What is the Education Funding Task Force, and why does it matter?
By Timothy R. Graham
Director of Government Relations
If you've been following Under The Dome this year, you've seen regular coverage of the Kansas Legislature's Education Funding Task Force. But what exactly is it, how did it come to exist, and why should Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) members care? Here's what you need to know.
The short version
The Education Funding Task Force is a special legislative committee created by the 2024 Kansas Legislature to review the state's current K-12 school finance formula and develop recommendations for a new one before the existing formula expires on June 30, 2027.
Whatever formula this task force produces - or fails to produce - will shape how Kansas funds its public schools for years to come. The stakes for educators, students and public education in Kansas don't get much higher than this.
Why a new formula is needed
Kansas has been fighting over school funding in the courts for more than 30 years. The most recent chapter - a lawsuit called Gannon v. State - was filed in November 2010 after the Legislature began cutting school funding in response to the recession, walking away from a remedy it had previously agreed to under an earlier case called Montoy v. State.
The Gannon plaintiffs - parents, students and school districts - argued that the state was violating Article 6 of the Kansas Constitution, which requires the Legislature to make suitable provision for financing public education equitably and adequately.
What followed was more than a decade of court battles, seven separate Kansas Supreme Court opinions, and a prolonged standoff between the Legislature and the courts.
Along the way, the Legislature repealed the existing school finance formula in 2015 and replaced it with a block grant - a move the Kansas Supreme Court ultimately found unconstitutional.
The current formula, the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act (KSEEA), was created in 2017 in response to those court rulings. It was built to satisfy the court, not as a long-term solution, and it was designed with a sunset date.
The Kansas Supreme Court released jurisdiction over the Gannon case in February 2024 - 4,844 days after it was filed - after concluding the state had finally reached substantial compliance. But with the KSEEA set to expire in 2027, the work of building a durable replacement began almost immediately.
How the task force was created
The 2024 Legislature created the Education Funding Task Force through Senate Bill 387 as part of the education appropriations bill. The task force was charged with reviewing the current school finance system and making recommendations for a new formula prior to the KSEEA's expiration.
Its first meeting took place in January 2025, and it has been meeting roughly monthly - in two-day sessions - since then. The task force is required to deliver a report to the Legislature by January 2027, giving lawmakers one session to act before the formula expires.
Who is on it
The task force has 15 members - a mix of legislators and nonlegislative appointees - drawn from across the education and government landscape. The composition is set by statute and reflects an attempt to balance different perspectives, though how well it succeeds at that is a matter of debate.
The legislative members are:
Rep. Susan Estes, R-Wichita: Chair. Estes serves as vice chair of the task force by statute, but the chair and vice chair positions rotate annually between the House and Senate. This year, Estes is presiding as chair.
Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita: Vice Chair.
Sen. Beverly Gossage, R: Senate member.
Sen. Pat Pettey, D: Senate member.
Rep. Jason Goetz, R: House member. Appointed by the Speaker of the House as a parent of a K-12 student.
Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Roeland Park: House member.
Rep. Megan Steele, R-Manhattan: House member.
Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta: House member. Williams serves as House Majority Caucus chair and occupies the task force seat designated by statute for a current or retired public school teacher, appointed by Senate President Ty Masterson. Williams is a former teacher by background.
The non-legislative members are:
Melissa Rooker: Executive director of the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund. Rooker is a former Republican state representative (House District 25, 2013–2019) who played a central role in drafting the last school finance formula during the Gannon litigation era. She serves on the task force per statute as the representative of the Children's Cabinet.
Dr. Cory Gibson: Superintendent of De Soto USD 232 and 2020 Kansas Superintendent of the Year. Represents urban/suburban school districts.
Dr. Brad Neuenswander: Superintendent of Jefferson West USD 340. Represents small and rural districts.
Jim Porter: Member of the Kansas State Board of Education, Fredonia. Represents the State Board.
Dr. Frank Harwood: Deputy commissioner of Fiscal and Administrative Services, Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Nonvoting member per statute.
Adam Proffitt Director of the Budget. Nonvoting member per statute.
Bert Moore: Director of Special Education and Title Services, KSDE. Nonvoting member per statute.
What it is supposed to do
The task force's charge is broad: review the current formula; understand how money flows through the system; examine what student success and achievement actually look like; and develop recommendations for a new formula that is — in the task force's own framing — transparent, student-centered, adequate, fair and sustainable.
In practice, the two-day monthly meetings have covered everything from the mechanics of base aid and weightings to special education funding, student outcome data, accountability systems used in other states and the political question of how to define and measure student success.
What KNEA's interest is
The school finance formula determines how much money flows into every classroom in Kansas. It sets the conditions under which KNEA members teach - whether they have adequate resources, reasonable class sizes, appropriate support staff and the professional tools to do their jobs. It will determine whether Kansas continues the progress made since the Gannon settlement or reverses course toward the underfunding era that produced more than a decade of litigation.
KNEA has been actively engaged throughout this process - providing testimony, monitoring meetings and ensuring educators have a voice as the formula takes shape. Under The Dome will continue covering significant developments as the task force moves toward its January 2027 deadline.
For a closer look at what happened at the most recent task force meeting, read our coverage here.
Timothy R. Graham is KNEA's Director of Government Relations and Legislative Affairs. He can be reached at timothy.graham@knea.org.
For ongoing coverage of the Education Funding Task Force and other legislative activity affecting public education, visit Under The Dome at ksutd.org.