Session of 1999
HOUSE BILL No. 2423
By Representative Helgerson
2-10
9 AN ACT concerning school districts; relating to the determination of
10 state aid for the provision of special education services; amending
11 K.S.A. 72-971, 72-973 and 72-979 and K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 72-962 and
12 72-978 and repealing the existing sections; also repealing K.S.A. 1998
13 Supp. 72-983.
14
15 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
16 Section 1. K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 72-962 is hereby amended to read as
17 follows: 72-962. As used in this act:
18 (a) "School district" means any public school district.
19 (b) "Board" means the board of education of any school district.
20 (c) "State board" means the state board of education.
21 (d) "Department" means the state department of education.
22 (e) "State institution" means Topeka state hospital, Osawatomie state
23 hospital, Rainbow mental health facility, Larned state hospital, Parsons
24 state hospital and training center, Winfield state hospital and training
25 center, Kansas neurological institute and any juvenile correctional facility
26 as defined by K.S.A. 38-1602, and amendments thereto any institution
27 under the jurisdiction of a state agency.
28 (f) "State agency" means the secretary of social and rehabilitation
29 services, the secretary of corrections, and the commissioner of juvenile
30 justice.
31 (f) (g) "Exceptional children" means persons who: (1) Are school age,
32 to be determined in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by
33 the state board, which age may differ from the ages of children required
34 to attend school under the provisions of K.S.A. 72-1111, and amendments
35 thereto; and (2) differ in physical, mental, social, emotional or educational
36 characteristics to the extent that special education services are necessary
37 to enable them to receive educational benefits in accordance with their
38 abilities or capacities.
39 (g) (h) "Gifted children" means exceptional children who are deter-
40 mined to be within the gifted category of exceptionality as such category
41 is defined in the state plan.
42 (h) (i) "Special education services" means programs for which spe-
43 cialized training, instruction, programming techniques, facilities and
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1 equipment may be needed for the education of exceptional children.
2 (i) "Special teacher" means a person employed by a school district or
3 a state institution for special education services who is: (1) A teacher
4 qualified to instruct exceptional children as determined by standards es-
5 tablished by the state board and who is so certified by the state board; or
6 (2) a paraprofessional qualified to assist certificated teachers in the in-
7 struction of exceptional children as determined by standards established
8 by the state board and who is so approved by the state board.
9 (j) "State plan" means the state plan for special education services
10 authorized by this act.
11 (k) "Agency" means boards and the secretary of social and rehabili-
12 tation services state agencies.
13 (l) "Lawful custodian" means a parent or a person acting as parent.
14 If none of the above is known or can be found, an agency shall cause
15 proper proceedings to be instituted pursuant to the Kansas code for care
16 of children to determine whether a child is a child in need of care. For a
17 child whose custodian is the secretary of social and rehabilitation services
18 in the custody of a state agency, the term lawful custodian means the
19 secretary state agency except, when used in K.S.A. 72-972 through 72-
20 975, and amendments to such sections, the term means an education
21 advocate.
22 (m) "Parent" means a natural parent, an adoptive parent, or a
23 stepparent.
24 (n) "Person acting as parent" means: (1) A guardian or conservator;
25 or (2) a person, other than a parent, who is liable by law to maintain, care
26 for, or support the child, or who has actual care and control of the child
27 and is contributing the major portion of the cost of support of the child,
28 or who has actual care and control of the child with the written consent
29 of a person who has legal custody of the child, or who has been granted
30 custody of the child by a court of competent jurisdiction.
31 (o) "Education advocate" means a person appointed by the state
32 board in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 38-1513a, and amend-
33 ments thereto. A person appointed as an education advocate for a child
34 shall not be (1) an employee of the agency which is required by law to
35 provide special education services for the child, or (2) an employee of the
36 state board, the department, or any agency which is directly involved in
37 providing educational services for the child, or (3) any person having a
38 professional or personal interest which would conflict with the interests
39 of the child.
40 Sec. 2. K.S.A. 72-971 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-971.
41 (a) In order to obtain data necessary for review of the progress or lack
42 thereof made in special education services for exceptional children and
43 to assess future needs for providing special education services on a more
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1 comprehensive, expert, economic and efficient basis, it shall be the duty
2 of the department to conduct an annual survey of the school districts
3 showing the total number of exceptional children within the various cat-
4 egories of exceptionality in the state.
5 (b) The state crippled children's commission department of health
6 and environment and other state departments and agencies having census
7 data on exceptional children shall from time to time as requested furnish
8 such data to the department.
