Background History

The 1992 Legislature enacted the School District Finance and Quality Performance Act (SDFQPA) to replace the School District Equalization Act, which allowed wide disparities in tax rates and expenditures for school districts. The SDFQPA was based on a weighted student formula that provided a base amount of money per student, and also provided additional funding to meet certain student or district characteristics, such as at-risk students or school districts with declining enrollments. The SDFQPA also allowed school districts to adopt Local Option Budgets (LOBs) in addition to aid provided by the State. The SDFQPA, although regularly amended, was the primary school finance law from school year (SY) 1992-1993 through SY 2014-2015.

The 2015 Legislature repealed the SDFQPA and enacted the Classroom Learning Assuring Student Success Act (CLASS Act) in its place. The CLASS Act replaced the weighted student formula of the SDFQPA with a two-year block grant to school districts. School districts could still adopt LOBs, but state equalization aid was included in the block grant. The CLASS Act was the main school finance law for SY 2015-2016 and SY 2016-2017.

Between 2014 and 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court issued seven opinions on the Luke Gannon v. State of Kansas case (Gannon). The Gannon litigation concerns whether the Kansas Legislature is in compliance with Article 6, Section 6 of the Kansas Constitution regarding suitable provisions for finance of the educational interests of the state. Gannon I reiterated that Article 6 contains at least two components: equity and adequacy. The Supreme Court has confirmed that these two issues have been resolved under the current school finance formula. The Supreme Court retains jurisdiction of the case to ensure continued implementation of the scheduled funding.

Current School Finance Formula

The 2017 Legislature enacted the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act (KSEEA), which reinstituted a weighted enrollment formula similar to the SDFQPA. The weighted full-time equivalent (FTE) of a school district is multiplied by a coefficient to determine the Total Foundation Aid the district receives in its general fund. This multiplier is the Base Aid for Student Excellence (BASE).

Total Foundation Aid = BASE x Weighted FTE Enrollment

The Total Foundation Aid is used to determine State Foundation Aid with the following formula:

State Foundation Aid = Total Foundation Aid – Local Foundation Aid.

BASE Increases

For the past several years, there have been scheduled increases to the BASE that were set by the Kansas Legislature. The 2018 Legislature increased the BASE over a five-year period to arrive at an amount of $4,713 by SY 2022-2023. The 2019 Legislature further increased the BASE over a four-year period to arrive at an amount of $4,846 by SY 2022-2023. The BASE amounts for the past five school years are outlined in the table below.

School Year	BASE
2018-2019	$4,165
2019-2020	$4,436
2020-2021	$4,569
2021-2022	$4,706
2022-2023	$4,846

If the appropriation in a school year for State Foundation Aid is insufficient to pay computed entitlements for all school districts, the Kansas State Board of Education will prorate State Foundation Aid payments for all schools based on the available funding.

SY 2023-2024 BASE

Beginning in SY 2023-2024, the BASE will be adjusted by the average percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) in the Midwest region during the three immediately preceding school years.

School Year	BASE
2023-2024 Actual	$5,088
2024-2025 Estimated	$5,381
2025-2026 Estimated	$5,623

Based on the three-year average percentage increase in CPI-U Midwest, the SY 2023-2024 BASE amount is $5,088. The fall 2023 projected estimates for the BASE for SY 2024-2025 and SY 2025-2026 are in the table below.

Public, Post-secondary Education

Public, post-secondary education in Kansas is composed largely of three types of institutions: four-year universities, community colleges, and technical colleges.

Four-year universities primarily provide students with baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees and, with the exception of Washburn University, are governed by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR). Community and technical colleges primarily provide associate degrees and certificate programs. They are governed by KBOR and directly overseen by their individual board of trustees or board of directors.

Post-secondary Enrollment

Overall

Public colleges and universities in Kansas have seen a collective 9.9 percent decline in headcount enrollment from academic year (AY) 2017 to AY 2022, and a full-time equivalent enrollment decline of 10.5 percent for AY 2017 to AY 2022.

