Kansas State Department Of Education

Kansas State Department of Education, a state educational agency under the parent State of Kansas Office of Accounts and Reports, receives federal grants as the prime recipient across 625 awards spanning K-12 education, special education, child nutrition, workforce development, and early childhood programs, with no set-aside designations as a U.S. government entity.

The department's federal footprint centers on formula grants flowing through to local educational agencies, school districts, and community organizations across Kansas. Representative grant work includes a $1.39 million definitive contract with the Institute of Education Sciences (awarded April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2035) as National Assessment of Educational Progress state coordinator for Kansas; a $49.8 million Title I Part A Basic Grants to Local Educational Agencies formula grant from the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (July 1, 2026–September 30, 2027) distributing funds to 117 Kansas school districts serving low-income students; and a $193.6 million National School Lunch Program formula grant from the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026) supporting school meal delivery through sub-awards to 47 school districts, educational cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations including Kansas City Kansas Public Schools and rural districts such as Lakin Unified School District 215.

Customer concentration reflects a typical state education agency profile. The Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education dominates by award count (254 awards across 87% of the portfolio), funding Title I, migrant education, special education preschool, English language acquisition, Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers, homeless education, and rural education programs. The Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service ranks second with 220 combined awards (116 in administrative expenses, 104 in nutrition programs) supporting the National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services holds 52 awards funding special education grants to states (CFDA 84.027), special education preschool grants (CFDA 84.173), and special education training and personnel development. The Corporation for National and Community Service's Office of Grants Management accounts for 22 awards supporting AmeriCorps programs and volunteer service initiatives. The top five customer agencies by award count cover 87% of all awards; the Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences anchors measurable potential value at $4.6 million through the NAEP contract.

As a state educational agency operating under formula grant mechanisms, Kansas State Department of Education does not pursue federal contracts through GWACs, BPAs, or other acquisition vehicles typical of commercial contractors. The agency acts as the pass-through entity for federal K-12 education funding, receiving formula allocations based on Census Bureau poverty estimates, English learner and immigrant population counts, migrant agricultural worker families, and special education enrollment, then sub-awarding to 47–117 eligible local educational agencies per program. Recent activity remains consistent: 14 awards obligated in 2026 (year-to-date through mid-October), 31 in 2025, 35 in 2024, and 34 in each of 2022–2023. Within the next twenty-four months, 26 awards reach ultimate completion date, indicating routine annual grant cycle renewals typical of Title I, special education, and child nutrition programs. The agency maintains sub-grant relationships with dozens of Kansas school districts, the Kansas Department of Corrections (Title I Neglected and Delinquent education services), the Kansas Department for Children and Families (Kansas Pre-School Pilot services), and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (early intervention coordination and child welfare linkages). Federal grant footprint spans the Department of Education (seven CFDA programs including Titles I and IV, special education, English language acquisition, rural education, assessments, and homeless education services); the Department of Agriculture (six CFDAs covering school lunch, breakfast, child care nutrition, fresh produce, technology innovation, and farm-to-school initiatives); the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps State and National and Commission Investment Fund programs); and smaller awards from the Institute of Education Sciences (NAEP coordination), the Office of Child Care (Preschool Development Grants Birth to Five), and the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (community-based child abuse prevention). The agency's role is administrative pass-through and compliance oversight for federal education and nutrition programs serving Kansas students and families, not service delivery or curriculum design.