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Session of 2025
SENATE BILL No. 270
By Committee on Ways and Means
2-13
AN ACT concerning education; relating to the Kansas educator registered
apprenticeship grant program; authorizing grants awarded under such
program to be made twice per year and at the time that tuition and fees
are due; amending K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 74-50,234 and repealing the
existing section.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 74-50,234 is hereby amended to read as
follows: 74-50,234. (a) There is hereby established the Kansas educator
registered apprenticeship grant program. The commissioner of education,
state board of education and the secretary shall coordinate to develop the
program and obtain such necessary approval and registration of education
apprenticeship programs as provided by federal and state law. The
secretary shall administer the grant program.
(b) The Kansas educator registered apprenticeship program shall be
established to award grants to education apprentices for tuition, fees,
books and materials to obtain their postsecondary degrees for the purpose
of increasing the number of qualified, credentialed teachers in the state of
Kansas. The program shall seek to identify a diverse group of candidates
to participate as education apprentices in a registered education
apprenticeship program or programs and obtain a bachelor's degree in
education, secure licensure and engage in the profession of teaching in
Kansas. Grants shall be awarded by the secretary upon approval of the
registered education apprenticeship program of an applicant school by the
secretary as compliant with all applicable federal and state law.
Notwithstanding any provision of this act to the contrary, such grants shall
be awarded to each education apprentice pursuant to this section at the
time that payments for the apprentice's tuition, fees, books and materials
are due.
(c) On or before March 1, 2024, The state board of education and the
secretary shall coordinate to adopt rules and regulations to implement and
administer the Kansas educator registered apprenticeship grant program.
Such rules and regulations shall establish:
(1) Application procedures, forms and terms and conditions and
requirements for an award of a Kansas educator registered apprenticeship
program grant to an education apprentice by the secretary;
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SB 270 2
(2) the terms, conditions and requirements for acceptance by the
secretary of an applicant school into the Kansas educator registered
apprenticeship program. The applicant school's registered education
apprenticeship program design shall include the following requirements:
(A) Applicant schools shall partner with at least one eligible related
training instruction provider and identify such provider in their
application; and
(B) applicant schools shall identify projected candidates in the
manner designated by the secretary of commerce and the state board with
appropriate protections for candidate privacy;
(3) grant funds shall be used for payment of education apprentice
tuition, fees and the cost of books and materials up to a maximum of
$2,750 payable twice per year for four years, or completion of their
academic program, whichever comes first;
(4) prioritization for applications from applicant schools partnering
with eligible related training instruction providers that permit the
apprentice to continue their current employment by utilizing flexible
learning models such as online delivery, competency-based education or
courses offered on nights or weekends; and
(5) a method to award grants equitably across the state
geographically.
(d) The commissioner of education, the state board of education and
the secretary shall, beginning in 2025, annually evaluate the Kansas
educator registered apprenticeship program grant and prepare and submit a
report before January 31, 2026, and before January 31 of each year
thereafter, to the senate standing committee on education and the standing
committee on commerce and to the house of representatives standing
committee on education and the standing committee on commerce, labor
and economic development.
(e) Subject to appropriation acts, on July 1, 2023, and each July 1
thereafter each year , the director of accounts and reports shall transfer
$3,000,000 from the state general fund to the Kansas educator registered
apprenticeship grant program fund. Any unencumbered balance in such
fund at the end of a fiscal year shall remain credited to the fund for use in
the succeeding fiscal year, except that the amount of such unencumbered
balance at the end of the fiscal year to remain credited to the fund for use
in the succeeding fiscal year shall not exceed $3,000,000. On June 30,
2024, and each June 30 thereafter each year, the director of accounts and
reports shall transfer the amount, if any, of unencumbered moneys in the
fund in excess of $3,000,000 to the state general fund.
(f) There is hereby created in the state treasury the Kansas educator
registered apprenticeship grant program fund, which shall be administered
by the secretary. All expenditures from the Kansas educator registered
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apprenticeship grant program fund shall be for grants awarded pursuant to
the Kansas educator registered apprenticeship grant program. All
expenditures from the Kansas educator registered apprenticeship grant
program fund shall be made in accordance with appropriation acts upon
warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to
vouchers approved by the secretary, or the secretary's designee. All
moneys received by the secretary for the Kansas educator registered
apprenticeship grant program shall be deposited in the state treasury in
accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments
thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall
deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of the Kansas
educator registered apprenticeship grant program fund.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 74-50,234 is hereby repealed.
Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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