How school bonds can impact classrooms

Across Kansas and Missouri, voters are being asked to weigh in on school bond proposals that will shape the future of their local schools. From basic facility upgrades to new construction, these bonds are becoming a common tool for districts to modernize classrooms, address safety concerns, and prepare for future growth. 

Bonding to Address Aging Infrastructure  

In simple terms, bonds are a way for school districts to borrow money for major capital projects, like building renovations or new facilities. These bonds are paid back over time, typically through local property tax revenues — which is why voters are asked to approve them at the ballot box.  

School facility projects are not immune to rising costs of construction projects in general, prompting districts to use long-term bonds to defray these expenses over time.  

The U.S. has a lot of aging school buildings, with the average age at 49 years old and 38% of all school buildings built before 1970. Increasingly, research has linked facility quality with student academic performance. 

While school districts often bond to incur debt financed by local taxes, some states provide financial assistance to help construct new school buildings. Check out this 50-state comparison from Education Commission of the States for more information on how states do this nationally.  

Mixed Results for Kansas Districts 

Kansas voters have already delivered split decisions on major bond proposals. In Wichita, a $450 million bond—designed to fund safety upgrades, HVAC replacements, and basic infrastructure improvements across the district— is narrowly failing after the latest canvass. The proposed bond would have extended the mill property tax rate voters approved in 2008 until 2045; however, the mill levy will most likely end in four years due to the measure's failure.  

Meanwhile, voters in Kansas City, Kansas took a different path last November, overwhelmingly approving a $180 million bond to fund four major facility projects. The bond will help replace two middle schools (Central and Argentine) and replace both Silver City and Noble Prentis elementary schools with one new school. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science will also add classrooms.  

Upcoming Votes to Watch 

The bond conversation isn’t slowing down. In Kansas City, Missouri, voters will soon decide on a $474 million bond to fund major building upgrades, technology enhancements, and new facilities.  

In Spring Hill, Kansas, a fast-growing district outside the Kansas City metro, voters are considering a $60 million bond to build a new middle school, upgrade safety features across the district, and expand early childhood learning spaces.  

Other districts across Sedgwick County, Kansas have asked voters to approve similar bonds in the weeks ahead, including $80 million in Haysville, $196 million in Goddard, and $52 million in Mulvane. 

Aligned's Take: As these local decisions play out, we will continue tracking how communities invest in their schools — and how these projects fit into the larger conversation around school funding in Kansas and Missouri.

Missouri Update

Quality benchmarking rule for early learning programs receives approval

This week, the Missouri State Board of Education approved a rule formalizing the Quality Assurance Report (QAR) program for early care and education. The QAR program is voluntary, helping early learning providers set benchmarks and improve program quality—not as a punitive measure but as a continuous improvement tool. 

The newly approved rule establishes QAR as a framework for recognizing quality in early learning programs and supporting the implementation of essential quality practices in section 161.217, RSMo. 

Reaching this point has been a long journey. In 2012, Missouri lawmakers banned quality rating programs, making it illegal to measure early care quality—a decision that cost the state access to federal grants. 

In 2016, Aligned (formerly the Alliance for Childhood Education) worked with lawmakers to remove the ban and launch a QAR pilot. However, the program did not move forward in its first three years due to funding delays. Aligned successfully advocated to extend the pilot, secure an initial appropriation, and later remove the sunset provision, making QAR permanent. Because of this work, Missouri became eligible for the PDG B-5 federal grant, which has supported early childhood initiatives statewide. 

Today, nearly 420 early learning programs participate in QAR, ensuring more children benefit from high-quality early learning. 

This milestone highlights the power of incremental wins. Aligned remains committed to advancing policies that strengthen early education in Missouri. 

House Tees Up Open Enrollment Debate; Senate’s Next Steps Unclear  

Open enrollment allows students to transfer to a public school district other than their residence. In most cases, state funding follows the student to their new district, while local funding remains in the home district. Currently, 43 states have some form of open enrollment. 

The House is expected to debate HB 711 (Pollitt) next week. This voluntary open enrollment bill allows school districts to opt in and caps transfers at 3% of a district’s previous year’s enrollment. The bill requires parents to provide transportation and does not include charter schools. 

In the Senate, lawmakers combined two open enrollment bills — SB 215 (Trent) and SB 70 (Gregory) — into a substitute bill with key differences from the House version. However, it’s unclear if or when the Senate will move forward. The Senate may choose to wait and see what version of the bill the House passes before taking further action. 

The Senate version includes provisions to: 

• Require the sending district to provide transportation if the student can reach an existing bus stop. 
• Include charter schools in open enrollment. 
• Cap transfers at 3% of enrollment, with the percentage increasing by 1% per year if demand exceeds available spots. 
• Establish an online application system for transfer requests. 

Aligned’s Take: We will continue working with lawmakers to advocate for charter school participation and funding for transportation in the final bill. 

