Kansas State Board Meetings, KSDE, School Data, Licensure & Parent Help
KS State Board of Education searches can involve very different tasks: a public State Board meeting, Citizens’ Open Forum, a local school calendar, Kansas school performance, KESA accreditation, teacher licensure, graduation requirements, nonresident enrollment, public records or special education.
This guide separates those systems and gives families, educators, residents and researchers a practical route to current Kansas State Board and Kansas State Department of Education resources without confusing statewide governance with local USD responsibilities.
KSBE, KSDE, local USDs and the Board of Regents are not interchangeable
| Entity | Use it for | Do not start here for |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Board of Education | Statewide K–12 governance, standards, accreditation oversight, policy and Board meetings. | One student’s bus, absence, transcript or local calendar. |
| Kansas State Department of Education | Assessment, licensure, KESA, finance, statewide data, special education and agency records. | Most individual student enrollment or transcript transactions. |
| Local Unified School District | Enrollment, attendance, buses, calendars, transcripts, local Board meetings, meals and school assignment. | Kansas teacher licensing or KSBE agendas. |
| Kansas Board of Regents | State higher-education system matters. | K–12 State Board governance. |
| Kansas Association of School Boards | Association services and resources for member school boards. | Official Kansas State Board decisions. |
Fast routing rule: if your problem names one student and involves transportation, enrollment, attendance, school assignment, grades or records, begin locally unless a specific state appeal or complaint process applies.
Kansas State Board and KSDE at a glance
Agency
Kansas State Department of Education
Address
900 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612-1212
Main phone
Board
10 elected members
Chair
Cathy Hopkins
Vice Chair
Danny Zeck
Commissioner
Dr. Jake Steel
Next regular meeting
September 8–9, 2026
Next Kansas State Board meeting and remaining 2026 dates
Next regular meeting: September 8–9, 2026 in Topeka. The August 11 regular meeting and August 12 technology-policy working session are already past.
| Date | Current listed time | Before attending |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 8 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Check agenda, materials and Citizens’ Open Forum placement. |
| Sept. 9 | 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Check second-day materials and livestream link. |
| Oct. 13 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Verify current official notice. |
| Oct. 14 | 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Recheck before travel. |
| Nov. 9–10 | See current posting | Use 2026 Board Meeting Resources. |
| Dec. 8–9 | See current posting | Verify year-end meeting details. |
Special meetings can differ. A working session, conference meeting or special Board event may have a different location, timing or agenda structure.
Use the correct meeting record
| Record | Best use | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda | What is scheduled for consideration. | That every listed action passed. |
| Materials | Presentations, reports and supporting documents. | That the Board formally adopted every recommendation. |
| Video | Hear actual Board discussion. | That a short clip provides full context. |
| Summary | Quick post-meeting overview. | That it replaces detailed official records. |
| Approved Minutes | Formal record of proceedings and actions. | That minutes are always available immediately. |
How to address the Kansas State Board of Education
Citizens’ Open Forum is a limited public forum for educational issues in Kansas that are germane to State Board business.
3 minutes
Each speaker is generally allowed three minutes.
Sign in
You must sign in before the Open Forum begins.
Presenter card
Provide name, address, subject and represented group if applicable.
13 copies
If supplying written information, provide 13 copies.
Do not publicly disclose unnecessary private student information. An IEP, medical diagnosis, discipline record or custody issue should normally be handled through the appropriate private/local process rather than described in detail at a public microphone.
Accessibility accommodation
People needing a sign-language interpreter or another special accommodation should contact the Board Office at 785-296-3203 at least seven business days before the meeting.
Kansas State Board members in 2026
Danny Zeck
District 1 • Vice Chair
Melanie Haas
District 2
Michelle Dombrosky
District 3
Connie O’Brien
District 4
Cathy Hopkins
District 5 • Chair • Legislative Liaison
Dr. Beryl Ann New
District 6 • Legislative Liaison
Dennis Hershberger
District 7
Betty J. Arnold
District 8
Jim Porter
District 9
Debby Potter
District 10
The Board has 10 elected members serving staggered four-year terms. The Board reorganizes every two years to elect its Chair and Vice Chair.
Dr. Jake Steel is Kansas Commissioner of Education
The State Board selected Dr. Jake Steel in April 2026. He officially assumed the Commissioner role on June 1, 2026.
State Board
The elected Board establishes statewide K–12 policy and appoints the Commissioner.
Commissioner
The Commissioner leads KSDE and works with the Board to implement its statewide K–12 vision.
Outdated-result warning: older articles may still name Dr. Randy Watson. Check current KSDE leadership before publishing or addressing formal correspondence.
The State Board calendar is not your child’s school calendar
State Board dates
Meetings, special meetings, work sessions and statewide Board events.