Four-year Universities

Enrollment at public, four-year universities, including Washburn University, from AY 2017 to AY 2022 declined by 3.6 percent. The greatest decline occurred at Kansas State University, with a 14.1 percent decrease from 25,777 to 22,133 students. The greatest growth occurred at Wichita State University, which grew by 14.4 percent from 16,913 to 19,346 students.

Community Colleges

Enrollment at community colleges from AY 2017 to AY 2022 declined by 19.2 percent. The greatest decline occurred at Barton Community College, with a 30.9 percent decrease from 14,736 to 10,187 students. The greatest growth occurred at Pratt Community College, with a 1.2 percent increase from 1,641 to 1,661 students.

Technical Colleges

Enrollment at technical colleges from AY 2017 to AY 2022 grew by 14.1 percent. The largest decline occurred at Washburn Institute of Technology, with a 22.2 percent decrease from 2,074 to 1,614 students. The largest growth occurred at Flint Hills Technical College, with a 73.1 percent increase from 1,432 to 2,479 students.

Headcount Enrollment by Institution Type for Academic Year 2017 – 2022
	AY 2017	AY 2018	AY 2019	AY 2020	AY 2021	AY 2022	% Change AY 17 – 22
State Universities	107,728	107,849	108,039	108,730	106,259	104,712	-2.80%
Washburn University	7,702	7,745	7,527	7,226	6,747	6,529	-15.20%
Community Colleges	114,247	113,182	109,402	104,837	95,926	92,337	-19.20%
Technical Colleges	14,042	15,742	17,342	17,207	15,530	16,026	14.10%
Total	243,719	244,518	242,310	238,000	224,462	219,604	-9.90%

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrollment by Institution Type for Academic Year 2017-2022
	AY 2017	AY 2018	AY 2019	AY 2020	AY 2021	AY 2022	% Change AY 17-22
State Universities	79,212	78,434	78,085	77,452	75,344	73,474	-7.20%
Washburn University	5,069	5,106	4,994	4,768	4,400	4,280	-15.60%
Community Colleges	47,456	46,776	45,374	43,626	40,638	39,316	-17.20%
Technical Colleges	6,494	7,103	7,522	7,497	6,533	6,711	-16.10%
Total	138,231	137,419	135,975	133,343	126,915	123,781	-10.50%

Post-graduation Retention

Overall

Post-graduate retention is tracked by KBOR utilizing internal data and data from the Kansas Department of Labor to attempt to determine the percentage of graduates who continue to reside in Kansas following completion of their certificate or degree at a public, post-secondary institution. According to this data, approximately 69.0 percent of all students who are awarded certificates or degrees reside in Kansas the year of completion of their award. These numbers decrease year over year, with approximately 54.0 percent of all students who received an award in 2012 still residing in Kansas following their award completion.

Award Breakdown

When broken down by award type, the order of retention from highest to lowest is generally as follows:

• Short-term Certificate;
• Certificate;
• Master’s Degree;
• Associate Degree;
• Bachelor’s Degree; and
• Doctoral Degree.

Short-term certificates generally have post-graduation retention rates of approximately 76.0 percent for graduates the year of completion and approximately 57.0 percent 10 years after completion. Doctoral degrees generally have post-graduation retention rates of approximately 50.0 percent the year of completion and approximately 44.0 percent 10 years after completion.

Institution Type

When broken down by institution type, retention generally follows the pattern seen with award types as state universities, excluding Washburn University, have the lowest retention rate of approximately 66.0 percent the year of award completion and approximately 51.0 percent 10 years after completion. Technical colleges have the highest retention rate, with approximately 77.0 percent the year of award completion and approximately 62.0 percent 10 years after award completion.

The data referenced in this article, and more, can be found on KBOR’s Kansas Higher Education Statistics website.

