Schools in Olathe, Gardner, De Soto and Spring Hill stand to gain from an $8.3 million federal grant aimed at recruiting and keeping teachers.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids announced the funding in a Sept. 9 press release, secured through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL). The money goes to the Kansas State Department of Education, which administers it statewide. The 3rd Congressional District includes Olathe, Gardner, De Soto and Spring Hill.

The award breaks down to $2,903,167 in base funding and $5,483,666 in frontloaded funding for fiscal year 2026.

"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 the announcement. "This new investment will help Kansas continue to build the kind of schools where students can thrive by supporting the teachers and school leaders who show up for our kids every day."

Davids described the funding as the result of bipartisan work, saying she worked "with both parties" to secure the award.

The TSL program funds teacher training, coaching and leadership development. It also targets incentives for educators in low-income and rural communities, according to the press release.

The grant arrives as Kansas works to close staffing gaps. The state reported a 9% drop in classroom teacher vacancies statewide, according to a Kansas Reflector report published July 15.

Kansas ranked 40th nationally for starting teacher pay at $44,163 in fiscal year 2024-25, according to the National Education Association's Rankings & Estimates Report published in August. The state ranked 39th for average teacher salary at $61,470.

How the $8.3 million will be distributed among individual Kansas districts has not been announced. No implementation timeline or application process for local districts has been made public.