Kansas Workforce Pell

Where Kansas stands on Workforce Pell

Status

Live: an operational approval process underway, an open application window, a pilot cohort accepting programs, or an eligible-program list being finalized and submitted to ED (the Record’s definition).

Phase

Board Recommendation Process Adopted (Jun 2); Two Programs Recommended to Governor; Approved List Unposted

Lead agency

KANSASWORKS State Board and Kansas Department of Commerce (Workforce Services), with the Kansas Board of Regents presenting programs; the governor approves

Current holdup

Governor / KWSB / Regents

The KANSASWORKS State Board adopted a Workforce Pell approval process on June 2, 2026 by revising Commerce policy 5-04-00 (Kansas Eligible Training Provider List and Workforce Pell), 7-0: the Board of Regents presents eligible programs at regular board meetings, the board weighs them against the statutory criteria and recommends them to the governor, and an approved-program list is to be kept on the board's website after governor approval; the same meeting voted 7-0 to recommend two Regents-presented programs, unnamed in the draft minutes; no governor approval, program names, or list has been posted, the August 25 meeting took the June 2 minutes on its consent agenda with no further Workforce Pell item, the next board meeting is December 8 (virtual), and the Regents' TEA books through October 29 note continued partnership with Commerce without a process item

What the record documents

Governor Kelly signed HB 2485, which (consolidating SB 406) replicates the federal legislation for establishing Workforce Pell eligibility requirements and directs the governor to approve short-term workforce training programs for Pell grant eligibility. At the Board of Regents' Postsecondary Technical Education Authority meeting on April 23, 2026, KBOR workforce development staff reported that Ability to Benefit and Workforce Pell initiatives "will begin soon," and the May 28, 2026 TEA meeting book reports that "continued progress is being made in advancing workforce Pell requirements through coordinated efforts among internal KBOR offices and the Department of Commerce." As of September 8 no approval process or application window has been published. The TEA met August 27, 2026 with no Workforce Pell item on its agenda and none in the August workforce development report; its FY 2027 calendar continues September 15, October 29, November 19, and December 17, with agendas posted the week before each meeting. The TEA's October 29, 2026 meeting book, posted on OnBoard by October 28, contains no Workforce Pell item; its Workforce Development Report states that CTE staff continue to partner with the Department of Commerce on Apprenticeship and Workforce Pell initiatives and that statewide initiatives with Commerce continue, including Workforce Pell program work. Remaining TEA dates are November 19 and December 17. The approval process is set out in Commerce policy rather than at the Regents: on June 2, 2026 the KANSASWORKS State Board (the state WIOA board) approved revisions to Policy 5-04-00, Kansas Eligible Training Provider List and Workforce Pell, 7-0, adding a Workforce Pell section under Section 83002 of Public Law 119-21 and HB 2485: a Kansas Board of Regents representative presents programs meeting the federal criteria at regularly scheduled board meetings, the board discusses alignment with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand sectors, employer hiring requirements, stackable credentials, single-credential occupations, pathways to further certificates or degrees, and academic credit, then recommends programs to the governor for approval, after which a list of approved programs is to be maintained on the board's website until KANSASWORKS.com can host it; a denied or terminated program may appeal in writing within 15 calendar days to the board, with an Appeals Review Panel named by the chair and a final decision within 30 days (workforcesvcs@ks.gov). The draft minutes of the same special meeting record a Workforce Pell presentation by KBOR Vice President for Workforce Development April White and a 7-0 vote recommending "the two presented programs" for Workforce Pell eligibility, without naming them; the August 25 agenda took the June 2 minutes on its consent agenda with no further Workforce Pell item, and the board's next meeting is December 8, 2026 (virtual). As of November 2, 2026 no governor approval, program names, or approved-program list has been posted, and the Regents' TEA materials do not mention the board process. The row moved to live on November 2 because an adopted approval process has acted on programs, even though institutions reach it through the Regents rather than a public application portal. Source, Policy 5-04-00, TEA meeting book

Verified against the sources on November 6, 2026.

Eligible occupations in Kansas

The State Approval Comparison, which compares every published state eligible-occupation framework (27 so far), does not include a Kansas list as of November 6, 2026.

Approved Workforce Pell programs in Kansas

No Kansas program appears in the Record’s approved-programs table (U.S. Department of Education announcements and state rosters of federally approved programs) as of November 5, 2026.

Sources

Every primary source the record cites for Kansas, last checked November 6, 2026.

• calendar (www.kansasregents.gov)
• Policy 5-04-00, Kansas Eligible Training Provider List and Workforce Pell (ksworksstateboard.org)
• draft minutes (ksworksstateboard.org)
• August 25 agenda (ksworksstateboard.org)
• Source (www.kslegislature.gov)
• TEA meeting book (www.kansasregents.gov)