Standards aligned tasks and materials 

• Intentional and cohesive instruction 

• Data-driven instruction 

To highlight quality instruction, board members heard a presentation from Amy Bybee, curriculum director at Ottawa USD 290. She shared what her district has done in the past 10 years to make literacy instruction stronger, including teachers getting structured literacy training that has helped them gain confidence in their classroom instruction skills.  

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Jake Steel emphasized the importance of quality instruction during his commissioner’s report to board members. 

"We want to improve student outcomes," he said. "We believe students should receive high-quality instruction every day." 

Board members also received the Licensed Personnel Report (LPR), vacancy data and Seal of Literacy for the 2025-26 school year.  

Data provided by Shane Carter, director of KSDE teacher licensure, showed Kansas had 43,401 educators employed during the 2025-26 school year, up from 43,280 from 2024-25. There were also 4,068 educators who exited their positions during the 2025-26 school year, down from 4,630 in 2024-25.   

Carter said retirements have continued to decrease since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"We're keeping more people in the profession,” he told board members. “They're choosing to stay.” 

Other LPR and Seal of Literacy data Carter shared included the following: 

• The average age of teachers is 43.1; average age of all educators is 44.2. 

• The average salary for first-year educators is $46,407 and the average salary for teachers is $70,240. 

• The largest group of current educators has one to four years of experience while the mean year of experience is 14. 

• The total number of licenses issued during the 2025-26 school year was 24,319. There are 200 specialized CTE certificates, up from 166 last year. 

• There were 1,588 total vacancies for all categories for the spring of 2026. The top five vacancies are in special education, elementary, science, math and ELA and literature. 

• A total of 13,729 Seals of Literacy has been added to Kansas educator licenses. There are about 50% of elementary teachers, including SPED, who have received the Seal of Literacy; 48% of early childhood educators, 47% of school specialists and 39% of administrators. 

Other presentations board members heard during their July meeting included the following: 

• Dr. Kelly Bielefeld, superintendent of Wichita USD 259, and Dyane Smokorowski, USD 259 coordinator of digital literacy, provided information about technology in the classroom from a large district. They were joined by Katelyn Schoenhofer, AI specialist for USD 259, and Ilana Villanueva, a fifth grade student at the district’s Creative Minds Academy. They presented "Creation over Consumption: Technology with Purpose in Wichita Public Schools," information about how technology is helping USD 259 students access virtual careers, project-based learning and other tech-based instructional initiatives. 

• Colin Burke, who just finished eighth grade at Salina South Middle School, recently won the Kansas Civics Bee. He presented information about his winning project about getting more personal hygiene products in schools for teenagers in need. 

• Adam Topliff, KSDE program manager of History, Government and Social Studies, presented "America's Origin: From Colonies to a Country," leading board members in a discussion about the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. 

• Dr. Susan Bon, of Pittsburg State, along with Dr. Douglas Huffman and Jennifer Bessolo, of the University of Kansas, presented information on how their respective schools of education prepare administrators and other instructional leaders through course programs and field experiences.  

• Board members received training on the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA). 

The items board members approved during their July meeting are as follows: 

• The cell phone and social media policy certification process, including the survey that certifies districts and accredited nonpublic schools have adopted a policy to comply with HB 2299 passed by the 2026 legislature. Board members agreed to put discussion and possible action regarding the student walkout online complaint form for student walkouts on their August agenda. 

• The appointments of Sydney Rummery, a high school Spanish teacher, Andover USD 385, to the at-large public school position; Gretl Shelton, a high school English and speech teacher at Gardner Edgerton USD 231, to the public high school position; and Amy Ward, an elementary teacher at St. James Catholic School, in Wichita, to the private school teacher position, all to the Professional Standards Board.  

• The appointment of Phillip Wrigley, a teacher at Topeka High School, Topeka USD 501, to the Licensure Review Committee. 

• The recommendations of the Professional Practice Commission (PPC). 

• New educator preparation program standards for mathematics 5-8, general mathematics 6-12, and advanced mathematics 6-12, and accepted the recommendations of the Evaluation Review Committee for educator preparation accreditation for Barclay College, and program approvals for Bethany College, Kansas State University, Newman University, Ottawa University and the University of St. Mary. 

• Items on the consent agenda. 

Board members adopted the consensus estimates for State Foundation Aid, Supplemental State Aid, Capital Improvement State Aid, and Capital Outlay State Aid for Fiscal Year 2028. As part of that action, they also approved the following as part of their Fiscal Year 2028 budget request that will be submitted to the governor’s office by Sept. 15: 

• A four-year phase-in to begin in 2028 and end in 2031 to reach 92% of special education excess costs. 

• $10 million to cover the full cost of the universal reading screener required by state law 

• $2.3 million for the Mentor Teacher program 

• A three-year phase-in budget enhancement to reach $7.25 million for the professional development program by FY 2030 ($2.5 million in FY 2028, $2.5 million in FY 2029, and $2.25 million in FY 2030).

• $600,000 for CTE transportation  

• $360,000 for National Board Certification 

• $7.5 million for the Safe and Secure Schools Grant  

• $500,000 for the E-Rate infrastructure match 

• $95,920 to replace funding required to support school districts with the E-Rate process  

• $250,000 to cover the increase in the amount of KSDE office rent that must be paid out of the state general fund (SGF) in FY 2027 

• $138,500 for State Board member compensation to be commensurate with legislator compensation 

The State Board will meet again Aug. 11-12, in the first floor board room of the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, in Topeka.