Mind The Gap: SMSD is concerned with the effects a new budget bill could have on the quality of education they can provide

Decreased funding for special education, as well as cuts to teacher-focused programs such as professional development, were passed by the Kansas Senate through House Bill 2007 on March 18. Though the bill has been passed, Governor Laura Kelly still needs to sign it into law.

Last year, the Kansas legislature invested an additional $72 million in the $601 million annually allocated by the state to fund SPED in K-12 schools for the current school year. The state planned to do the same in the following years. However, this bill reduces the increase to only $10 million for SPED for the upcoming year.

The superintendents of the three largest school districts in Johnson County — Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley — sent a joint letter to Kansas legislators expressing concern for the bill. The original $601 million hasn’t been enough for the past few years, and the bill’s advancement is still too little, according to the joint letter.

“This failure to adequately increase SPED funding forces our districts to make damaging choices,” the superintendents wrote in the letter. “We must divert even more dollars away from general operations, core classroom instruction and vital student programs to fulfill the obligation left by the unfulfilled commitment and budget shortfall. This is not sustainable.”

In Kansas, the state is required to cover 92% of the school districts’ SPED costs, and the districts are obliged by law to meet the needs of students receiving SPED services. However, according to the Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators, 2010 was the last year the 92% requirement was met. 

To make up for this lack of funding, Kansas school districts transfer millions away from other student services. This year, SMSD has allocated around $66 million for SPED, but to do so, SMSD had to transfer around $22.6 million away from operational funds that would otherwise be used for things like employee salaries and raises, supplies and administrative costs. Since 2022, the three largest Johnson County school districts combined have transferred $230.3 million towards their SPED programs.

“That difference [between what the state gives and what is needed] can grow bigger and bigger because the amount that the state’s contributing isn’t meeting all of the other inflation pieces in the economy,” SMSD budget manager Allison Staroski said. “So if they don’t keep increasing that dollar amount, like what we’re seeing for next year, well,$10 million of $600 [million] isn’t going to meet the inflation of the economy.”

Last year, the Kansas legislature moved closer to the requirement of 92% funding with the $72 million advancement, but didn’t meet it. The state typically only funds roughly 60-70% of SPED, according to Staroski.

The SMSD budget proposal for the 2025-26 school year is currently being drafted and will be presented to the Board of Education later this month. According to Staroski, the district is keeping an eye on the legislation and is prepared to make necessary changes to the budget if the bill becomes law.

The bill also includes direct cuts to multiple teacher-focused programs such as professional development, the Mentor Teacher Program and the Teacher Excellence Program. However, according to Shawnee Mission superintendent Michael Schumacher, it’s uncertain whether the Board of Education will approve of a possible redirection of funds to make up for those cuts. 

These cuts to teacher support programs, along with the district having less available funds for potential raises due to diverting funds, can create a larger problem when trying to recruit and retain quality teachers, according to Schumacher.

“These cuts will hurt some districts more than others, but for us, things like professional development and our ability to give sufficient raises are very important to keeping teachers,” Schumacher said. “And the constant transfer of funds makes it harder for us to further develop our programming for students and teachers.”

In the superintendents’ joint letter, they also addressed “false narratives” of other potential solutions to fill the shortfall — one of which was the use of the Local Option Budget instead of transferring money from operational funds. The LOB is a fund generated from local property taxpayers to meet local needs, however, according to Schumacher, it was not meant to fund SPED.

“Taxpayers contribute to that budget and we don’t get to just decide to use that money for SPED instead,” Schumacher said. “It’s not really a solution to the problem because it’s just shifting the burden and putting that burden on our community.”

Though the bill has been passed in Congress, the bill won’t be considered law until Governor Laura Kelly signs it, but she will have the opportunity to veto the bill. Schumacher doesn’t know what Kelly plans to do or when the bill could be signed, but he is prepared to work with either situation.

“We believe that public schools are economic boosts towards the community and that our district being able to work at its full extent is important to Shawnee Mission and its community,” Schumacher said. “So I would just want students to know that we are fighting for that.”