Graham’s Grumblings: The good, the bad, and the ugly

By Timothy R. Graham

KNEA Director of Government Relations

I’ve been putting on a good face all week at the Statehouse, and now I want — no, need — to grumble. This week had a little bit of everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unfortunately, that feels about right for this point in the session.

The bad

The Senate Education Committee forwarded a K–12 budget to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means that included no additional funding for special education. None.

To some credit, the House K–12 Budget Committee at least added $10 million for special education. That amount isn’t close to enough — not by any stretch — but it was something. The Senate’s version offered nothing at all.

Both proposals continue to put intense budget pressure on school districts that are already facing soaring costs tied to special education services. When those costs aren’t covered, districts are forced to make up the difference out of general education funds. That hurts every student.

Realistically, the Senate’s refusal to add any funding likely means the eventual conference committee will “split the difference” and land somewhere around $5 million in additional special education funding. That outcome would still fall well short of what schools actually need, but it’s the predictable result of starting from zero on one side of the table.

The good

The House removed a provision from Senate Bill 254 that would have prohibited Kansas students — children of undocumented immigrants — from qualifying for in-state tuition at Kansas public colleges and universities.

The floor speech by House K–12 Budget Chair Jason Goetz in support of removing that provision really said it all. It was thoughtful, clear, and rooted in basic fairness. Those interested can watch the full House debate here, with Rep. Goetz’s remarks beginning at timestamp 10:55:35:
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That said, this bill did not reach the House floor without controversy. The House bypassed the normal committee process and fast-tracked the bill directly to the floor without a hearing. It also didn’t leave the floor cleanly — a rules maneuver cut off debate before several representatives were able to speak.

It’s also worth remembering that KNEA testified against this bill last session during a particularly raucous committee hearing. Tempers flared, the room was eventually cleared by the committee chair, and many KNEA members lost their opportunity to deliver testimony. For those who want to see it for themselves, the hearing is publicly available, and KNEA’s testimony can be heard beginning at timestamp 11:07:05:
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We don’t support the procedural shortcuts used on this bill, and we didn’t support the bill last year. Still, credit where it’s due: Rep. Goetz was willing to say out loud what needed to be said, even in the middle of a messy and controversial process.

The ugly

The ugly this week was the committee hearing on HB 2428 — the bill that severely limits the teaching of, or adherence to, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

To be clear, the process itself was fine. House Education Chair Susan Estes runs a fair committee and does not tolerate conferees or committee members being rude or out of line. The hearing itself was orderly.

But some of the proponent testimony was deeply upsetting.

Hearing elected officials describe diversity, equity, and inclusion as nothing more than a “political ideology” — with no place in the classroom, or apparently in society at all — was both sad and infuriating.

I’ve been doing this work for a long time. I don’t shock easily anymore. I’m not prone to drama or hyperbole. But I’ll say this plainly: I walked out of that hearing genuinely shaken by what I heard from proponents of this bill.

And that, unfortunately, was the ugliest part of the week.

Timothy R. Graham is the Director of Governmental Relations and Legislative Affairs for KNEA. He has spent more than 25 years working inside Kansas politics and government, including Director of Government Affairs for Gov. Laura Kelly; Deputy Executive Director of the Kansas Lottery; Interim Executive Director of InterHab; Chief of Staff to the Kansas Senate Minority Leader; and Assistant Secretary of State for the State of Kansas. He can be reached via email at timothy.graham@knea.org.