Despite having enough revenue to do so, the Kansas Legislature has refused for years to fully fund excess Special Education costs - which they are mandated to do by state law to 92% of excess costs.
What does that mean for Blue Valley students, teachers, and schools? In short: Schools are NOT fully funded. This impacts every BV student, whether or not they receive SPED services.
During the current school year alone, Blue Valley has transferred $25 million from their General Fund to cover SPED costs. Since 2022, the amount has been almost $68 million. This is money that could hire additional teachers, lowering class sizes. It could give teachers a raise, aiding in recruitment and retention. It could ensure vital student programs are not cut or reduced.
We posted last week about a letter from the superintendents of Blue Valley, Olathe, and Shawnee Mission Schools urging legislators to increase SPED funding. (1)
Superintendents of some of the best school districts in the nation should NOT have to beg the legislature to cover statutorily mandated costs. Voters who moved to Blue Valley, Olathe, and Shawnee Mission for the schools and the community supported by those schools want their schools to be funded and their SPED students supported.
SPED includes both gifted services and disability services. Federal law requires the district to identify, evaluate, and provide services to individuals with disabilities. (Remember that private schools - even those who get tax money in the form of Kansas’ current voucher-style programs - are NOT required to do any of this. Nor are those schools legally required to provide ANY results reporting back to taxpayers.)
Over 19% of Blue Valley students receive SPED services. (2)
Budget bill HB 2007, passed by the KS Senate then the KS House, included only $10 million in added SPED funding - whereas Gov. Kelly’s budget proposal was $73 million. (3) As detailed in the Superintendents’ letter to the KsLeg, the shortfall in 2024-5 in BV, Olathe, and SM alone is over $80 million.
HB 2007 now goes to a Legislative Conference Committee, held between a few members of the Senate and House. We’ll keep our members posted on what happens next.
History:
Kansas law requires the state to fund 92% of excess SPED costs incurred by school districts - but the KsLeg has not done this since 2010. (4)
Since Gov. Kelly’s policies reversed the budget disaster of the Brownback experiment, (2) the state has had a budget SURPLUS and has been able to afford to fund excess SPED costs - but it hasn’t happened.
Again this year, anti-public education legislators added only a small fraction of the money required to cover excess costs to the budget. (5)
At the same time, legislators are pushing lowering the income tax rate again - although it was lowered last year and the results to state revenues have not fully been realized. (6)
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