Republican House and Senate conferees early Friday agreed on a K-12 funding plan that includes numerous policy provisions, including open enrollment.
The House and Senate will vote on the conference committee report for HB 2567 later Friday (April 1). Legislators will wrap up the regular session Friday before returning for the veto session April 25.
HB 2567 would require school districts to allow non-resident students to enroll and attend. Currently, students may attend a district in which they are not residents if the board of the receiving districts agrees.
We urge local school leaders to contact their legislators to share their concerns about the open enrollment proposal and how it would affect their schools, students and parents. There are many reasons why boards may not accept nonresident students. Some parents may question why students from other districts, who are not paying taxes or fees to support the additional cost of these programs, should be allowed to benefit from them. Some parents may simply want to maintain their community schools for their community, so that all attending children have residential ties that strengthen civic cohesion.
In addition, accepting non-resident students may have a negative effect on the other district. Since this bill doesn’t provide state transportation aid for nonresident students, only families who can transport their students to other districts would benefit. As a result, this proposal could isolate the lowest-income students in the highest poverty districts. The bill also says if a district has the capacity to accept a non-resident student, it must keep that student until graduation, even if the district’s capacity changes over time.
If the House or Senate rejects this conference committee report, the conference committee would continue working on a K-12 bill. But if this conference bill is approved, it will be up to Gov. Laura Kelly to either sign it into law or veto it.
Other portions of the bill include funding from the Gannon settlement, help for districts that receive federal impact aid and improving the way capital improvement state aid is determined for bond and interest aid.
The bill also would establish a virtual math program that would be paid with federal COVID-19 funds in the first year. In the second year, districts would be assessed fees for the program.
The bill also would require prior notice given to parents before administering certain questionnaires and surveys related to social and emotional learning.
HB 2567 also includes changes to the Kansas Promise Scholarship program, expanding it to allow scholarships for out-of-state students.
Other education bills still under consideration are SB 58, a so-called parental bill of rights measure, and SB 160, which would prohibit transgender students from competing on girls’ teams.
A video wrap-up of school developments, prior to the conference committee approval of HB 2567, can be seen here.
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