BY: ANNA KAMINSKI
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill Friday she feared would funnel more public money to private educational institutions.
Senate Bill 24 broadened the scope of the Kansas Promise Scholarship, which offers financial aid to Kansans in community college or a technical training program, to include two private institutions — Wichita Technical Institute and the Heartland Welding Academy.
Typically, the scholarship is reserved for not-for-profit schools.
“I have serious concerns about the precedent that would be set by providing state funding to for-profit educational institutions that are not accountable to the state or taxpayers,” said Kelly, a Democrat, in an announcement.
The bill also would have raised the maximum allocation that could be given to institutions across the state from $10 million to $15 million. The scholarship program covers the cost of tuition, books, fees and supplies for students in families below a certain income threshold who want to attend community college or technical school.
”This program is meant to support Kansans as they pursue an education,” Kelly said, “not funnel public money to private, for-profit institutions.”
The Senate passed the bill with unanimous support, and the House passed it 76-48 with nine Republican representatives joining Democrats in opposition.
SB 24 originally dealt with the duties of the state insurance commissioner. Legislators gutted it during negotiations at the end of the session and inserted the contents of Senate Bill 44, in which the scholarship expansion was initially proposed.
Mike O’Neal, who brought the scholarship bill to legislators in January, is a lobbyist for Wichita Technical Institute, among other high-profile clients, and a former House speaker.
“Given the demand for high-quality technical training in Kansas, it makes sense to expand the current eligibility for participation in the Promise Scholarship Act,” O’Neal said in committee testimony in February.
James Genandt, the president of Kansas Technical Colleges, opposed the bill, arguing it would hinder the success of existing programs. Last year, scholarship applications were paused months before the original deadline because of dwindling funds, he said.
“More institutions in the mix will only accelerate the problem,” Genandt said.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said he was disappointed in the governor’s veto, describing the scholarship program as a successful tool for job development and talent retention.
“Whether the student attends a public or private school is irrelevant,” Hawkins said, “especially as we face workforce shortages across many industries.”
The Legislature concluded its veto session April 11, leaving no opportunity for Republicans to attempt to override the veto.
House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, applauded the veto and thanked Kelly for “protecting public dollars.”