Local student dates
First day, teacher workdays, breaks, weather closures, graduation and last day come from the local USD.
Identify the student’s USD
Do not assume the closest district by name or city boundary.
Open the official district website
Find its 2026–27 student calendar.
Confirm year and revision
Old calendars often remain indexed after a new school year starts.
Recheck emergencies locally
Closures and makeup days may change after adoption.
Find the correct Kansas USD before contacting anyone
Educational Directory
Use KSDE directory resources for districts, schools, superintendents and education organizations.
School District Maps
Use the KSDE-linked GIS resource when you need to identify a district from an address.
Building Report Card
Search schools by name, city, ZIP or address and then review school-level data.
Boundary tool caution: use GIS resources to identify district geography, but contact the local district for a binding enrollment or transportation decision.
Kansas Building Report Card and Data Central answer different questions
Building Report Card
Start here for an individual school or district profile and public outcome information.
Data Central
Use for deeper K–12 datasets, accountability, finance, staff, enrollment and statewide reporting.
School research should include more than one test score
Assessment
Review state assessment performance with context.
Graduation
High-school completion is an important outcome measure.
Attendance
Attendance and chronic-absence context can matter to school performance.
Postsecondary effectiveness
Kansas’s success framework looks beyond high school completion.
Enrollment & demographics
School and district context helps explain raw comparisons.
Finance & staffing
Data Central includes fiscal and staffing datasets for deeper research.
Do not select a school from a single number. Review programs, local context, student needs, attendance, staffing, graduation and current district information.
Which grades take Kansas state tests?
| Assessment | Grades | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 3–8 and 10 | Measures performance aligned with Kansas ELA standards. |
| Mathematics | 3–8 and 10 | Measures performance aligned with Kansas mathematics standards. |
| Science | 5, 7 and 11 | Measures science knowledge and practices using Kansas standards. |
The Kansas Assessment Program also includes interim assessment, mini-test, accommodation and assessment-coordinator resources.
For your child’s actual test date, makeup session or accommodation: contact the school. State pages explain the statewide program, while local schools administer individual testing schedules.
How Kansas Education Systems Accreditation works
KESA is Kansas’s system-level accreditation and continuous-improvement process. It evaluates both instructional practices and student results.
The Four Fundamentals
Structured literacy
Evidence-based literacy practices implemented coherently.
Standards-aligned learning
Teaching and learning aligned to Kansas expectations.
Balanced assessment
A coherent assessment system supporting instruction and student learning.
Quality instruction
Effective classroom practice with strong expectations and engagement.
Annual review areas
School improvement
How the Four Fundamentals are being implemented.
Student outcomes
Measures such as achievement, growth and graduation.
Compliance
Whether the system is meeting state and federal requirements.
Continuous-improvement cycle
School Improvement Day
District and school leaders work with KSDE to study data and priorities.
KESA Action Plan
The system develops and implements its improvement work.
Six-month progress check
KSDE and system leaders review progress and adjust the work.
2026 update: KSDE revised parts of the school-improvement model during summer 2026, so older KESA graphics or terminology should not be treated as the current operating framework.
Kansas graduation requirements: know the student’s cohort
Kansas state minimum: students must complete at least 21 credits to graduate from an accredited Kansas public school. Local boards may require more.
Before Class of 2028
Use the current state minimum graduation-requirement resource plus any additional local district requirements.
Class of 2028 & later
Additional postsecondary-readiness expectations apply, including career-connected/postsecondary preparation.
State minimum does not guarantee local graduation eligibility. A USD can adopt additional local requirements, so students should verify progress with their counselor.
High-school transcripts are maintained locally. KSDE provides statewide graduation guidance but is not the normal source for an individual student’s transcript.
Individual Plans of Study connect school courses with life after high school
Kansas supports Individual Plans of Study as a student-driven planning process that begins in middle school and continues through graduation.
Strengths & interests
Career-interest inventories help students identify possible directions.
Course builder
Students connect Grades 8–12 course choices to career interests.
Postsecondary plan
College, workforce, military, certification and training options can be considered.
Electronic portfolio
Students build portable evidence of learning, goals and planning.
KSDE also maintains current 2026–27 Career and Technical Education resources and career-pathway guidance. Actual pathway/course availability varies by local district.
Want your child to attend a different Kansas USD?
Nonresident enrollment is handled by the receiving district under its policy and available capacity. State reports help with research, but the receiving USD makes the individual enrollment decision.
Identify the receiving USD
Be sure you have the correct district rather than only the desired school name.
Read its current nonresident policy
Rules and application instructions can differ by district.
Check grade/building capacity
Available space may differ by grade level and building.
Apply directly to the USD
Follow the receiving district’s current deadline and application method.
