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Minutes for SB341 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Removing federal impact aid from the determination of local foundation aid in the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 1, 2022
Chairperson Baumgardner opened the Hearing on SB341 - Removing federal impact aid from the determination of local foundation aid in the Kansas school equity and enhancement act.
Tamara Lawrence, Revisor, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1) JG Scott, Director, Kansas Legislative Research, provided a listing of the 23 USD's receiving Federal Impact Aid. (Attachment 2)
Dr. Keith Mispagel, Superintendent, USD 207 Fort Leavenworth School District, shared facts about his school district and outlined the Federal Impact Aid funding from the United States Department of Education (USDoE). USDoE Federal Impact Aid is paid out to all 50 states based on eligible students counted by school districts and for Federal Lands on longer on tax rolls in these states. Kansas is the only remaining state choosing to include Federal Impact Aid as part of the state aid education calculation formula.
USD 207 (Fort Leavenworth School District) has completed over $100,000,000 in school construction and capital improvements and has received $0 from KSDE.
Kansas is widely seen across the country as a military-friendly state and was the first state to sign on to the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission, which now has the support of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Now is an excellent opportunity to pass SB341 and promote Kansas as a leader in education and support for military families, Native American families, and Tribal communities, which would positively impact over 44,000 students across the state of Kansas. (Attachment 3)
Lt. General (R) Perry Wiggins, Executive Director, Governor's Military Council, explained how the Council serves as a key partner with local communities, administration, key legislators, members of the Kansas congressional delegation, key businesses, military leaders and the Defense Department to grow and optimize the military presence in Kansas, including the recruitment and retention of new missions and force structure.
The council also protects the Department of Defense's economic impact for the State of Kansas which equates to approximately nine to ten billion dollars a year. He has witnessed a transformational paradigm shift in the methodology/metrics used by the Department of Defense to make stationing/forces structure decisions. The top two issues were (1) the quality of pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade public education offered by school districts that service Department of Defense installations and (2) states' spouse licensure reciprocity/portability. A serviceman's decision to continue military service is influenced by these two factors. Spouse licensure reciprocity was achieved in April, 2021 with HB2066, the Occupational License Reciprocity bill. Kansas is the only remaining state that equalizes federal impact aid and the perception is that equalization impacts programs and staff designed to ease transitions and provide emotional and academic support to military students.
In 2020, the State of Kansas made a push to land the Headquarters of the United States Space Command. Four cities Leavenworth, Derby, Kansas City, and Wichita submitted proposals seeking to land the headquarters. The Secretary of the Air Force used the criteria of Academic Performance (graduation rates, student average annual learning rate), School Climate (chronic absenteeism rate, suspension rate) and Service Offering (pre-k availability, student to counselor ratio, student to mental health support ratio, student to nurse ratio, student to teacher ratio). A public education framework was utilized that is organized into nine (9) criteria across three (3) categories for each location. This comparative analysis provides information about a location's relative position compared to other Department of the Air Force installations. This is the second year the Air Force has conducted this comprehensive assessment of these issues in the communities around all 157 Air Force Bases and is a transparent, repeatable, reliable, and deliberate process. All Department of the Air Force installation results are publicly available at https://www.af.mil/, under the Support to Families tab. In the 2021 assessment, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas ranks at the lowest end, the "Least Supportive" active-duty bases.
The Department of Defense believes the equalization of federal impact aid has a negative impact on programs and staff designed to ease transitions and provide emotional and academic support to military students. It is in Kansas' best interest economically to eliminate the equalization of federal impact aid in the State of Kansas. (Attachment 4)
Dr. Reginald Eggleston, Superintendent, USD 475 Geary County Schools, shared some facts about his school district including 50% enrollment of military students with a 35% turnover rate. Currently there are 514 students in the ELL program with 49 languages spoken.
Kansas is the only remaining state choosing to include Federal Impact Aid as part of the state education equalization formula and the "scoring" for military family quality of life will be affected by being the only state choosing to utilize Federal Impact Aid as part of the equalization calculations. USD 475 is only allocated 30% of its awarded Impact Aid funds while it's on-base student population represents 47% of the total district elementary student population.
Top-level military leaders readily discuss Kansas as an option for the relocation of (or new placement of) missions and units...however, on a Federal level, Impact Aid as part of public education funding for equalization is a deterrent against final decision making. (Attachment 5)
Aaric Davis, Superintendent, USD 337 Royal Valley School District, stated that Impact Aid funds are intended to support districts that lose local tax dollars due to federal or tribal owned lands not being on the local tax roll.
USD 337 is responsible for education approximately 850 students each year of which 34% are Native American. Last year, USD 337 was entitled to $550,895 of impact aid funds after deductions and the State of Kansas reduced our state aid by $385,626 leaving our district with $165,269 in unrestricted impact aid funds. With the successful passage of SB341, that additional $385,626 could be used in many ways to benefit the education of all 850 students in our district.
Impact Aid school districts face unique challenges that often require additional funds to support the district. Please support SB341 because it will benefit all students in the Royal Valley school district and help level the playing field for impact aid districts that cannot levy taxes on every house in their district. (Attachment 6)
Senator Jeff Pittman, District 5, stood in support of this bill. The military looks at potential base closures and repositioning of military assets. Kansas' treatment of impact aid can be seen as a negative by these leaders. Students in one of his school districts, USD 207, have nearly a 95% turnover rate over a three year span. The families have had their military member often deployed in US overseas engagements as the US has been in a constant series of conflicts. This causes stress on the military child and this is where the impact aid is intended to go. I see the need to change the way impact aid works so that the federal intent is met. (Attachment 7)
Discussion followed. A question was asked as to the ratio of male vs. female serviceman and are there similar benefits for male spouses of the female soldier?
Chairperson Baumgardner closed the hearing on SB341.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:25 pm. The next meeting will be February 7, 1:30 pm in room 144-2.
