The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2008 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.
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| Gov. Mark Parkinson Democrat |
| Senate: 9 Democrats 31 Republicans |
| House: 48 Democrats 77 Republicans |
| Enrollment: 503,000 |
| Kansas | A budget shortfall in Kansas this year forced legislators to cut about $84 million from the K-12 public school budget for fiscal 2010, reducing per-pupil spending by about $120 per student.
Per-pupil spending for fiscal 2009 already had been reduced to $4,400 from $4,433 and will go down to $4,280 in the coming fiscal year. The legislature approved $3.67 billion in funding for the state department of education for fiscal 2010, down from the $3.75 billion in the current year.
The budget-balancing plan was approved May 11 by Gov. Parkinson, who succeeded to that office April 28 after a fellow Democrat, Kathleen Sebelius, resigned as governor to become the U.S. secretary of health and human services.
In the session that adjourned on June 4, lawmakers also approved a bill that will include financial literacy as part of the math curriculum for all grades, as well as set aside time each year to teach disability history and awareness.
