Revising the Kansas school equity and enhancement act to provide per-student education funding based on student enrollment in the current school year.
Impact
The bill's intent is to promote equity in educational funding across Kansas by ensuring that districts with higher enrollment numbers receive adequate resources to support their students. By tying foundation aid to current enrollment levels, the legislation aims to enhance the quality of education for all students, particularly those from at-risk backgrounds, who often require additional resources and support. This change could lead to significant improvements in educational equity by addressing disparities in funding based on fluctuating student populations.
Summary
House Bill 2040 seeks to revise aspects of the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act by implementing a new method for determining state foundation aid based on current-year student enrollment. This approach aims to provide a more accurate reflection of the needs of school districts by ensuring that funding aligns with the most recent data on student numbers. The revisions will affect how the general fund budget is calculated and the way school districts receive necessary financial support for educational programs.
Contention
Despite its potential benefits, HB 2040 also raises concerns among various stakeholders. Critics argue that the reliance on current enrollment figures may disadvantage districts experiencing population shifts or declining enrollments, leading to funding challenges during transitional periods. There is apprehension that the bill may not sufficiently account for the unique circumstances of rural or underserved school districts, which often face financial difficulties. Moreover, the bill’s implications for funding bilingual education and services for at-risk students remain contentious topics among educators, policymakers, and advocacy groups.
Requiring enrollment under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act to be determined using the current school year or the preceding school year and requiring any district that closed a school building in the preceding school year to use the current year enrollment count.
House Substitute for SB 73 by Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice - Requiring school district enrollment to be determined using the current school year or preceding school year enrollment under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
House Substitute for SB 83 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Making appropriations for the state department of education for FY 2024, establishing the sunflower education equity act to provide education savings accounts for qualified students, requiring school districts to provide a salary increase to all licensed teachers and defining enrollment of small school districts as the highest enrollment from the preceding four years under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
Authorizing students attending public schools with low proficiency scores and certain private elementary and secondary school students to participate in the tax credit for low income students scholarship program.
Expanding the tax credit for low income students scholarship program act to allow students enrolled in underperforming school districts to be eligible for a scholarship.
House Substitute for SB 113 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Making appropriations for the department of education for FY 23, FY 24 and FY 25; establishing the mental health intervention team program; authorizing certain students to participate in activities regulated by the Kansas state high school activities association; requiring school districts to post certain enrollment and academic information on school district websites; revising school district open-enrollment procedures; authorizing local school board members to receive compensation from their school district; authorizing current-year student enrollment for determinations of state foundation aid; continuing the 20 mill statewide tax levy for schools; amending the school districts that qualify for and the amount that school districts are able to levy pursuant to the cost-of-living weighting.
House Substitute for SB 387 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Making appropriations for the department of education for FY 24, FY 25 and FY 26 and enacting, revising and abolishing certain statutes relating to the educational system.
House Substitute for SB 73 by Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice - Requiring school district enrollment to be determined using the current school year or preceding school year enrollment under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
Requiring enrollment under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act to be determined using the current school year or the preceding school year and requiring any district that closed a school building in the preceding school year to use the current year enrollment count.
House Substitute for SB 83 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Making appropriations for the state department of education for FY 2024, establishing the sunflower education equity act to provide education savings accounts for qualified students, requiring school districts to provide a salary increase to all licensed teachers and defining enrollment of small school districts as the highest enrollment from the preceding four years under the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
Authorizing students attending public schools with low proficiency scores and certain private elementary and secondary school students to participate in the tax credit for low income students scholarship program.
House Substitute for SB 387 by Committee on K-12 Education Budget - Making appropriations for the department of education for FY 24, FY 25 and FY 26 and enacting, revising and abolishing certain statutes relating to the educational system.