The Kansas State Department of Education will receive $8.3 million in federal funding to strengthen teacher recruitment and retention across the state, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids announced Sept. 8.

The grant comes through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program, known as TSL. It includes $2.9 million in base funding and $5.5 million in frontloaded funding for fiscal year 2026, according to Davids' office.

The award lands as Johnson County's largest school districts face budget deficits and staffing pressure. Blue Valley Schools projects a $10 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year, KCTV5 reported in May. Both Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission joined the Kansas Public School Funding Coalition that month, along with Olathe and De Soto, citing the state's chronic underfunding of special education as a drain on classroom resources and staff pay.

The TSL program funds training and coaching for teachers, leadership roles for experienced educators and incentives for those who take on added responsibility. It also targets recruitment in low-income and rural communities. Nationally, the program has funded 160 projects in more than 2,000 schools across 36 states and Washington, D.C.

KSDE is the direct recipient. Davids' announcement did not specify which Kansas districts will receive sub-grants or when funds will reach local classrooms.

"I went to Kansas public schools and became a first-generation college student, so I know firsthand how much a good teacher and a strong education can change a student's trajectory," Davids said in a statement.

Blue Valley Superintendent Gillian Chapman told KCUR in May that the district had barely one month of operating expenses in reserves and was struggling to maintain class sizes and pay staff wages that keep them in the district. The four coalition districts collectively spent more than $119 million from general education budgets in the 2024-25 school year to cover the state's special education funding gap, according to KCUR. Kansas has not met the statutorily required 92% threshold for special education funding since 2011, according to the coalition.

In August, the coalition hired law firm Lathrop GPM to advise on potential litigation against the state over the funding gap.

The program hit a snag in fiscal year 2025, when the Education Department cut existing TSL grants in an effort to eliminate programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to Education Week. Congress later restored funding. The fiscal year 2026 round is expected to distribute about $60 million nationwide.

Neither Shawnee Mission nor Blue Valley has commented publicly on whether or how the districts expect to access the new TSL funds.