By Timothy Graham, KNEA Director of Government Relations

CALL TO ACTION!

An attack on the Kansas Supreme Court that may put public education in jeopardy.

School funding litigation is complex. Kansans need judges who earned the responsibility to fairly and justly decide these cases, and the many other cases that impact Kansas schools and educators.  Having an independent court system, where judges are appointed based on merit and the recommendations of their peers, was crucial in protecting public education during the reckless Brownback experiment. However, a bill currently under consideration in the legislature seeks to change this.

SCR 1611 proposes amending the Kansas Constitution to require Supreme Court justices to be elected in partisan elections. If passed, this amendment would force Kansas judges to campaign like politicians, seeking support from wealthy donors. The rule of law would be undermined, replaced by decisions influenced by those who financed the verdicts. Television, social media, and print media would be flooded with millions of dollars in attack ads. Partisan political megadonors, consultants, and special interest groups would gain control over the Kansas Supreme Court, and judicial independence would become a thing of the past.

The truth is, Kansas already has a system that works. Judges are selected through a merit-based process. A nonpartisan commission, representing all corners of the state, vets candidates and forwards the three most qualified individuals to the governor. The governor, elected by all Kansans, then appoints the best candidate to the bench.

SCR 1611 would eliminate the only system that has forced the Kansas Legislature to equitably and adequately fund public education. Should the bill pass, public education will eventually face the same cuts that took place during the Brownback years, and we will no longer have a fair and independent judiciary to challenge these reckless actions.

Please contact your legislator and urge them to oppose SCR 1611.

Week 7 of the 2025 Kansas legislative session has wrapped up. As we reported last week, Thursday, February 20, was Turnaround Day—the halfway point of the session. The Legislature took a short break for a long weekend before returning on Tuesday, February 25.

To date, the Legislature has introduced 724 bills (up from 706 last week). KNEA is tracking 134 of these bills and has provided testimony on 24. Additionally, over 40 of our members have visited the Kansas Statehouse this session to lobby, deliver oral testimony before various legislative committees, and assist with legislative relationship-building.

Committees are back at work, hearing bills that were sent to them from the other chamber. In other words, the Senate is primarily considering bills passed by the House, and the House is primarily considering bills passed by the Senate. However, there are exceptions. A few bills are still being introduced in exempt committees, but the numbers are low. Additionally, some bills that did not make it through the halfway point are being “blessed” to remain eligible for consideration, though these numbers are also relatively small. You can refer to our February 24 Under the Dome update for a refresher on what it means for a bill to be “blessed” and how the process works through the utilization of exempt committees.

Some days, it feels like the Legislature just got started; other days, it feels like it has been in session for a year. The new schedule has left many Statehouse insiders exhausted. The light at the end of the tunnel is that the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on April 12. Whether we like it or not, the race to adjournment began on Tuesday.

Stay tuned.

KNEA Hosts a State and Federal Education Update with Democratic Leaders Sykes and Woodard, with Special Guest Congresswoman Sharice Davids

On Saturday, March 1, several KNEA members joined KNEA Government Relations and KNEA Governance in hosting a discussion on education with Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, House Democratic Leader Brandon Woodard, and Congresswoman Sharice Davids. The intimate and candid conversation focused on the political climate surrounding education.

The event lasted nearly 90 minutes and included a Q&A session, a photo opportunity, and a direct request for Leaders Sykes and Woodard to:

  • Vote against vouchers,
  • Support reforms to the KPERS pension system for Kansas educators, and
  • Oppose the so-called pronoun bill.

Check out these photos from the event!

Notable Issue Updates

This portion of Under The Dome is a repeat from last week.

The following is a brief update on a few issues we are tracking during the 2025 legislative session.

Vouchers
The bill that currently has the most momentum is SB 87. You can read more about this bill below and in previous Under the Dome posts. Essentially, this bill represents an expansion of the Low-Income Student Scholarship program. Although it is a voucher bill, several legislators are in denial of that fact.

Education Funding – (K–12, Special Education, Higher Education)
The budget discussion will now move to the Senate. The House included the court-ordered Consumer Price Index adjustment for new funding as well as $10 million in new Special Education funding. We will need to lean heavily on the Senate to keep this bill free of unnecessary education policy provisions and to increase funding for SPED. Additionally, we may need to rely on the Senate to boost higher education spending, as recommended by the Governor and the Kansas Board of Regents.

Gender-Affirming Care
Now that the contents of SB 63 is law, the debate will shift to SB 76, the so-called “Pronoun Bill.”

KPERS Reform
Good, bad, or somewhere in between, HB 2086 appears to be the only improvement we may see in KPERS Tier 3.

College Tenure
HB 2348 continues to be stalled in committee.

KNEA Testimony – Week of February 24

SB 254 – Prohibiting aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States from receiving any state or local public benefit in accordance with applicable federal law. -OPPOSED-

This bill introduced several changes. First, it would modify pretrial release procedures. The court would be required to verify the immigration status of non-citizens with the federal government if they were charged with a crime. Additionally, the bill would establish a rebuttable presumption that unauthorized immigrants pose a flight risk when determining bail.

Second, the bill would prohibit unauthorized immigrants from receiving state or local public benefits in Kansas, with a few federal exceptions. Any applicant over the age of 18 seeking public benefits would be required to prove they are either a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or a lawfully present alien. State and local agencies would be mandated to verify an applicant’s immigration status through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. The bill also classifies reduced college tuition rates as a public benefit, thereby preventing unauthorized immigrants from accessing in-state tuition.

We opposed the bill, choosing to focus on the provision related to reduced college tuition rates, also known as in-state tuition. Public universities receive state funding, which comes from residents’ taxes. Since in-state students and their families contribute to these funds, they receive discounted tuition as a benefit. These residents include undocumented immigrants.

