As Amended by House Committee
{As Amended by Senate Committee of the Whole}
As Amended by Senate Committee
Session of 2025
SENATE BILL No. 47
By Committee on Education
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AN ACT concerning education; relating to boards of education; requiring
school districts to publicly list the names and email addresses of current
board members; authorizing local school board members to add new
items to board meeting discussions, ask questions or engage in
discussion with members of the public and access school property;
authorizing members of the public to address school boards at board
meetings; authorizing payment of annual dues to any not-for-profit
organization that provides services to member school districts;
amending K.S.A. 72-1145 and 72-1416 and K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-
1138 and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-1138 is hereby amended to read as
follows: 72-1138. (a) (1) The board shall meet at least once each month.
On or after the second Monday in January and before February 1 of each
year, or at a later date during that calendar year if so determined by the
board at the first meeting of the board on or after the second Monday in
January of each year, the board shall adopt a resolution specifying a
regular meeting time of the board and the regular hour of commencement
of the meeting, as well as the day of the week and the week of the month.
Such resolution also shall specify the alternative date and time of any
meeting if the regular meeting date occurs on a Sunday or on a legal
holiday or on a holiday specified by the board. Such resolution also shall
specify the regular meeting place of the board and may specify that any
regular meeting may be adjourned to another time and place. If the board
cancels a regularly scheduled meeting because of an emergency, within 24
hours of such cancellation, the board shall establish and give notice of the
new meeting date and time.
(2) Special meetings may be called at any time by the president of the
board or by joint action of any three members of the board. Unless waived,
written notice, stating the time and place of any special meeting and the
purpose for which called, shall be given each member of the board at least
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two days in advance of the special meeting and no business other than that
stated in the notice shall be transacted at such meeting.
(3) A majority of the full membership of the board shall constitute a
quorum for the purpose of conducting any business of the school district,
and the vote of a majority of the full membership of the board shall be
required for the passage of any motion or resolution. Any member who
abstains from voting shall be counted as having voted against the motion
or resolution. If a member announces a conflict of interest with regard to
the issue, the member may leave the meeting until the voting on the issue
is concluded, and the member who abstains from voting thereby shall not
be counted as having voted.
(4) Each board shall list the current members of the board of
education of such school district and an email address for each such
board member on the website of the school district. Each school district
shall send the list of current members and the members' email addresses to
the state department of education and shall update such information each
time a new board member takes office or when any change to such
information occurs. The state department of education shall maintain a
public database of all current members of the boards of education of all
school districts and such board members' email addresses. The state
department of education shall post such database on the department's
website.
(5) Any member of a board may:
(A) add {one} discussion items under the category of new business at
{item to the agenda of} any school board meeting; and.
(B)(6) Any member of a board may ask questions or otherwise
engage in discussion with any member of the public addressing the board
at a school board meeting.
(6) Each regularly scheduled meeting held by a board of education
of a school district, including any meeting that is held virtually or for the
purpose of a budget hearing or revenue neutral rate hearing, shall
include time for a public comment portion of the meeting. Members of the
public may address the board at such regular school board meetings. All
public comments, questions and other engagements in discussion shall
be subject to any procedural limits that may be set by the presiding
officer.
(b) Except as otherwise provided by law, the board shall have and
may exercise the same powers and authorities as were immediately prior to
this act conferred uniformly upon boards of education in cities of the first
class, and, in addition thereto, the powers and authority expressly
conferred by law.
(c) The board shall have authority to prescribe courses of study for
each year of the school program and to adopt rules and regulations for
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teaching in the school district and general government thereof, and to
approve and adopt suitable textbooks and study material for use therein
subject to the plans, methods, rules and regulations of the state board of
education.
(d) The board may provide legal counsel at district expense to any
members of the board of education, or school district officers or employees
who are sued in situations relating to and arising out of the performance of
their office or employment. No teacher or other employment contract shall
make reference to or incorporate the provisions of this subsection, nor
shall the provisions of this subsection be construed to be any part of the
consideration of employment of any teacher, officer or other employee of
the board.
(e) (1) The board may transact all school district business and adopt
policies that the board deems appropriate to perform its constitutional duty
to maintain, develop and operate local public schools.
(2) The power granted by this subsection shall not be construed to
relieve a board from compliance with state law.
(3) The power granted by this subsection shall not be construed to
relieve any other unit of government of its duties and responsibilities that
are prescribed by law, nor to create any responsibility on the part of a
school district to assume the duties or responsibilities that are required of
another unit of government.
(3)(4) The board shall exercise the power granted by this subsection
by resolution of the board of education.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 72-1145 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-
1145. The board of education of any school district or the board of trustees
of any community junior college is hereby authorized to appropriate
money out of its general fund to pay the annual dues in the Kansas
association of school boards for membership in a not-for-profit
organization that provides guidance, resources and other services to
member school districts.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 72-1416 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-
1416. (a) The school board shall have control of the school-district school
district property, including:
(1) The school building or buildings, schoolgrounds school grounds
and all buildings and structures erected thereon,; and
(2) all furniture, fittings, and equipment, such as including books,
maps, charts, and instructional apparatus.
(b) Members of the school board may access school district property,
including any school buildings and attendance centers, during school
hours or when there are school or community activities on such property,
subject to any school district policies regarding such access.
(c) The school board may open the schoolhouse school building for
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public purpose, under such pursuant to rules and regulations as adopted by
the board shall adopt.
(d) The board may:
(1) Enter into contracts with public library boards to authorize such
boards to use the library facilities of the school district to supplement the
facilities of the public library;
(2) make suchadopt rules and regulations relating to such school
libraries as they shall deem necessary; and
(3) appoint librarians.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 72-1145 and 72-1416 and K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 72-1138
are hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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