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Minutes for SB528 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Requiring school districts to provide a reimbursement to teachers for classroom supplies.
Minutes Content for Mon, Mar 14, 2022
Chairperson Baumgardner opened the hearing on SB528.
Tamera Lawrence, Revisor, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Proponents:
Senator Caryn Tyson testified that when visiting with teachers, there were always complaints about having to purchase classroom supplies and not being reimbursed by the school district. This bill would require each school district to reimburse teachers up to $250. (Attachment 2)
Mike O'Neal, Kansas Policy Institute, stated the law requires as annual assessment of the needs of every school building which should include the supply needs for those classrooms as requested by the teachers. These supplies are fully contemplated as a district expense in the Kansas State Department of Education Accounting Handbook for USD's. (Attachment 3)
Opponents:
Mark Tallman, Associate Executive Director, Kansas Association of School Boards, said this bill would essentially require what most districts are already doing. Teachers tend to be very generous and creative and may want to spend more than their building allotment or make purchases at their own preferred outlets and those costs would not be covered by this bill. (Attachment 4)
Lauren Tice Miller, Director of Government Relations and Elections, Kansas National Education Association (KNEA), opposes this bill because it creates a situation of "robbing Paul to pay Peter" in that the same pool of money that could otherwise be used for salaries and benefits would be used to reimburse costs for supplies. (Attachment 5)
Discussion followed. KNEA was asked if they had ever gone to the State Board of Education and requested them to allocate $10m in any way.
The Chair closed the hearing.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:34 pm.
The next meeting will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 1:30 pm in room 144-S.