Freshness caution: the statewide Data Central Open Enrollment report currently displays 2025–26 reporting. Use it for context, but verify 2026–27 capacity and deadlines directly with the district.
Kansas teacher licensure: check first, then choose the correct KLAS application
Application processing fees are non-refundable. KSDE advises applicants to verify requirements and select the correct application before submitting.
Check your current license
Use the state Educator License Lookup before assuming you need a renewal, upgrade or new credential.
Read the exact requirements
Initial, professional, expired, out-of-state, substitute and nontraditional pathways are different.
Sign in to KLAS
Use Kansas Licensure Applications System for current supported applications.
Complete fingerprints if required
Do this according to the current KSDE fingerprint workflow.
Monitor status
Use the official license lookup/application-status tools rather than repeatedly submitting applications.
How to check a Kansas educator license
Search by name
Enter first and last name to locate a license record.
Search by district
The public search can also filter by year, district and building.
Download active license
Active licenses can be viewed and saved as a PDF.
Kansas fingerprint requirements and the $57 KSDE fee
Applicants commonly requiring fingerprints
Digital submission: KSDE tells applicants not to pay the fingerprint-processing fee in KLAS until fingerprints have been digitally submitted to KBI.
Additional local cost: a law-enforcement or fingerprinting agency may charge its own fingerprint-taking fee in addition to the $57 KSDE processing fee.
Licensed Kansas educators are also enrolled in ongoing background monitoring while they hold an active educator license.
KORA Open Records and custom KSDE Data Requests are different
Kansas Open Records Act request
Use for qualifying public records KSDE creates, receives or maintains in official agency work.
Custom Data Request
Use when the data you need are not already available through KSDE’s public Data Central reports.
Before submitting a KORA request
Confirm KSDE owns the record
A local USD document generally belongs with the district.
Search existing public resources
Board records, finance reports and statewide datasets may already be published.
Describe the record specifically
Clear date ranges, programs and document types can make a request easier to process.
The KSDE Open Records form is not for school records. Transcripts and proof of attendance must be requested from the school directly.
Custom data request expectations
Privacy: personally identifiable student information is subject to legal restrictions. A custom data request does not override student privacy law.
Mediation, formal complaint and due process solve different problems
Mediation
Voluntary process. Both parties must agree. Kansas pays the mediator cost, so neither the parent nor local district pays the mediator.
Formal Complaint
Any individual or organization may file when it believes a public agency is not complying with applicable special-education law or regulation.
Due Process
Addresses disputes over identification, evaluation, educational placement or provision of FAPE.
Due-process time limit: Kansas says a due-process complaint generally must allege a violation occurring no more than two years before the parent or public agency knew or should have known of the action, with specified exceptions.
Kansas also publishes redacted formal-complaint and due-process decisions. These can help families and educators understand how previous disputes were analyzed without exposing student-identifying information.
Research Kansas district budgets with the correct fiscal-year context
KSDE’s School Finance budget hub already contains substantial 2026–27 material rather than only prior-year historical reports.
USD budget resources
2026–27 budget software, instructions and fund summaries.
State aid rates
Current state-aid and budget-preparation information.
Tax & levy guidance
Budget resources include levy, revenue-neutral and resolution guidance.
Comparative reports
Data Central and finance tools provide additional district fiscal context.
Do not quote one budget number without its fund and fiscal-year context. Kansas school finance includes multiple funds, state aid sources, local levies and statutory budget rules.
KIDS and KEDS will operate in parallel during 2026–27
Kansas is transitioning from its older Kansas Individual Data on Students system to the Kansas Education Data System.
For parents: KEDS is primarily a district/state reporting system. If your child’s enrollment or attendance information is wrong, begin with the local school or district rather than trying to edit KSDE data directly.
Free public information vs official fees
Normally free to view
Board dates, agendas, minutes, livestreams, Board members, Kansas Report Card, Data Central, KESA resources and public educator-license lookup.
Fees may apply
Licensure applications, fingerprint background checks, some custom data work and certain records services can involve official fees.
Do not pay a third-party search site simply to view a Kansas State Board agenda, school report card or educator’s public license status.
Kansas education contact router
| You need | Best first stop |
|---|---|
| Child’s first day / spring break | Local USD calendar |
| School assignment | Local USD |
| Bus stop / route | Local USD transportation office |
| Student transcript | School / local USD |
| State Board agenda | KSBE Board Meeting Resources |
| Speak at State Board | Citizens’ Open Forum / Board Office |
| School performance | Kansas Building Report Card |
| Custom statewide data | Data Central, then Request for Data if needed |
| Nonresident enrollment | Receiving USD |
| Apply for teacher license | KSDE Teacher Licensure / KLAS |
| Verify teacher license | Educator License Lookup |
| IDEA dispute | Local special-ed team and KSDE dispute resources as appropriate |
| Local Board records | Local USD |
| KSDE agency records | KSDE Open Records |
Common Kansas education problems and the best next action
🗓️ Need the next Board meeting
Do: use September 8–9 as the next regular meeting, then verify agenda and times immediately before attending.
