Records of the Kansas State Department of Education (1969- )

Abstract: The records for the Kansas State Department of Education largely consist of grant files, particularly the financial administration of federal and state grants to local school districts and other educational institutions and associations, sometimes referred to as Local Educational Agencies or LEAs. There are also a variety of annual reports ranging from audits, sometimes by certified public accountants and sometimes done internally, to statistical, demographic, and other administrative information reported by school district superintendents, principals, and other local officials.

Grants from the U.S. Dept. of Education and its predecessor agencies are often called after the common name of the law under which the appropriations were disbursed, such as Title grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its various updated versions. The focus of these grants and of other programs administered by the Kansas Dept. of Education is wide-ranging, from helping under-served populations such as migrant or homeless children, to ensuring that children and communities receive basic nutrition and learn how to prevent drug and alcohol abuse, as well as for educators’ professional development and creating programs with general high educational value.

As reflected in the records, the State Dept. of Education particularly from the 1970s onward has had a great deal of interaction with the Dept. of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS), such as creating programs to work with children with disabilities or under the Children and Adult Food Service Program. SRS has often received sub-grant monies from KSDE. The Board of Regents, governing higher educational institutions, has also had a great deal of interaction with the Board of Education, on occasion holding joint meetings. This is also reflected in the records.

The names of various sub-agencies, offices, teams, and sections have changed a great deal over the decades. Due to this, related series might exist in several seemingly unrelated sub-agencies, so broader searches might be necessary in order to find all the records pertinent to a particular topic.

While the records of the various departments governing education cover the entire history of Kansas statehood, from the creation of the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1861 to the present day, the bulk of the records fall in the 2nd half of the 20th century under the current Department of Education, particularly dating from 1970-2000.

Administrative History: The State Superintendent of Public Instruction was a constitutional office created in 1861 and filled through regular elections every two years. This individual had general supervision over educational activities, except state educational institutions. He had charge of the distribution of school moneys, and of the publication of school laws, forms, rules, regulations, and blanks.

The first State Board of Education, made up of the State Superintendent and the presidents of the four state colleges/universities, was created in 1873, but it was not given policy-making authority. It was to certify teachers and to administer teaching exams, and in 1893 it was authorized to accredit schools of education. The State Superintendent presented to this Board for its approval or rejection school textbook recommendations, courses of study and curriculum, plans and rules, and regulations covering certification of teachers.

The first Department of Education was created in 1915 and lasted until 1945, when it was superseded by the State Department of Public Instruction. The State Department of Education prescribed courses of study, made regulations to require use of those courses of study, accredited elementary and secondary schools, examined prospective teachers, issued teacher certificates, and accredited schools of education. In 1937, the Board also assumed the duties of the School Textbook Commission, with the State Printer and State Business Manager as members, ex officio, for that purpose. Originally the School Textbook Commission had been a separate commission, first created in 1897. This commission was abolished in 1913, the State Schoolbook Commission taking its place, with purchasing power for textbooks held by the Board of Administration.

In 1945 the Board of Education was reorganized to include seven members (not professional educators) appointed by the Governor, including members of the two major political parties and representing the several congressional districts. The Board acted in an advisory capacity to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. All textbooks adopted by the Board were selected from lists of texts recommended by Textbooks Advisory Committees. In that same year, the Department of Education was reorganized into the State Department of Public Instruction. The Board through the Department prescribed courses of study for public schools, including common or district schools, graded schools and high schools, and normal institutes; made rules and regulations regarding courses; and issued state teachers' certificates.

By the 1960s, a constitutional amendment shifted general supervision of public schools to an elected, ten-member State Board, marking the beginning of an entirely different philosophy of school governance. The State Board was to appoint a Commissioner of Education (instead of a Superintendent of Public Instruction) to serve at the pleasure of the Board as its executive officer. Until this time, the office of State Superintendent had been elected and the Board had been politically appointed. Now the Board could work more independently. In addition, the Department of Vocational Education was incorporated into the State Department of Education, established in 1969 as part of the major state restructuring in school governance and replacing the Department of Public Instruction. The new Department supervised public schools, educational institutions and all educational interests of the state, except those educational functions delegated by law to the Board of Regents.

At this time, the Board of Regents (created in 1925 and reorganized in 1939) governed only the University of Kansas; the Kansas State Agricultural College (later renamed Kansas State University) and all branch experiment stations; the Kansas State Teachers Colleges at Pittsburg, Emporia, and Hays; the Institutions for the Education of the Blind and for the Deaf and Dumb; the Vocational School at Topeka; and Western University of Quindaro. In 1999, the State Department of Education transferred governance of all community colleges and technical schools to this Board.

The current Kansas State Department of Education, working under the leadership of the Kansas State Board of Education, promotes student learning in Kansas. The Department provides materials and specialized skilled support to teachers and students to meet the state curriculum standards that the Department develops, as well as developing state assessments to measure accomplishment of those standards. The Commissioner of Education, assisted by Deputy Commissioners and Directors for specific programs, runs the Department. The State Board of Education has responsibilities to supervise, provide direction and leadership, and support public educational institutions under its jurisdiction.

Timeline of agency name changes:
1861-1915: State Superintendent of Public Instruction
1873-present: State Board of Education (overseeing the various departments concerned with education; has undergone numerous restructurings)
1915-1945: State Department of Education
1945-1969: State Department of Public Instruction
1969-present: State Department of Education

[Education, Kansas State Department of. "Education, Kansas State Department of (KSDE)." http://www.kspace.org/handle/1984/382 (accessed 2 January 2009).]

[Martinez, Dr. Sherrill and Lue Ann Snider. "History of Kansas Education."
http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=AoIWidQDVkc%3D&tabid=232&mid=670. Kansas State Department of Education: September 2001 (accessed 2 January 2009).]

[Wilder, Bessie. Governmental Agencies of the State of Kansas, 1861-1956. Lawrence: University of Kansas Publications, 1957.]

Related materials: Records of the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; Records of the State Department of Education (1915-1945); Records of the State Department of Public Instruction; Records of the State Board for Vocational Education; Records of the State Board of Administration; Records of the Kansas Board of Regents.