Kansas officials involved in drafting new science standards for public schools are trying to reassure the State Board of Education that retraining teachers and buying new classroom materials won't be unusually expensive.
The issue arose during the board's meeting Tuesday when members reviewed a final draft of the proposed standards.
The science guidelines were developed by 26 states, including Kansas, and the National Research Council. The Kansas board doesn't plan to decide until at least June whether to adopt the standards as the state's own.
Board members Deena Horst of Salina and Jim McNiece of Wichita both worried about the potential costs facing local school districts. But state Department of Education official Matt Krehbiel said schools can retrain teachers over time and buy new books on their regular schedules.
