Kansas PTA

05/08/2026

Please save the date for August 22, 2026, for our one-day, FREE Kansas PTA Convention in the Johnson County area. More details will be shared soon, but we are excited to offer this opportunity for connection, learning, and leadership development.

04/28/2026

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4–8 and it is a perfect time to recognize the incredible educators who support, inspire, and make a difference for our students every day.

Did you know that National PTA offers a Teacher Appreciation Toolkit to help you celebrate? It includes ready-to-use flyers, certificates, cards, coloring pages, social media graphics, and more to make showing appreciation easy and meaningful.

Access the toolkit here: https://www.pta.org/home/events/PTA-Teacher-Appreciation-Week?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=PTA&_zs=Pf6sd&_zl=ba2x4

Let’s take this opportunity to show our gratitude and make our teachers feel valued across Kansas.

04/21/2026

Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 19-25, and PTA is proud to celebrate all of the passionate volunteers who we love to PTA with! The power of PTA comes from you, our volunteers and we are filled with gratitude to champion the PTA mission alongside you.

04/09/2026

Now is the time to contact legislators! They return to Topeka on Thursday and could attempt to override the Governor's vetoes at anytime. They will likely adjourn for the 2026 session on Friday or Saturday. Take a quick moment to contact them using the easy links you can find here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HjHA4HyGhBknFXjEkOohqM_MYTKsMl2p4C45pKUuwe4/edit?usp=sharing

04/07/2026

Take action for public schools! See below:

It's the final week of the 2026 Kansas Legislative Session and our last week to stop a number of concerning bills that have landed on the Governor's Desk. Take action this week by:

✅ encouraging the Governor to veto bills
✅ watching for action alerts to contact legislators once we know which bills have been vetoed; we'll need them to vote to sustain the vetoes

Find more info and easy links at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o97QRxTcCW_PFdvZP-SnTTWuM-7j3yRqrgKEzm5SmEs/edit?usp=sharing

03/23/2026

Urgent Request: Please take the action steps outlined below to help us urge our legislature to fund SpEd!

We've reached the final budget negotiation stage of the 2026 legislative session. NOW is the time for all Kansans to reach out to lawmakers in Topeka.

Use this link (https://win.newmode.net/smacpta/fullyfundspecialeducation) to urge budget committee members to fund SpEd and reduce the pressure on property taxes before school districts are forced to make tough budget decisions.

The underfunding of SpEd is eroding general education budgets and putting pressure on local property taxes as school districts must use their local option budgets to cover the shortfall that legislators continue to ignore.

The budget committee has currently agreed to a $6 million increase for special education; far short of the $145M requested by the State Board of Education and the $25M needed to fund at current levels.

For SMSD, $1,400 of the per student base state aid of $5,378 is being redirected from general education to close the SpEd funding gap. It's time for the state to fund their fair (and mandated) share.

03/05/2026

Please take these actions indicated below ASAP!

The legislature is keeping us on our toes...send an email to senators ASAP.

Find your state level senator (upper chamber) at openstates.org or use the easy email link at bit.ly/SMAC3-5-26Alert

Ask them to:
- Respect local control and the cell phone restriction policies SMSD has already implemented that allow for flexibility and adjustment as feedback is received from parents, teachers, and students.

- Oppose the unfunded mandate in the bill that is estimated to cost SMSD over $500,000 as districts must invest in storage equipment to keep phones securely stored and inaccessible to students.

KANSAS PTA Opposition
Kansas PTA stands opposed to the bill because of the importance of supporting local control for this and other issues where we see legislative overreach. Locally elected boards and administrators understand the needs and complexities of their districts best.

Kansas PTA supports districts implementing cell phone restrictions. The great majority of districts in Kansas have enacted cell phone restriction policies with input from teachers and parents. These local policies have community buy-in and allow for feedback and adjustments as districts learn what works well or what doesn't. Mandating strict requirements into state law doesn't allow for flexibility as circumstances arise within a district that may warrant a policy adjustment or an exception.

03/03/2026

It's time to email our Senators in Topeka!

The Senate is debating their budget bill that includes just a $5 million increase in SPED funding; nowhere near enough to cover the current shortfall in special education that SMSD and other districts are making up for by depleting general education funds.

Learn more and find an easy link for emailing your senators in Topeka in the email that was sent to PTA members here:

https://smac.givebacks.com/public/uploads/429f0d18-d6e5-4e7d-81e6-f1eaed0c7a2c

02/25/2026

Email your state House Representative ASAP!

Urge your representative to support a meaningful increase in special education and let them know that $!0 million is not enough.

The proposed House budget includes a mere $10 million in new special education funding, despite a current shortfall of $226 million. The state has not been meeting its obligation to fully fund special education at the required 92% of excess special education costs for over 15 years. Districts have been covering the shortfall with general education funds, which impacts all kids. The current shortfall is effectively cutting $1,000 from the base state aid for each Kansas student.

Find links and guidance for emailing legislators in the SMAC PTA email sent to members on 2/24/26.

https://smac.givebacks.com/public/uploads/3f6031b0-27ef-4eda-9f6d-a127f1b96c32

02/20/2026

Submitting testimony is much easier than it sounds!

The voucher bill (HB 2468) is on the move after passing the House last week. Please take this opportunity to provide public comment (in the form of written testimony) to the Senate Education Committee. We need to impress upon legislators that they need to fully fund special education...not private schools!

You can find a testimony template, submission instructions, and sample talking points at: bit.ly/SMACFeb1926Alert