ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Funding for education has been a hot topic especially recently, with many programs being threatened.
Last Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly announced she sent a letter to United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, requesting reinstatement of $22.6 million in federal pandemic relief funds. The United States Department of Education announced in late March the federal government was recouping nearly $3 billion in pandemic relief funds from states. Many states, including Kansas, had already obligated these funds for programs and services benefiting students and educators, according to a release from the State of Kansas.
“Abruptly stripping this funding is a disservice to the Kansas students and teachers who rely on it to excel in the classroom,” Gov. Kelly noted in the release from the State of Kansas. “This funding is critical for our schools to continue setting Kansas children up for a strong start to life. I urge the Trump administration to reinstate this funding to ensure our students can continue to access these key resources they need to succeed.”
In Kansas, these funds have been critical for supporting student learning recovery and ensuring the education workforce is prepared to assist those students in their academic needs, the State of Kansas release noted, and funds have been used to retrain teachers in the science of reading and other evidence-based interventions to support student learning, career and postsecondary exploration experiences for students, and to lower start-up costs for child care providers.
“As of March 31, Kansas has $22.6 million in additional contracted obligations attributed to these funding sources. In partnership with the Kansas State Department of Education, we have worked in good faith to ensure efficient stewardship of these funds and that they are targeted toward mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on our students, educators, and families,” Gov. Kelly noted in her letter. “The funds provided to the State of Kansas under these acts have provided significant support in improving our students' academic achievement and ensuring that educators are prepared to better serve those students. The funds Kansas currently has obligated under the previous liquidation extension work to support students and teachers across the education continuum – from early childhood education through post-secondary success and career readiness. We have devoted these funds towards eliminating barriers to recruiting early childhood education providers retraining educators in structured literacy to better equip students with the tools necessary for reading, and preparing our next generation for lifelong career success. With the help of the Department of Education and these resources, we are seeing positive results for Kansas students and educators. In Kansas, state assessment scores are on the rise and graduation rates are at an all-time high. Extending the liquidation of these funds will allow our state's education system to remain on a positive trajectory and serve Kansas students and families well.”
On April 3, the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) requested the Trump administration restore Kansas’ funding and allow for KSDE to continue using these funds toward its intended purposes, the State of Kansas release noted, and that request continues to be under consideration by the secretary of education.
“In October 2024, Gov. Kelly announced the state would cover the cost of licensure, fingerprinting, and background check fees for early childhood educators using these federal education funds. The Kelly Administration began waiving these fees using federal and state funds in 2021,” the State of Kansas release noted. “Since 2021, these efforts have saved child care providers $3.34 million in fees and covered application costs of over 15,500 providers and background checks for over 39,400 providers. These fees will be reinstated until the Trump administration restores Kansas’ funding allocation.”