Percent of All Post-Secondary Graduates Who Reside in Kansas Following Completion of Any Award (2012 – 2021)
Graduation Year	Entry Year	After 1 Year	After 2 Years	After 3 Years	After 4 Years	After 5 Years	After 6 Years	After 7 Years	After 8 Years	After 9 Years	After 10 Years
2012	68.90%	65.90%	63.80%	61.90%	60.30%	58.80%	57.90%	57.10%	55.10%	54.40%	54.00%
2013	69.10%	66.00%	64.10%	62.00%	60.40%	58.90%	57.70%	55.80%	55.10%	54.70%	–
2014	69.70%	66.50%	64.10%	62.40%	60.90%	59.90%	57.70%	56.60%	55.90%	–	–
2015	69.90%	66.30%	64.00%	62.50%	61.20%	59.00%	57.80%	56.80%	–	–	–
2016	69.40%	66.10%	63.80%	62.00%	59.70%	58.40%	57.30%	–	–	–	–
2017	69.10%	65.90%	63.60%	61.10%	60.50%	59.10%	–	–	–	–	–
2018	69.70%	67.00%	63.70%	62.50%	61.20%	–	–	–	–	–	–
2019	71.10%	66.90%	64.80%	63.00%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2020	69.80%	67.20%	65.00%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2021	70.50%	67.70%	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Flat Tuition

The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) governs higher education institutions in the state and has the authority to adjust tuition, grants, and scholarships in accordance with KSA 76-719 et seq. for the six Regents institutions. These institutions are Emporia State University (ESU), Fort Hays State University (FHSU), Kansas State University (KSU), Pittsburg State University (PSU), University of Kansas (KU), and Wichita State University (WSU).

For fiscal years (FY) 2019 to 2023, KBOR has voted to maintain flat tuition rates at the six Regents institutions.

To keep tuition rates flat for FY 2019 and FY 2020, the Regents institutions received a $34.0 million increase in state funding in FY 2019 and a $11.9 million increase in FY 2020.

During the public board meeting in June 2023, KBOR voted to increase tuition between 5.0 and 7.0 percent at Regents institutions for FY 2024.

FY 2024 Tuition Increase

Historically, KSU and KU have had the highest tuition rates out of all Regents institutions, while FHSU had the lowest tuition rate over the past five years. For FY 2024, FHSU received the highest increase at 7.0 percent.

The chart below reflects the in-state tuition increase for full-time students per semester for each Regents institution for FY 2024:

	Dollar Change	Percent Change
KSU	$131.95	5%
ESU	$146.00	5%
WSU	$237.23	5%
KU	$252.00	5%
KUMC*	$257.40	5%
FHSU	$201.90	6%
PSU	$145.20	7%
*University of Kansas Medical Center

5-Year Change in Tuition

Since 2019, in-state tuition has increased at the Regents institutions by an average of $300 per semester. WSU had the highest change, with a 12.7 percent increase in tuition and fees, and KU had the lowest change, with a 5.0 percent increase.

KBOR also governs community and technical colleges, but tuition and fee rates are set for each college by a local board of trustees. Community and technical colleges have seen increases up to 86.7 percent and reductions as low as -5.7 percent since 2019, but, on average, they have maintained a steady rate that does not see any major increases.

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
KSU	$5,192	$5,220	$5,220	$5,210	$5,224	$5,471
PSU	$3,649	$3,669	$3,752	$3,872	$3,887	$4,078
WSU	$4,135	$4,150	$4,217	$4,400	$4,431	$4,661
ESU	$3,379	$3,399	$3,485	$3,500	$3,505	$3,678
FHSU	$2,566	$2,637	$2,725	$2,722	$2,722	$2,817
KU	$5,574	$5,583	$5,583	$5,583	$5,584	$5,850
*reflects undergraduate tuition by semester

Washburn University

Washburn University is governed internally by the Washburn Board of Regents. It differs from other public universities in that it receives municipal funding from local Topeka sales tax. Tuition and fees are established by the Board of Regents and are subject to change by the Board of Regents. In the past 5 years, Washburn University has seen a 15.8 percent increase for tuition. This includes an increase of an estimated $225 from academic years 2023 to 2024.