🎤 Want to speak
Do: sign in before Open Forum, complete the presenter card and prepare a three-minute statement.
📄 Bringing Board handouts
Do: current policy asks for 13 copies of written information.
♿ Need meeting accommodation
Do: contact the Board Office at least seven business days before the meeting.
📅 Need child’s school calendar
Do: find the local USD. State Board meeting dates do not control student attendance.
📍 Don’t know the USD
Do: use KSDE directory and district-map resources, then confirm with the district.
🎓 Senior needs graduation check
Do: compare Kansas’s minimum requirements with the local district’s requirements and student’s transcript.
🎒 Want another district
Do: read the receiving district’s nonresident policy and current 2026–27 capacity.
👩🏫 Need license renewal
Do: look up the existing license first, then choose the correct KLAS application because fees are non-refundable.
🖐️ Need fingerprints
Do: follow KSDE’s current digital/card workflow and account for the $57 state fee plus any local fingerprinting fee.
📬 Need transcript
Do: contact the school. Do not use KSDE’s Open Records form.
📊 Need unusual statewide dataset
Do: search Data Central first; if unavailable, use KSDE’s custom Data Request process.
🧩 Have special-ed disagreement
Do: compare mediation, formal complaint and due process before filing.
💰 Comparing district budgets
Do: use the same fiscal year and understand the specific fund, levy or state-aid category being compared.
Nearby State Board of Education resources
Nebraska Board of Education
Use when the school, license or state education issue belongs north of Kansas.
Missouri State Board of Education
Use for Missouri statewide school governance and education-agency resources.
Oklahoma Board of Education
Use for Oklahoma State Board meetings, state education services and school resources.
Kansas State Board of Education FAQs
When is the next Kansas State Board of Education meeting?
The next regular Kansas State Board meeting is September 8–9, 2026. September 8 is currently listed for 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and September 9 for 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Verify the current Board posting before attending.
Who is the Kansas Commissioner of Education?
Dr. Jake Steel is Kansas Commissioner of Education. He officially assumed the role June 1, 2026.
Who is Chair of the Kansas State Board of Education?
Cathy Hopkins of District 5 is Chair. Danny Zeck of District 1 is Vice Chair.
How long can I speak during Citizens’ Open Forum?
Each speaker is generally allowed three minutes. Speakers must sign in before the forum and complete a presenter card. If submitting written information, Board policy asks for 13 copies.
How many credits are required to graduate from high school in Kansas?
Kansas requires a minimum of 21 credits for graduation from an accredited public school. Local boards of education may require additional credits or local requirements.
Which grades take Kansas state assessments?
ELA and mathematics assessments are administered in Grades 3 through 8 and Grade 10. The Kansas science assessment is administered in Grades 5, 7 and 11.
How much is the Kansas teacher fingerprint background check?
The current KSDE fingerprint background-check processing fee is $57. The agency taking the fingerprints may charge a separate fingerprint-taking fee.
How do I verify a Kansas teacher license?
Use KSDE’s official Educator License Lookup. It shows current license information and can also display additional license and application-status information.
Can KSDE send me my high-school transcript?
KSDE’s Open Records form is not for school records such as transcripts or proof of attendance. Contact the school or local USD that maintains the record.
What is KESA in Kansas schools?
KESA is Kansas Education Systems Accreditation. The current model focuses on structured literacy, standards-aligned learning, balanced assessment and quality instruction, while also reviewing student outcomes and compliance.
Final Kansas verification checklist
Correct agency?
Separate State Board, KSDE, local USD, Board of Regents and school-board association resources.
Current information?
Recheck meeting notices, district capacity, licensure requirements, fingerprint instructions and school-year data before acting.
Official submission route?
Use ksde.gov, an official KSDE-connected system or the responsible local district before sending records or payments.
Verified against current Kansas resources: State Board, Board Members, Meeting Information, Board Meeting Resources, Livestream, Commissioner, Kansas Building Report Card, Data Central, Directories, District Maps, Kansas Assessment Program, Accreditation/KESA, Graduation, Individual Plan of Study, CTE, Open Enrollment reports, Teacher Licensure, License Applications, Educator License Lookup, Fingerprint Information, Open Records, Request for Data, Special Education Dispute Resolution, Budget Information and KEDS transition materials.
Independent-site notice: BoardofEducations.org is an informational guide and is not the Kansas State Board of Education, Kansas State Department of Education or any Kansas Unified School District. Current official notices, policies, forms, records and district decisions control.