SB 263 – Establishing standards and requirements for active shooter drills conducted by public and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. -NEUTRAL-

This bill is a product of the Sandy Hill Promise organization and it does several things.

It distinguishes between an “active shooter drill” and an “active shooter simulation” and establishes standards and requirements for such activities conducted by public and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools.

The bill mandates that schools notify each parent or guardian at least 24 hours before an active shooter drill. Parents may opt their child out of the drill and choose alternative safety education without any punitive consequences from the school. The Department of Education would be required to establish criteria for alternative safety education for students who are opted out of the drill.

No student would be required to participate in an active shooter simulation. Additionally, no active shooter simulation could take place during regular school hours while students are present or expected to be present.

We submitted neutral testimony on the bill, requesting that the committee draft an amendment allowing all school district personnel to opt out for medical reasons.

You can read more about this bill here: Link

On the Radar – Week of March 3

KNEA is scheduled to testify on the bill listed below this week. Over the weekend, we also held a prep meeting for a few members who wanted to submit testimony on SB 76 and HB 2086. A handful of these members will be at the Statehouse this week to deliver their testimony.

Before you read the

HB 2007 – HEARING: Monday, March 3rd at 1:30 PM, Room 144-S (Senate Education). SHORT TITLE: Substitute for HB 2007 by Committee on Appropriations – Making and concerning supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025 and appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for various state agencies.

HB 2318 – HEARING: Monday, March 3rd at 3:30 PM, Room 346-S (House Taxation) SHORT TITLE: Providing that future personal and corporate income tax rate decreases be contingent on exceeding tax receipt revenues.

SB 76 – HEARING: Tuesday, March 4th at 1:30 PM, Room 218-N (House Education) SHORT TITLE: Requiring employees of school districts and postsecondary educational institutions to use the name and pronouns consistent with a student’s biological sex and birth certificate and authorizing a cause of action for violations therefor.

SB 259 – HEARING: Tuesday, March 4th at 9:30 AM, Room 548-S (Senate Assessment & Taxation) SHORT TITLE: Providing that future personal and corporate income tax rate decreases be contingent on exceeding tax receipt revenues.

HB 2236 – HEARING: Tuesday, March 4th at 1:30 PM, Room 112-N (House Health & Human Services) SHORT TITLE: Establishing the mental health intervention team program in the Kansas department for aging and disability services in state statute and providing incentives for coordination between school districts, qualified schools and mental health intervention team providers.

SB 280 – HEARING: Thursday, March 6th at 9:30 AM, Room 548-S (Senate Assessment & Taxation) SHORT TITLE: Requiring the approval by a majority of electors voting at an election in order for the governing body of any taxing entity to increase its total amount of property tax to be levied by more than the annual rate of inflation.

HB 2086 – HEARING: Thursday, March 6th at 9:30 AM, Room 546-S (Senate Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee) SHORT TITLE: Adjusting the KPERS 3 dividend interest credit by lowering the dividend interest credit threshold to 5% and increasing the dividend share to 80%.

What I’m Saying – Week of February 24

Last week was a contentious and painful week in the Statehouse for members of the Latino community and their allies. The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee held a hearing on SB 254—a bill prohibiting undocumented immigrants from receiving any state or local public benefits in accordance with applicable federal law. You can read more about the bill’s contents above.

Several media outlets have reported on this hearing and the controversy surrounding it. I encourage all of you to search online for more details about what took place. In short, the bill is a product of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. I will refrain from commenting on the Attorney General himself; he is a well-known Kansas political figure, and most people already have their own opinions about him and his agenda.

As a proponent of the bill, General Kobach was given 12 minutes to speak in its favor. After his presentation, the opponents were also allotted 12 minutes to voice their concerns. However, there were 24 opponents who had signed up to testify against the bill, leaving each speaker with only about 30 seconds to address this highly controversial issue.

Many conferees who had signed up were not allowed to speak, including two KNEA members who had spent the weekend preparing their testimony. A third KNEA member was permitted to speak, but only as the committee chairman was closing the hearing.

This process angered many of the conferees. One man approached the podium and raised his objections in a confrontational manner. As a result, the committee chairman ordered him to leave the room and called security. When the man refused to stop speaking, his microphone was cut off. After he finished his remarks, members of the audience clapped. At that point, the chairman struck the desk and ordered everyone to clear the room.

Immediately following the incident, I approached the chairman to inform him that the man was not affiliated with KNEA. Though I fully understood the man’s anger—I, too, was upset about how the hearing was conducted—I could not condone his behavior. However, I asked the chairman whether he expected anything different from constituents when they were not given a fair opportunity to be heard.

I reminded him that I had been involved in this process long enough to recall when hearings on charged issues like this were held over multiple days in committee rooms designed to accommodate large crowds. I urged him to reconsider the process and asked him not to move forward with this bill until a more comprehensive hearing could take place. The chairman was polite, but I do not expect that my request will be granted.

I could write at length about the injustice of this bill. I could also write extensively about how unfairly the hearing was conducted. But I won’t. Instead, I simply want to express how sorry I am to the KNEA members who came to the Statehouse to testify—only to be ignored.

Upcoming Dates and Events

  • March 4 – Equality Day
  • March 17 – KNEA Educators at the Capitol (Hosted by Olathe NEA and others)
  • March 19 – Working Kansas Alliance Lunch, All Legislators Invited, Hosted by KNEA
  • March 25 – KNEA Welcome Table at the Statehouse
  • March 27 – KNEA Welcome Table at the Statehouse
  • April 5-6 – KNEA Representative Assembly (Wichita)