The estimated cost per credit hour at Washburn University for FY 2024 is $337, or $5,127 for the semester. This data does not include information for Washburn University School of Law.

Discounted Tuition Programs

Wichita State University Tuition

WSU offers a special program with discounted tuition to out-of-state students. This program is called the Shocker City Partnership Tuition Discount. This discount is available for graduate and undergraduate students taking a minimum
of 15 credit hours. The program began in 2022 and aims to expand the university’s network to reach students in other states along the I-35 corridor. This discounted tuition program is offered in specific eligible counties within Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. More information about program eligibility can be found on the WSU website.

Additionally, WSU offers the Shocker Select program, which provides a 33.0 percent discount to eligible students. This discounted tuition program is offered in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

WSU also offers Legacy Tuition for out-of-state students who have a parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, or legal guardian that graduated from WSU. These students are eligible to receive in-state tuition under the program.

Fort Hays State University

The in-state tuition at FHSU for FY 2024 is $2,800 per semester, or $188 per credit hour, which is the lowest cost of all the Regents institutions.

Similar to WSU, FHSU offers a discounted tuition program called the Midwest Student Exchange Program. This program is available to students from Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin who are enrolling for on-campus courses at FHSU.
FHSU also offers a variety of online courses with tuition rates starting at $242.76 per credit hour. These courses include, but are not limited to, programs for nursing, criminal justice, and finance management.

Open enrollment allows students to select and transfer to a public school of their choosing rather than attending a public school based on where they live. It is one of the school choice policies employed most frequently in the Unites States. State open enrollment statutes and regulations typically address intra-district (within district) enrollment, inter-district (between districts) enrollment, whether the policy is voluntary or mandatory, and whether certain students should be prioritized for open enrollment programs over other students.

Open Enrollment in Kansas

Kansas has mandatory inter-district open enrollment policies but allows for districts to determine how many out-of-district students to accept.

KSA 72-13,101 pertains to inter-district open enrollment through agreements between
boards of education of any two or more unified school districts. Under this law, boards of education are permitted to enter into agreements, not to exceed five years, to provide for the attendance of students residing in one school district at a school maintained by another school district.

KSA 72-3123 also concerns inter-district open enrollment and authorizes boards of education of any school district to permit students who are not residents to enroll and attend the schools of the district.

Recent Kansas Legislation

2022 Senate Sub. for HB 2567 amended KSA 72-13,101 to prohibit school districts from charging students for attending nonresident schools and provide that the costs of providing for the attendance of a student at a nonresident district must be paid by the student’s school district of residence.

2022 Senate Sub. for HB 2567 also amended KSA 72-3123 to authorize, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, any student eligible to attend a public school within the state to attend a school within a district regardless of whether the student is a resident of the district, if the nonresident, or receiving, district has open capacity.

Students will be able to submit an application to a nonresident school district between June 1 and June 30 each year for the fall semester. School districts must accept all student applicants if the number of applications is equal to or less than the available capacity for a grade level in the district. If the number of applications exceeds the capacity for a grade level within the district, the district will randomly select nonresident students via a lottery process. Capacity limits are determined by the district on a grade by grade level.

Priority enrollment will be given to siblings of an accepted nonresident student during the initial acceptance or at any other time the district considers application, and siblings will not be subject to the open seat lottery. In addition, any student in the custody of the Department for Children and Families who is living in the home of a nonresident student will be allowed to attend school in the receiving district.

School districts will be prohibited from charging tuition or fees to nonresident students, except for fees otherwise charged to every student enrolled and attending in the district, and from admitting or denying students based upon ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level, disabling condition, proficiency in the English language, measure of achievement, aptitude, or athletic ability. However, districts are not required to provide transportation to nonresident students.

Open Enrollment in Other States

Every state and the District of Columbia has open enrollment policies, except for Alabama, Alaska, Maryland, and North Carolina. Generally, states prioritize or give preference to resident students, returning students, siblings of enrolled students, and children of school personnel. A few states also prioritize students in foster care, students experiencing homelessness, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, or students in low-performing schools.

