Kansas educators want lawmakers to act on health care, bullying and college credits when the Legislature convenes later this month.
For over a decade, the school funding battle has dominated any conversation about education in Topeka. But with a school funding plan in place, educators are no longer on the legal offensive. Instead, school lawyers have become watchdogs, making sure the Legislature keeps the education dollars flowing.
With funding knocked off the top rung of the K-12 agenda, heres what educators want Kansas politicians to do in 2020.
Health care
Schools want to be reimbursed for the health services their nurses provide to students covered by Medicaid.
The National Association of School Nurses says that would provide better care for students and better funding for that care. A 2015 decision by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opened the door for schools to get reimbursed, though they need state action.
Kansas educators are also dipping their toes into the Medicaid expansion debate.
The Kansas Association of School Boards says a lack of health care gets in the way of student learning. The association wants the Legislature to cover more Medicaid eligible students. But the group doesnt have a stand on a broader Medicaid expansion, leaving it to lawmakers to figure out how to get there.
College credits
Kansas education department wants high school students better prepared for college.
To do that, some Kansas schools offer classes that let students earn high school and college credits for the same work. The catch: Students still have to pay to get those college credits.
Wichita Public Schools and other districts want to pay for those credits for at-risk students who cant afford the tuition and fees. The schools just need a legislative thumbs-up first.
Its an opportunity for access, said Tiffinie Irving, deputy superintendent of Wichita Public Schools. They are completing the same course as peers in their classroom. Only some students are able to afford to pay for that, to get the college credit.
