Brief (1)
HB 2797 would require the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to provide the State Board of Education information on the criminal history of applicants for teacher certification. The information would be provided, without charge, to the State Board upon request. Information received by the State Board would be confidential, except for conviction information, which is a matter of public record.
Background
HB 2797 is part of the education reform program introduced by Representatives Tanner and Glasscock. The bill amends legislation enacted in 1998 that gives the State Board of Education the authority to deny applications for teaching certificates to persons who have been convicted of certain criminal offenses. The legislation requires the county or district attorney to report to the State Board the name, address, and Social Security number of any person who has been determined to have committed an offense or to have entered into a diversion agreement in connection with a charge for an offense addressed by the legislation. The State Department cross-checks names reported to it against applications for initial teacher certification or renewal and does not grant licensure to applicants who are barred from teaching.
In FY 1999, the State Department of Education paid the KBI $135,529 to perform record checks on all certificated school employees. Its plan under HB 2797 would be to request record checks on just applicants for new or renewed teaching certificates, estimated to be approximately 21,000 per year. According to the Division of the Budget, the fiscal impact of HB 2797 would be $78,750. The estimate assumes that the KBI would be requested to perform 21,000 record checks, at a cost of $3.75 per check. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html