States with Intra-district Open Enrollment

Currently, 27 states and the District of Columbia have policies permitting intra-district open enrollment:

• 16 states and the District of Columbia have mandatory policies;
• 8 states have voluntary policies; and
• 3 states have policies that are both mandatory and voluntary.
• States with Inter-district Open Enrollment
• Currently, 43 states have policies permitting inter-district open enrollment:
• 15 states have mandatory policies;
• 19 states have voluntary policies; and
• 9 states have policies that are both mandatory and voluntary.

States with Both Types of Open Enrollment

Currently, 24 states have policies permitting both intra-district and inter-district open enrollment.

The map below illustrates which states have open enrollment policies and whether they permit intra-district open enrollment, inter-district open enrollment, or both.

Kansas Statute

KSA 72-6262 et seq. requires proof of vaccination for all students enrolling for the first time in a school, preschool, day care program operated by a school, or as designated by the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (Secretary). Certification must be from a licensed physician or local health department and detail that the student has received all tests and vaccines as deemed necessary by the Secretary. The current list of required tests and vaccines can be found in KAR 28-1-20, and any changes to the list are required to go through the rules and regulations process. The last update to this regulation occurred in 2019 and included the additions of hepatitis A and meningitis to the list of required vaccinations.

Students may be exempt from providing certification if, as an alternative, they provide the school with an annual written statement from a licensed physician confirming that their physical condition is such that one or more of the required tests or vaccinations would “seriously endanger the life or health of the child.” The student would also be exempt if they provide written certification from at least one parent or guardian confirming that the student is an adherent to a religious denomination whose beliefs are opposed to the tests or vaccinations.

Should the student be unable or unwilling to provide proof of the tests and vaccinations, and also unable or unwilling to provide an alternative certification to exempt them from the requirements, then KSA 72-6265 gives local school boards the authority to exclude the student from attendance at the school, preschool, or day care program until they provide one of the previously listed certifications. Such an exclusion policy must include a requirement to provide the student’s parent or guardian with written notice that details the reasoning for exclusion, notice that the exclusion shall continue until compliance has been met, and notice that a hearing shall be afforded should the parent or guardian wish it.

For post-secondary institutions, KSA 76-761a requires all colleges and universities to have policies and procedures in place that require any student living in student housing to be vaccinated against meningitis. However, such policies must also contain waiver procedures for students who refuse to receive the vaccination.

Recent Action

Four bills regarding student vaccination were introduced during the 2023 Session: HB 2007, SB 20, SB 314, and SB 315. The bills, as introduced, would have prohibited the Secretary from requiring vaccination against COVID-19 for children in a child care facility or children attending school, prohibit the inquiry into the sincerity of a request for exemption, and repeal law requiring meningitis vaccination for students to stay in student housing for colleges and universities.

The contents of both SB 314 and SB 315 were included in Senate Sub. for HB 2390 during conference committee. The conference committee report failed in the Senate on a vote of 19-18.

Other States

All U.S. states require children attending child care centers and schools to be vaccinated against specific diseases. Alabama, California, and New Hampshire require the fewest (7 vaccinations), while Rhode Island requires the most (13 vaccinations). The median number of required vaccinations by a state is nine. Kansas requires ten vaccines for children and students.

Additionally, some states require vaccinations in some capacity for students attending post-secondary institutions within the state. Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia require vaccinations for either hepatitis B, meningitis, or both for post-secondary students. Kansas currently requires post-secondary students living in student housing to have received a meningitis vaccination.

All 50 states provide at least one type of exemption from mandatory vaccine requirements. California, Connecticut, Maine, New York, and West Virginia allow only medical exemptions from vaccines. All other states allow a combination of medical, religious, and personal belief exemptions from mandatory vaccines.

Vaccines Required	States
7	Alabama, California, New Hampshire, South Dakota
8	Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin
9	Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming
10	Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia
11	Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, North Dakota
12	Ohio
13	Rhode Island