Positions and Topics
Legislative Information and Topics
For more than a century, KASB has been focused on one goal: Supporting student success by helping our members lead, serve and advocate. Part of this work involves advocating for the issues that matter most to Kansas school districts.
KASB members officially adopted our 2027 Legislative Policies that will shape our advocacy efforts throughout the upcoming legislative session. The key priorities include:
- Fully fund special education services to meet the needs of all students.
- Support schools in recruiting and retaining teachers and education support staff by strengthening KPERS and eliminating post-retirement work penalties.
- Sustain Kansas’s investment in public education by renewing and refreshing the current school finance formula—preserving its constitutional foundation while adapting it to meet the evolving needs of Kansas public school students.
- Protect and respect local control by empowering elected school boards to lead without curricular or restrictive funding mandates. Freeing districts from these constraints allows public schools to focus on teaching and learning—not bureaucracy.
- Ensure taxpayer dollars for education are directed exclusively to public schools that are accountable to students, parents, and their communities.
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We love Kansas because…
Our public schools are the lifeblood of the smallest towns and largest cities.
Our students are prepared to thrive in work and in life.
Every community is a place of opportunity to earn a living and raise a family.
WE MUST DEFEND KANSAS VALUES
No matter what it’s called, any scheme to divert tax dollars from public schools is a voucher. Kansas taxes shouldn't support unaccredited schools that threaten kids' learning and safety...- No way to know if students are learning
- No background checks are required
- No oversight by KSDE or any other organization
- No requirements to report student abuse/neglect
VOUCHERS HURT RURAL TOWNS
Vouchers for unaccredited schools hurt small towns because public schools lose funding. When a rural school closes, the town loses their mascot, their teachers and a major employer.VOUCHERS BENEFIT CURRENT PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS MOST
The vast majority of vouchers amount to subsidies for students who have never been in public school. Around 70% of voucher users were already enrolled in private schools, homeschool or are just beginning kindergarten.VOUCHERS HURT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
In Indiana and Ohio, vouchers for unaccredited schools caused a bigger decline in student achievement than during the COVID pandemic. In Louisiana, voucher learning loss was even worse than the loss from Hurricane Katrina. In all cases, voucher programs created worse outcomes for low-income students and students of color.CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD AN INFORMATIONAL CARD
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PUBLIC DOLLARS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
In Indiana and Ohio, vouchers for unaccredited schools caused a bigger decline in student achievement than during the COVID pandemic. In Louisiana, voucher learning loss was even worse than the loss from Hurricane Katrina. In all cases, voucher programs created worse outcomes for low-income students and students of color.Kansans have countless reasons to be proud of our public schools. And we believe in their power to prepare every student for a bright future when public resources are invested in their success. In 2023, 9 out of 10 Kansas seniors graduated from high school — an all-time high.
- In 2023-24, Kansas high school students earned 6,188 professional credentials — a 150% increase since 2009.
- The 2023 state assessments showed the highest math scores since 2017, long before Covid.
- Kansas students in public schools often perform as well or better than their private school peers.
KASB OPPOSES ALL K-12 VOUCHERS
Whether it's called a Tuition Tax Credit “Scholarship” or an “Education Savings Account,” it's a voucher. Vouchers divert our tax dollars away from public schools that serve all Kansas kids to private schools and unaccredited schools with little or no accountability to parents, students, or taxpayers.
Each year, KASB members from around the state vote to approve our legislative policies. Our 2025 Legislative Policy opposes all vouchers:
“To ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed, all schools and school programs and activities supported by public funds must serve all children on the same basis as public schools. We oppose programs including but not limited to vouchers, education savings accounts, trust funds, scholarships, and tuition tax credits because such programs divert public funding from public education to schools which are not required to serve all students, including those who are disadvantaged, disabled, or those with the greatest needs.”
2 THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
- Spread the word about how vouchers threaten Kansas communities and students.
- Urge Kansas lawmakers to oppose any school voucher proposals or programs.
SOURCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
Vouchers used for fraudulent expenses:
- Universal ESA Vouchers Wide Open for Fraud & Abuse
- State and local experience proves school vouchers are a failed policy that must be opposed
Vouchers hurt rural: AZ school closures:
Learning loss worse than COVID:
Vouchers most benefit families already enrolled in private schools
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