9 Sec. 3. K.S.A. 72-973 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-973.
10 (a) The hearing provided for in K.S.A. 72-972, and amendments thereto,
11 shall be held at a time and place reasonably convenient to the lawful
12 custodian of the involved child, shall be a closed hearing unless the lawful
13 custodian requests an open hearing, and shall be conducted in accordance
14 with rules and regulations relating thereto adopted by the agency. Such
15 rules and regulations shall afford procedural due process, including the
16 following:
17 (1) The right of the parties to have counsel or an advisor of their own
18 choice present and to receive the advice of such counsel or other advisor
19 whom they may select;
20 (2) the right of the child and the lawful custodian of the child to be
21 present at the hearing;
22 (3) the right of the child, the lawful custodian of the child and their
23 counsel or advisor to hear or read a full report of the testimony of wit-
24 nesses responsible for recommending the proposed action and of any
25 other material witnesses;
26 (4) the right of the parties and their counsel or advisor to confront
27 and cross-examine witnesses who appear in person at the hearing, either
28 voluntarily or as a result of the issuance of a subpoena;
29 (5) the right of the parties to present witnesses in person or their
30 testimony by affidavit, including expert medical, psychological or educa-
31 tional testimony;
32 (6) the right of the child and the lawful custodian, on behalf of the
33 child, to testify and give reasons in opposition to the proposed action;
34 (7) the right of the parties to prohibit the presentation of any evi-
35 dence at the hearing which has not been disclosed to the opposite party
36 at least five days prior to the hearing;
37 (8) the right of the parties to have an orderly hearing;
38 (9) the right of the child to a fair and impartial decision based on
39 substantial evidence; and
40 (10) the right of the parties to have a record of the hearing made by
41 mechanical or electronic recording or by an official court reporter.
42 (b) The hearing shall be held not later than 30 days from the date on
43 which the request therefor is received or, if no request is received, not
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1 later than 30 days from the date by which the request should have been
2 made, or on which objection, or revocation of consent, to the proposed
3 action is received by the agency. The child and the lawful custodian of
4 the child shall be notified in writing of the time and place of the hearing
5 at least five days prior thereto. At any reasonable time prior to the hearing,
6 the lawful custodian and the counsel or advisor of the involved child shall
7 be given access to all records, tests, reports or clinical evaluations relating
8 to the proposed action.
9 (c) Subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 72-973a, and amendments
10 thereto, the agency shall appoint a hearing officer for the purpose of
11 conducting the hearing. Members of the state board, the secretary of
12 social and rehabilitation services, and members of any board involved in
13 the education of the child shall not serve as hearing officers. The secretary
14 of social and rehabilitation services, the secretary of corrections, and the
15 commissioner of juvenile justice shall not serve as hearing officers. No
16 hearing officer shall be any person (1) responsible for recommending the
17 proposed action upon which the hearing is based, (2) having a personal
18 or professional interest which would conflict with objectivity in the hear-
19 ing, or (3) who is an employee of the state board or any agency involved
20 in the education of the child. A person shall not be considered an em-
21 ployee of the agency solely because the person is paid by the agency to
22 serve as a hearing officer. Each agency shall maintain a list of hearing
23 officers. Such list shall include a statement of the qualifications of each
24 hearing officer. Each hearing officer shall be qualified in accordance with
25 standards and requirements established by the state board and shall have
26 satisfactorily completed a training program conducted or approved by the
27 state board. Whenever a hearing officer conducts any hearing, such hear-
28 ing officer shall render a decision on the matter not later than 10 days
29 after the conclusion of the hearing and shall prepare a written report
30 thereon to the agency providing for the hearing. Any action of the hearing
31 officer in accordance with this subsection shall be final, subject to appeal
32 and review in accordance with K.S.A. 72-974, and amendments thereto.
33 Sec. 4. K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 72-978 is hereby amended to read as fol-
34 lows: 72-978. (a) (1) In each school year, in accordance with appropria-
35 tions for special education services provided under this act, each school
36 district which has provided special education services in compliance with
37 the requirements of the state plan and the provisions of this act shall be
38 entitled to receive state aid in an amount which shall be computed by the
39 state board as provided in this section. The state board shall:
40 (A) Reimbursement for actual travel allowances paid to special teach-
41 ers at not to exceed the rate specified under K.S.A. 75-3203, and amend-
42 ments thereto, for each mile actually traveled during the school year in
43 connection with duties in providing special education services for excep-
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1 tional children; such reimbursement shall be computed by the state board
2 by ascertaining the actual travel allowances paid to special teachers by
3 the school district for the school year and shall be in an amount equal to
4 80% of such actual travel allowances;
5 (B) reimbursement in an amount equal to 80% of the actual travel
6 expenses incurred for providing transportation for exceptional children to
7 special education services; such reimbursement shall not be paid if such
8 child has been counted in determining the transportation weighting of
9 the district under the provisions of the school district finance and quality
10 performance act;
11 (C) reimbursement in an amount equal to 80% of the actual expenses
12 incurred for the maintenance of an exceptional child at some place other
13 than the residence of such child for the purpose of providing special
14 education services; such reimbursement shall not exceed $600 per excep-
15 tional child per school year; and
16 (D) after subtracting the amounts of reimbursement under (A), (B)
17 and (C) from the total amount appropriated for special education services
18 under this act, an amount which bears the same proportion to the re-
19 maining amount appropriated as the number of full-time equivalent spe-
20 cial teachers employed by the school district for approved special edu-
21 cation services bears to the total number of full-time equivalent special
22 teachers employed by all school districts for approved special education
23 services.
