Gov. Laura Kelly included $3.5 million for JAG-K in her Fiscal Year 2023 budget. If the appropriation is approved by the Kansas Legislature, it could result in the largest expansion of JAG-K in the history of the organization.
A longtime supporter of JAG-K, Kelly has consistently praised the evidence-based program for helping students reach their full potential, despite facing various challenges in their lives.
“Governor Kelly supported JAG-K as a legislator, so she has a long history of understanding the value of our mission,” said JAG-K President and CEO Chuck Knapp. “We have strong bipartisan support in the Kansas Legislature, and I am optimistic we will be able to serve many more Kansas students in the near future with this appropriation.”
JAG-K addresses many of the risk factors associated with poverty, teen pregnancy, and entry into the correctional system. By participating in a JAG-K program, data indicates an overwhelming majority of students will travel a path that leads to graduation and career success.
JAG-K students have a graduation rate of 97 percent over the past four years. Eighty-nine percent of JAG-K graduates are in post-secondary education, military service or in full-time employment one year after graduation.
JAG-K currently serves a little over 4,200 Kansas students in 81 programs across the state. It is estimated that the $3.5 million could support the addition of approximately 47 new programs over a two-to-three-year period. JAG-K expanded from 25 programs to 52 programs following the 2013-14 school year, which was the first year of the program’s existence in Kansas. JAG-K is one of 40 affiliate organizations of Jobs for America’s Graduates.
