SESSION OF 2023
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2081
As Recommended by House Committee on
Education

Brief*
HB 2081 would establish the Aspiring Future Teacher of
the Year Scholarship Program Act (Act) and appropriate funds
to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) for the
scholarship program for FY 2024 through FY 2028.

Aspiring Future Teacher of the Year Scholarship
Program – Appropriations (Sections 1-5)
The bill would appropriate $160,000 to KSDE from the
State General Fund for the purpose of providing scholarships
under the Act. The appropriations would be from FY 2024
through FY 2028 and provide for reappropriation of any
excess funds in the respective fiscal year.

Aspiring Future Teacher of the Year Scholarship
Program Act (Sections 6-10)
Definitions (Section 7)
The bill would define a “qualified student” as any
individual who meets the following criteria:
● Is a resident of Kansas; and

____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 ● Has been accepted for admission to, or is enrolled
in, a course of instruction leading to licensure as a
teacher in a public or private university in the state.
The bill also would provide definitions for
“postsecondary educational institution” and “private
independent postsecondary educational institution.”
Aspiring Future Teacher of the Year Scholarship Program
(Sections 8-10)
The bill would provide, within the limitations of
appropriations, eight qualified students to be awarded
scholarships of $2,500 per semester. The bill would specify
that all scholarships may be renewed annually for each
scholarship recipient so long as the recipient continues to be
a qualified student. Should a recipient not be enrolled full-
time, the bill would require the scholarship to be proportional
to the number of hours enrolled as compared to hours for a
full-time student.
The bill would require scholarship recipients to be
determined by the Commissioner of Education
(Commissioner) in consultation with the prior school year’s
Kansas Teacher of the Year. The bill would require the
Commissioner, to the extent practicable, to award
scholarships to qualified students whose backgrounds or
attributes are similar to those of the prior year’s Kansas
Teacher of the Year.
The bill would also require all scholarship recipients to
enter into an agreement with the Commissioner that must
require scholarship applicants to:
● Complete the required course of instruction as
specified in the agreement;
● Obtain and maintain necessary licensure as
specified in the agreement;

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 ● Engage in teaching in Kansas and comply with
terms and conditions established in the agreement;
● Commence teaching on a full-time basis in Kansas
no later than six months after licensure in an
accredited public elementary or public secondary
school and continue teaching on a full-time basis
for no less than two years; and
● Maintain all records and provide required reports to
the Commissioner to document compliance with
the Act and the agreement.
Rules and regulations. The bill would require the
KSDE to adopt rules and regulations for the administration of
the scholarship program and to establish terms, conditions,
and obligations, which must be incorporated into the
provisions of the written agreements between the scholarship
applicants and the Commissioner.

Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Education at the request of Representative Thomas.

House Committee on Education
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was provided by Representative Poskin and representatives
of the Kansas Association of School Boards, Kansas
Independent College Association, and Kansas National
Education Association, and by a former Kansas Teacher of
the Year. The proponents generally stated that the bill would
help attract postsecondary students to become teachers by
helping lower student debt and helping cover the cost of a
semester of unpaid student teaching.


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 Written-only testimony was provided by a representative
of the Kansas PTA and three former Kansas Teacher of the
Year award recipients.
Written-only neutral testimony was provided by the
Kansas State Board of Education. The testimony supported
the goal of increasing student education majors, but
suggested consideration of the expansion of scholarships in a
current scholarship program managed by the Kansas Board
of Regents.
No opponent testimony was provided.

Fiscal Information
According the the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, the bill would appropriate $160,000 per
fiscal year for FY 2024 through FY 2028. The Division of the
Budget states that a maximum of $40,000 would be
expended in the first year of the program for scholarships with
an increase of $40,000 for each subsequent fiscal year, to a
maximum of $160,000 in scholarships awarded in fiscal year
2027. Additionally, KSDE estimates the bill would require
additional expenditures of $38,750 and 0.5 FTE to administer
the scholarship program. The Division of the Budget
estimates that all scholarship awards and administrative costs
would be covered with the funds appropriated in the bill.
Any fiscal effect from enactment of the bill is not
reflected in The FY 2024 Governor’s Budget Report.
Education; appropriations; Aspiring Future Teacher of the Year Scholarship Program
Act; State Department of Education; scholarships; postsecondary; rules and
regulations; teachers


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