Aligned Priority Bills

Tax Credits for Childcare 

Authorizes the "Child Care Contribution Tax Credit Act", the "Employer-Provided Child Care Assistance Tax Credit Act", and the "Child Care Providers Tax Credit", relating to tax credits for child care. 

HB 269 (Shields) - H - Third Read and Passed - Y-120 N-34 and reported to the Senate and first time on 2-27-25 - NO CHANGE 

Restriction of Three-Cueing Approaches in Literacy Teaching 

​Prohibits a "three-cueing system" approach in reading instruction, which encourages students to guess words based on context, sentence structure, and visual clues rather than focusing on decoding the letters and sounds of the words themselves. This bill would ensure reading instruction is based on more reliable, evidence-based strategies. 

HB 941  (Lewis) – Reported Do Pass as substituted and Referred to committee – House Rules-Legislative on 3-6-25. 

SB 556 (Henderson) – Scheduled for Committee Hearing in Senate Education on 3/11/25 

Open Enrollment 

These bills allow students to attend public schools outside their assigned zones or districts, providing families with the flexibility to choose schools that best meet their children's educational needs. ​ 

HB 711  (Pollitt) – Reported Do Pass 2-25-25 – House – Rules – Legislative – NO CHANGE 

SB 215  (Trent) – Pass as substituted – Senate Education. Placed on Informal Calendar. NO CHANGE 

Teacher Externships 

Extends the sunset on the state's teacher externship program, which offers educators hands-on experience in industry settings, enabling them to integrate real-world applications into their teaching. ​ 

HB 267  (Shields) – Voted Do Pass from House-Consent and Procedure on 3-5-25. 

Read the full weekly legislative report.

Budget and Revenue

This week, the House passed HB 14, the Fiscal Year 2025 Supplemental Spending Bill, which provides funding to maintain services and cover operational expenses for ongoing state programs. The $1.9 billion bill is slightly below the $2.1 billion requested by Governor Mike Kehoe and includes: 

• $142 million in General Revenue for the Foundation Formula (state education aid)
• $5.8 million in Federal Funds for the Comprehensive Literacy Development Program
• $700,000 in Federal Funds for early childhood education certification scholarships
• $16.5 million for the Missouri First Steps Program
• $2.2 million for an early childhood education center for public safety officers in St. Louis County
• $14 million for area agencies on aging to provide food and nutritional services. 
• $103 million for the summer school meal program
• $3.9 million for the CHIP eligibility and enrollment system
• $106 million to support the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• $48 million for a 200-bed psychiatric hospital in the Kansas City metro
• $824 million for Medicaid programs. 

The bill now moves to the Senate. While it could pass without changes next week, it will likely be finalized in the week of March 23, ensuring essential funding for programs through June 30. 

In other news

• House Subcommittee wants more funding for literacy and teacher retention
• Treasurer visits Hannibal schools to promote  529 plans and financial literacy 
• Springfield Public Schools invites lawmakers to tour 'choice' programs in April 
• Study shows continued shortage of childcare options across Missouri 
• Lawmakers push to ban access to adult-oriented material in school libraries 

Kansas Update

At-Risk Funding in Kansas and How Other States Compare

The Kansas House K-12 Education Budget Committee recently received an overview of how at-risk and high-density at-risk funding works within Kansas’ school finance formula.  

Legislative staff explained how funding is tied to the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch, while districts are required to spend at-risk dollars on evidence-based programs aimed at supporting students who are struggling academically. Lawmakers also noted that at-risk funding makes up a significant portion of overall state aid in many districts, particularly those with higher concentrations of low-income students. 

The Committee also heard an update from Kansas Department of Education on the At-Risk Accountability Plan, created by SB 387, which requires districts — starting with a pilot group in 2024-25 — to establish accountability plans that track academic progress over time for students receiving at-risk services. By 2026-27, all districts will be required to develop these plans, report annually on student outcomes, and ensure at-risk dollars are tied to above-and-beyond, evidence-based instruction.

The law also requires KSDE to publish a best practices resource list, adds new reporting requirements to the Legislature, and prohibits changes to state math and literacy standards until 75% of students reach proficiency on state assessments. 

As Kansas evaluates the future of its at-risk funding system, 43 states and D.C. already provide targeted funding for low-income students — but they don’t all follow the same model. 

How Kansas Funds At-Risk Students 

Kansas provides targeted funding for at-risk students through a student-based funding mechanism built into the state’s school finance formula. The state uses two primary weightings that increase funding for districts based on the percentage and concentration of low-income students they serve. 

• At-Risk Student Weighting – This weighting applies to all students eligible for free meals under the National School Lunch Program who are enrolled full-time in a district with an approved at-risk program. Each eligible student increases a district’s enrollment count by 0.484, generating additional state foundation aid. These funds must be spent on evidence-based programs and services designed to support at-risk students academically. 

