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Minutes for SB47 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Requiring school districts to publicly list the names and email addresses of current school board members, authorizing local school board members to add new items to board meeting discussions, ask questions or engage in discussion with members of the public and access school property, authorizing members of the public to address school boards at board meetings and authorizing payment of annual dues to any not-for-profit organization that provides services to member school districts.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 11, 2025
Chairman Erickson opened the hearing on SB47. Assistant Tamera Lawrence, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, gave a brief overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Tracy Fredrick, Ph.D., Director of Engagement/Strategy, Kansas School Board Resource Center, says some current school board policies create barriers to communication between parents, students, community members, and school board members, preventing collaborative processes to improve student outcomes. This bill overrides these existing school board policies, preventing the open student-focused communication and collaboration that is needed to improve outcomes. Many school boards have a policy that cedes control of the agenda to the board president or superintendent, preventing them from bringing concerns to the board about student outcomes and other needs. Another policy prohibits open communication and dialogue between parents, teachers, students and community members, preventing a board member from engaging in meaningful dialogue to improve student achievement or address other concerns. Board policy also prohibits school board members from accessing schools and other district property without the superintendent's permission and often requires being chaperoned. Another change in this bill would fix is a different communication issue. Current state law says,” The Board of Education of any school district or the Board of Trustees of any community junior college is hereby authorized to appropriate money out of its general fund to pay the annual dues in the Kansas Association of School Boards for membership in a not-for-profit organization that provides guidance, resources, and other services to member school districts.” (Attachment 2)
Proponent Written Testimony:
Mike O'Neal on behalf of Kansas Policy Institute. (Attachment 3)
Neutral Written Testimony:
Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Superintendent, Blue Valley Schools, USD 229 (Attachment 4)
Opponent Testimony:
Judith Deedy on behave of Game On for Kansas Schools, stated the short title of the bill mentions listing names and email addresses of school board members. It actually requires each school district to send the list of current members and the members' email addresses to the Kansas State Department of Education (KDSE) and requires KSDE to maintain a public database of all current members of the Boards of Education of all school districts and their email addresses and post it on the KSDE website. There is no reasonable state or citizen interest that is served by requiring a convenient statewide database of email addresses of all local school board members. If a citizen wants to reach out to their local school board members, they go to their local school district website and find how to reach board members. They have no need to contact every board member across the state. (Attachment 5)
Leah Fliter, Assistant Executive Director of Advocacy, Kansas Association of School Boards, appeared in strong opposition to this bill. It violates local school boards’ constitutional rights to
oversee their districts, could subject districts to cyberattacks, and requires school boards to adopt policies the legislature would not require of itself. This bill conflicts with local board policies for development of the board agenda by the board president and superintendent. Most districts also have policies on adding items to a board agenda by request. If a board member wishes to add an agenda item during the meeting, that member need only secure a second and the votes of three additional members to have that item placed on the meeting agenda. This bill overrides a board president’s ability to keep order in a meeting, like a legislative committee chair’s authority to preside over a committee meeting. The bill would make public comment a requirement at every board of education meeting. This bill represents an intrusion into the rights of locally elected school boards to conduct district business in a professional, efficient, and responsible manner. (Attachment 6)
Jim Karleskint, United School Administrators, appeared in opposition to this bill saying it violates local school board rights to oversee their districts, imposes meeting requirements on local boards of education that go beyond what is required of other public groups including the Legislature, would allow a single board member the unlimited right to place new items on a board
meeting agenda at any time, this bill usurps local control, requires that board member emails be disclosed and publicized, provides for board members be given unlimited access to school district property any time the building is open. (Attachment 7)
Opponent Written Testimony:
Ben Jones, Representative of Kansans for Excellence in Education (Attachment 8)
Denise Sultz, President, Kansas PTA (Attachment 9)
Dr. Brent Yeager, Superintendent, Olathe Public Schools (Attachment 10)
The Chair closed the hearing on SB47.
Chairman Erickson called for final action on SB50-Establishing uniform interest rate provisions for service scholarship programs administered by the Kansas board of regents that have repayment obligations as a part of the terms and conditions of such programs and authorizing the Kansas board of regents to recover the costs of collecting such repayment obligations and charge fees for the costs of administering such programs and requiring eligible students to enter into agreements with the board of regents instead of a postsecondary educational institution as a condition to receiving a grant under the adult learner grant act.
Senator Thomas moved, Senator Shane seconded, a motion to pass out SB50 favorably for passage. The motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:20 pm. The next Senate Education Committee meeting will be held February 12, 2025, at 1:30 pm in Room 144-S.
