OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Blue Valley is the latest Johnson County school district to announce major changes tied to declining enrollment and a lack of state special education funding, with the district saying they need to make up $17 million through budget cuts that will impact many student programs.
When Blue Valley laid out its planned reductions, it said "the state continues to fall short of funding 92% of special education excess costs as required by Kansas law."
I've followed this topic closely and spoke with a parent about how the latest changes will impact her child.
Shabina Kavimandan says what happens at school shapes kids as individuals.
"And that's what's being taken away from so many of our kids ultimately," Kavimandan said.
Her 15-year-old daughter is one of thousands of Blue Valley students facing program and staffing cuts as the district tries to make up $17 million.
"She is very much involved in the marching band and strongly believes in the power of what the marching band has done for her," Kavimandan said.
The band was one of the reasons her family moved into Blue Valley, and now it's facing budget cuts.
When I sat down with Superintendent Gillian Chapman last week, she told me this is the district's last option. She says cuts are being made to maintain valuable district reserves.
I asked her what would happen if reserves were at zero.
"That's just a position that we cannot be in," Chapman said. "So we're doing everything we can that's in our control to manage this really difficult situation.”
The list of possible cuts is long. It includes teachers and staff, along with services like social workers and gifted education teachers. Programs like Chinese immersion, middle school dance, wrestling and cross country are also on the chopping block.
Chapman says it's because the Kansas Legislature hasn't properly funded special education for years.
"If things continue and we have no change, we are going to be looking at targeting even more elimination of programming because we simply cannot continue to deficit spend," Chapman said.
Kavimandan has heard her district say this before. That's why she's looking at Topeka for change, and hopes other parents do too.
"Legislature is still a bubble in Topeka," Kavimandan said. "The impacts have been knocking at our door, and now they are inside our school district."
Some of the changes have already taken effect, but the district says others will require extra planning — so it expects most to happen in the 2027-28 school year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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