By TIM CARPENTER
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly said Tuesday a request was submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reinstate more than $22 million in federal funding appropriated to Kansas to help students who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic catch up with peers and to retrain teachers in the science of reading.
The U.S. Department of Education announced in March that approximately $3 billion in pandemic relief funds would be frozen nationwide.
The Kansas State Department of Education had received an extension on the deadline for expending the funds, but the federal government’s latest maneuver reversed that decision. The state Department of Education requested the administration of President Donald Trump set aside the latest plan to sweep the $22.6 million allocated to Kansas. That request is pending at the federal level.
“Abruptly stripping this funding is a disservice to the Kansas students and teachers who rely on it to excel in the classroom,” Kelly said.
In Kansas, the funding in jeopardy was allocated to supporting student learning recovery and ensuring the education workforce was prepared to assist those students with academic deficiencies. The aid also was used to retrain teachers in reading instruction, support students’ career and college exploration and to lower start-up costs for child care providers.
In addition, a portion of the funds was relied on to cover the cost of licensure, fingerprinting and background check fees for early childhood educators. The Kelly administration began waiving the fees using federal and state funds in 2021. The fees will be reinstated until the Trump administration restores Kansas’ funding allocation, the governor said.