SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2485
As Amended by House Committee on K-12
Education Budget
Brief*
HB 2485, as amended, would amend certain enrollment
determination criteria in the Kansas School Equity and
Enhancement Act (KSEEA) to require school district
enrollment to be determined using the current or preceding
school year beginning school year 2025-2026. Provisions of
the bill would become effective and be in force from and after
July 1, 2025, and its publication in the statute book.
Enrollment Determination for State Aid
Under current requirements in KSEEA, school districts
and the State Department of Education (KSDE) use the
student enrollment count from the preceding year to
determine state aid entitlements for the current school year.
The law further allows any school district that experienced a
decrease in enrollment between the second-preceding school
year and the preceding school year would be permitted to use
the second-preceding year enrollment count.
The law also provides enrollment determination
provisions specific to school districts that receive federal
impact aid for the enrollment of military students that
experience a decrease in enrollment between the second-
preceding school year and the preceding school year. For
those school districts, they are permitted to determine
enrollment using either the second-preceding school year
enrollment count or the arithmetic mean of the preceding,
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org second-year preceding, and third-year preceding school year
enrollment counts.
Definition of Enrollment
The bill would amend the definition of “enrollment” under
the KSEEA to require KSDE and school districts to use the
greater of the preceding year enrollment for kindergarten and
grades one through 12 on September 20, as well as current
year preschool-aged at-risk students or the current year
enrollment count for these same student groups.
Impact Aid
The bill would also amend the enrollment determination
requirements specific to those school districts that receive
federal impact aid. Under the bill, such districts could
determine enrollment using the current year enrollment count;
the preceding year enrollment count; or the arithmetic mean
of the preceding, second-preceding, and third-preceding year
enrollment counts.
[Note: 2022 HB 2567 amended the KSEEA calculation
prescribed for local foundation aid by removing federal impact
aid from the formula.]
Background
The bill was introduced by Representatives Thomas and
K. Williams. [Note: A companion bill, SB 386, has been
introduced in the Senate.]
The bill was referred to the House Committee on K-12
Education Budget, received a hearing on January 22, 2024,
was withdrawn from the House Committee on February 16,
2024, and referred to the House Committee on
Appropriations. The bill was later re-referred to the House
Committee on K-12 Education Budget on February 19, 2024.
2- 2485 House Committee on K-12 Education Budget
In the House Committee hearing on January 22, 2024,,
three superintendents (USDs 115, 230, and 335) and a
school board member (USD 230) provided proponent
testimony on the bill, as introduced. The representative of
USD 115 (Nemaha Central Schools) addressed historical and
recent area school district building closures and the need to
update the school finance formula to assist districts who
receive students displaced by school closures. The
representative of USD 335 (Jackson Heights Schools)
outlined the impacts created by the closure of a nearby
district’s school building in February 2023. USD 335 currently
has 110 students who reside in USD 113 attending its
schools; 90 of those students were previously attending the
closed school. Under the existing enrollment count
calculation, USD 335 carries the cost of the increased
enrollment without corresponding funding (e.g., transportation
services and supports and teacher and support staff). The
representatives of USD 230 (Spring Hill Schools) addressed
the financial hardship the current distribution (preceding
year’s enrollment) places on growing districts, including an
impact on the local tax rate.
Written-only proponent testimony was submitted by the
superintendents of USD 233 (Olathe Public Schools) and
USD 380 (Vermillion) and a finance representative for USD
230. These proponents addressed allowing more timely and
fair counts to provide services and the need to accommodate
the educational needs of communities impacted by school
building closures.
Neutral testimony was provided by a representative of
the Kansas Association of School Boards that noted support
for the current year enrollment option for growing districts and
asked for consideration to allow the two-preceding year “look
back” for districts experiencing the impacts of enrollment
declines. The representative requested the removal of
enrollment count provisions specific to districts with
attendance center closures in the preceding year.
3- 2485 Neutral written-only testimony submitted by the
superintendent of USD 445 (Coffeyville Public Schools)
requested consideration for phased-in implementation, such
as allowing school districts three enrollment count options in
FY 2025 and two options (current or preceding year) in FY
2026.
Opponent testimony was provided by the
superintendents of USD 396 (Douglass Public Schools) and
USD 453 (Leavenworth), who stated the bill would impact
school district budget and hiring decisions. The USD 396
representative noted the inability to stabilize enrollment over
multiple years would be detrimental to rural districts and
those experiencing declining enrollment. The USD 453
representative noted districts are making hiring decisions this
spring, and immediate implementation of modifications to
enrollment count determination for funding could impact those
decisions and the ability for a district to correctly plan for its
budget using revenues calculated with the changes proposed
in the bill.
Written-only opponent testimony was submitted by a
representative of USD 259 (Wichita Public Schools). The
testimony indicated the district has negotiated a two-year
agreement with its teachers and support staff based on the
current school finance formula (enrollment count
determination).
On March 4, 2024, the House Committee amended the
bill to:
●Remove a provision that would have required
school districts that closed any school building that
was an attendance center in the preceding school
year to use only its current year enrollment count;
●Delay the bill’s implementation date by one year
(provisions would be effective beginning in school
year 2025-2026); and
●Make technical amendments.
4- 2485 Fiscal Information
A fiscal note on the bill, as amended by House
Committee, was not immediately available.
Education; Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act; enrollment count
determination; current year; preceding year
5- 2485