• High-Density At-Risk Weighting – Districts or individual schools with higher concentrations of at-risk students (35% or more) qualify for additional funding through this weighting. The more concentrated the at-risk population, the greater the funding boost, with districts or buildings serving 50% or more at-risk students receiving the highest weighting (an additional 0.105 per student). High-density at-risk funds come with stricter spending requirements — they must be used on programs from the Kansas State Board of Education’s approved list of at-risk best practices. 

Once these at-risk and high-density at-risk funds are calculated and awarded, districts transfer the money into their at-risk education fund, where they are tracked separately from general operating funds. Kansas law requires annual reporting on how these funds are used and their impact on student outcomes, with additional state oversight for districts that consistently fail to align their spending with best practices. 

How States Fund At-Risk Students  

• Student-Based Funding – Used in 35 states and D.C., including in Kansas, this approach ties additional funding directly to each low-income student through a weighting system that increases per-student funding. 

• Resource-Based Funding – In nine states, additional funding is provided through specific staffing, services, or programs for low-income students. 

• Hybrid Models – Four states blend student-based and resource-based approaches to support at-risk students in multiple ways.

• Categorical Grants – Some states offer separate grant programs that districts must apply for, targeting funds directly to low-income or at-risk students. 

How States Define At-Risk Students 

• Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility – The most common approach, used in most states, tying eligibility to the federal Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program. 

• Direct Certification – Some states rely on students’ families being automatically certified through programs like SNAP or TANF. 

• Community Characteristics – A few states allocate funds using community-level poverty data from the U.S. Census, rather than identifying individual students. 

• Academic Risk Factors – Some states broaden the definition to include students who are struggling academically, chronically absent, experiencing homelessness, or in foster care. 

As the school funding task force and the House Committee continue discussions on potential updates to the school finance formula, it’s worth putting Kansas’ approach in the context of what other states are doing. Aligned will continue providing research, analysis, and national comparisons to help inform these conversations in the months ahead. 

Read the legislative report.

In other news

• Kansas Board removes FAFSA graduation requirement
• Kansas Board to hear Seal of Literacy training update at March meeting
• After a decade of academic decline, it's time to reconsider accountability

A few years ago, the U.S. Chamber Foundation partnered with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry to study the economic impact that access to childcare has on the state's economy. Their report estimates that the Show-Me State loses an estimated $1.35 billion each year to insufficient childcare. 

Earlier this year, The Missouri Champion of Children coalition released a report published by ChildCare Aware of Missouri that revealed that 78 counties in Missouri are designated as childcare deserts, meaning there are geographic barriers, capacity shortages, affordability gaps, or low standards of care. 

This week, the Missouri House advanced legislation by a vote of 120-34 that would create a tax credit package to incentivize investment in high-quality childcare for working families. While the legislation has the support of more than 30 businesses and organizations, the bill has stalled in the Senate in previous sessions. 

In Kansas, the Child Care Assistance Credit offers tax incentives to employers who invest in childcare solutions, yet few businesses are taking advantage of it. While some employers believe their staff don't need childcare support, research shows otherwise — nearly 70% of workers say they would use these benefits if offered. 

Aligned studied the utilization of this program and published a case study this week that explains how improving access to this credit could help more Kansas families stay in the workforce.  

Read our case study.

We urge both Kansas and Missouri to focus on passing and improving economic development tools that will help businesses retain employees, support families, and foster economic growth. 

Upcoming Events

Edunomics: Master Education Finance in a Changing Landscape

Education finance is at the center of major policy decisions, influencing how resources reach schools and students. This program provides the expertise to navigate funding complexities and drive smart decision-making.

What You’ll Learn:

✔️ Key cost drivers in education

✔️ Funding allocation and accountability structures

✔️ The impact of ESSA and state policies

✔️ Practical strategies for financial leadership

What You’ll Gain:

✅ 3.0 CEUs, 36 CPEs, or 30 PD credits

✅ Practical insights from top experts

✅ A network of education finance professionals

📍 Kansas City | June 10-11

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With federal policy debates reshaping education funding, now is the time to strengthen your understanding of the financial landscape.

We just spotted some sunshine - have a great weekend!

Best,

Torree Pederson

President

Aligned

Torree@WeAreAligned.org

(913) 484-4202

Linda Rallo

Vice President

Aligned

Linda@WeAreAligned.org

(314) 330-8442

About Aligned

Aligned is the only state-wide non-profit, nonpartisan business group working in Kansas and Missouri on educational issues impacting the full development of our children, from supporting high-quality early learning to solid secondary programs that provide rigorous academic programs and real-world learning opportunities.

Our vision is that our public education systems in Kansas and Missouri have the resources and flexibility to prepare students to pursue the future of their choice.

We are currently focused on education policies that will strengthen early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retention, and school finance reform.

Learn more about our work.