It’s Getting Real: Funding Crises, Vouchers, and the Sprint to Turnaround

The Advocate - A KASB Podcast

The Advocate - A KASB Podcast
It’s Getting Real: Funding Crises, Vouchers, and the Sprint to Turnaround
Feb 13, 2026 Season 4 Episode 5
Kansas Association of School Boards

It’s officially crunch time at the Kansas Statehouse — and this week on The Advocate, Shannon and Leah unpack the bills that could reshape public education in Kansas for years to come.

We’re talking:

  • A full-blown special education funding crisis, with districts forced to pull nearly half a billion dollars from classroom budgets just to meet legal obligations.
  • The House passage of HB 2468, the federal voucher opt-in bill — and why the 70–49 vote matters more than you might think.
  • Quiet but dangerous proposals that could cut at-risk funding, limit bond election communication and shift power away from locally elected school boards.
  • The real story behind cell phone bans, property tax changes and expanding state mandates on public schools.
  • And a rapid-fire preview of Turnaround Week, when dozens of major education bills hit the floor all at once.

This episode is your roadmap to what’s moving, what’s at risk and where your advocacy can make the biggest impact — right now.

Episode Artwork It’s Getting Real: Funding Crises, Vouchers, and the Sprint to Turnaround 25:45 Episode Artwork Flat Funding, Rising Costs: Stability vs Sustainability for Kansas Public Schools 21:40 Episode Artwork Free Speech, Free Lunch, and the Future of Kansas Schools 15:14 Episode Artwork Are Charter Schools Coming to Kansas? 28:19 Episode Artwork 2026 Legislative Session Begins 21:40 Episode Artwork Education Funding Task Force 24:50 Episode Artwork Federal Funding Freeze 7:40 Episode Artwork 2025 Legislative Session Wraps, Leaves Work to do 24:47 Episode Artwork Legislature Finalizes K-12 Budget, Heads to Veto Session 26:07 Episode Artwork Misunderstanding of School Finance Hurting Legislative Debate 27:54 Episode Artwork SPED Funding, Education Programs Take Hit in New Proposal 21:03 Episode Artwork Big Week for Education: Tax, Budget, Mental Health, KPERS, BOE Authority Bills Coming 19:08 Episode Artwork Senate Passes Controversial Ed Bills, Both Receive Bipartisan Pushback 14:55 Episode Artwork K-12 Budget Plan Dwindles, Vouchers Get Hearings & KASB Visits D.C. 20:52 Episode Artwork SPED Funding Boost Gets Approval, Voucher Debate Next Week 17:23 Episode Artwork Property Tax Discussion Heats Up, K-12 Budget Next 15:19 Episode Artwork 2025 Legislative Session Begins 22:02 Episode Artwork Ep. 54 The Advocate | A Successful Legislative Session for Public Schools 18:55 Episode Artwork Ep. 53 The Advocate | Defeating Harmful Legislation 20:28 Episode Artwork Ep. 52 The Advocate | D.C. Style Politics in Kansas 18:08 Episode Artwork Ep. 51 The Advocate | Education Budget Bundling 11:43 Episode Artwork Ep. 50 The Advocate | The Voucher & SPED Funding Fight Continue 12:37 Episode Artwork Ep. 49 The Advocate | Confirming the SPED Shortfall 16:27 Episode Artwork Ep. 48 The Advocate | Turnaround Week 13:08 Episode Artwork Ep. 47 The Advocate | Vouchers, Cell Phone Bans, Special Ed Funding & More 16:59