24 (2) Each special teacher who is a paraprofessional shall be counted
25 as 25 full-time equivalent special teacher.
26 (b) (1) No special teacher in excess of the number of special teachers
27 necessary to comply with the ratio of special teacher to exceptional chil-
28 dren prescribed by the state board for the school district shall be counted
29 in making computations under this section.
30 (2) No time spent by a special teacher in connection with duties per-
31 formed under a contract entered into by the Atchison juvenile correc-
32 tional facility, the Beloit juvenile correctional facility, the Larned juvenile
33 correctional facility or the Topeka juvenile correctional facility and a
34 school district for the provision of special education services by such state
35 institution shall be counted in making computations under this section.
36 (a) Determine the total amount budgeted in the general fund of the
37 district in the preceding school year plus the total amount budgeted in
38 the supplemental general fund of the district in the preceding school year
39 if the district adopted a local option budget in such school year;
40 (b) subtract from the amount determined under (a) the total amount
41 attributable in the preceding school year to assignment of transportation
42 weighting, program weighting and at-risk pupil weighting to enrollment
43 of the school district in such school year;
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1 (c) divide the remainder obtained under (b) by the total number of
2 pupils enrolled in the school district on September 20 of the preceding
3 school year;
4 (d) determine the total full-time equivalent enrollment of exceptional
5 children in special education services provided by the school district in
6 the preceding school year;
7 (e) multiply the amount of the quotient obtained under (c) by the full-
8 time equivalent enrollment determined under (d);
9 (f) determine the amount of federal funds received by the school dis-
10 trict for the provision of special education services in the preceding school
11 year;
12 (g) determine the amount of revenue received by the school district
13 in the preceding school year for services rendered under a contract en-
14 tered into by the school district with a state institution for the provision
15 of special education services by the state institution;
16 (h) add the amounts determined under (f) and (g) to the amount of
17 the product obtained under (e);
18 (i) determine the total amount of expenditures of the school district
19 in the preceding school year for the provision of special education services
20 in such school year;
21 (j) subtract the amount of the sum obtained under (h) from the
22 amount determined under (i);
23 (k) determine the amount of state aid the school district received in
24 the preceding school year for the provision of special education services
25 in such school year;
26 (l) compute 90% of the remainder obtained under (j). The amount of
27 state aid each school district is entitled to receive for the provision of
28 special education services in the current school year is the computed
29 amount or the amount determined under (k), whichever is the greater
30 amount.
31 Sec. 5. K.S.A. 72-979 is hereby amended to read as follows: 72-979.
32 (a) Payments under this act shall be made in a manner to be determined
33 by the state board. In the event If any district is paid more than it is
34 entitled to receive under any distribution made as state aid for the pro-
35 vision of special education services under this act, the state board shall
36 notify the district of the amount of such overpayment, and such district
37 shall remit the same to the state board. The state board shall remit any
38 moneys so received to the state treasurer, and the state treasurer shall
39 deposit the same in the state treasury to the credit of the general fund.
40 If any such district fails so to remit, the state board shall deduct the excess
41 amounts so paid from future payments becoming due to such district. In
42 the event any district is paid less than If the amount to which it is entitled
43 under any distribution made under this act, the state board shall pay the
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1 additional amount due at any time within the school year in which the
2 underpayment was made or within sixty (60) days after the end of such
3 school year of appropriations for special education services is insufficient
4 to pay in full the amount of state aid each school district is entitled to
5 receive for the school year, the state board shall prorate the amount ap-
6 propriated among all school districts.
7 (b) The state board shall prescribe all forms necessary for reporting
8 under this act. Funds shall be distributed to the respective boards as soon
9 as the state board deems practicable.
10 (c) Every board shall make such periodic and special reports of sta-
11 tistical and financial information to the state board as it may request.
12 Sec. 6. K.S.A. 72-971, 72-973 and 72-979 and K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 72-
13 962, 72-978 and 72-983 are hereby repealed.
14 Sec. 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
15 publication in the statute book.