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House to work cell phone policy today
The House Education Committee is expected to tax up HB 2421 after the publication of this newsletter at 1:30 pm. As we’ve discussed before, this proposal would require school districts — and, as of now, accredited private schools — to adopt policies prohibiting student use of personal electronic devices during the school day.
As written currently, this bill would require students’ devices to be turned off and securely stowed during instructional time, passing periods, and lunch. Limited exceptions would be granted for students with disabilities or a document medical necessity.
The bill also restricts school employees from privately communicating with students via social media for official school purposes, allowing only approved, one-way communications. Additionally, it requires districts and private schools to certify adoption of these policies and to report aggregate data on average daily screen time for students in grades K-4.
What we know going into the vote
Ahead of today’s meeting, the committee is expecting prepared amendments at the request of Education Committee Chair Representative Susan Estes.
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One that would remove accredited private schools from being subject to the policy.
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Another that would eliminate the screen-time reporting requirement while retaining the other restrictions.
Both amendments were made in anticipation of other members offering similar proposals, as these two areas are the main points of contention in the overall debate.
While some members feel strongly that Kansas should institute a cell phone ban policy for all schools, others do not like instituting requirements on private institutions. What’s more, some legislators do not see screen-time as relevant to this bill, which is ultimately about regulating personal device use.
Until recently, many expected the Legislature to move the Senate version of this bill, SB 302, which has been widely viewed as the likely vehicle. However, Representative Estes indicated in Wednesday's committee meeting that the Senate is “running out of time,” signaling that the house may be the best path forward.
Aligned’s take: Aligned supports HB 2421 and submitted testimony in favor of the bill. We view clear limits on student device use during the school day as a constructive step toward improving focus, learning environments, and student well-being for all students.
Interested in learning more? Check out our latest blog on the subject for more information!
House and Senate committees vote on K-12 budget recommendations
At a high level, the process is unfolding along two tracks. First is formula funding, driven by the education consensus estimates and adjustments to base amount of funding per student based on inflation. Second are enhancement and policy items, which are debated in committee and ultimately resolved through budget and conference committee negotiations.
On the House side, the K-12 Education Budget committee has engaged in extended, sometimes difficult discussions about priorities within a constrained budget environment. The clearest point of disagreement is special education state aid.
Several members argued forcefully that districts are absorbing unsustainable costs and that incremental increases fail to keep pace with enrollment growth and rising service needs. Others emphasized the risks of making large, ongoing commitments that could destabilize future budgets if revenues soften.
The committee ultimately advanced an increase of $10M in FY 2027, with supporters framing it as a cautious step forward and critics viewing it as insufficient relative to the scale of the problem.
Beyond special education, there has been more alignment in the House around technical adjustments and continuity items, such as reappropriations and narrowly targeted funding adds. The committee also showed interest in using existing fund flexibility, allowing the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to cover certain programs as temporary federal funds expire, rather than shifting costs abruptly to districts.
While this approach helps with short-term transitions, members acknowledged it can reduce future reappropriations and crowd out other priorities.
The Senate, by contrast, has taken a more restrained posture to date. Budget comparison documents indicate that most major enhancement requests from KSDE for FY 2027 were not adopted at the committee level.
These include proposed increases for special education, Safe and Secure Schools grants, mentor teacher and professional development programs, among others. Senate education recommendations currently reflect an emphasis on holding baseline spending steady rather than advancing new investments.
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Where both chambers align: the importance of predictability and stability in school funding.
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Where they diverge: pace and scale, whether to make meaningful progress now on cost drivers like special education, or to defer larger decisions while the broader budget picture comes into focus.
In FY 2025, Kansas funded K-12 education at roughly $6.6 billion total, including about $4.9 billion from the state general fund. Special education represents a little over $600 million of that total, which helps explain why debates in this session focus on how much to grow that portion of the budget rather than reopening the entire school finance system.
The next phase shifts authority to budget committees and, ultimately, conference committee negotiations. The House enters those talks having taken votes that signal priority areas, while the Senate’s position reflects caution and fiscal restraint.
Priority bill tracker
Our Kansas Priority Bill Tracker has been updated to reflect the latest legislative activity and committee action.
In other news
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