Date: 02/05/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-090

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment F), as amended.
Moved amendment L.002 (Attachment C). The motion
Moved amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion
Moved amendment L.004 (Attachment E). The motion
Moved an amendment striking Section 7 of the bill.
Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 4, l
Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 5, li
Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 5, li
Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Strike lin
Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. The propos
Moved an amendment to fill in the bill number thro
Moved an amendment to remove from the bill provisi
Refer Senate Bill 09-090, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
Pass Without Objection
FAIL
PASS



01:55 PM -- Senate Bill 09-090

Senator Hudak, sponsor of Senate Bill 09-090, presented the bill to the committee. The bill creates the Colorado State Advisory Council for Parental Involvement in Education in the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), creates the Parent Involvement in Education Grant Program, and creates the Parent Involvement in Education Grant Program Cash Fund to pay the costs of the program. Senator Hudak explained the need for, and genesis of, the bill.

Senator Hudak described each of the three parts of the bill. The first part is the establishment of the advisory council.


02:01 PM

Senator Hudak went on to explain the second and third parts of the bill. She explained that the bill adds parents to various education committees and boards.


02:06 PM

Senator Hudak went on to explain her amendments to the committee. Beginning with amendment L.002 (Attachment C), which she said adds a person with expertise in early childhood education to the advisory council, takes out one member of the advisory committee, and changes wording in the advisory council's duties from "advise" to "inform."

090205AttachC.pdf


02:09 PM

Next Senator Hudak explained amendment L.003 (Attachment D), which deletes the term "family resource center," which is defined elsewhere in statute, and substitutes "school-based parent information resource center."

090205AttachD.pdf

Amendment L.004 (Attachment E), Senator Hudak said, removes the fiscal impact of the bill. She explained what the amendment will do. Senator Hudak commented on the fiscal note.

090205AttachE.pdf


02:12 PM

Finally, Senator Hudak explained amendment L.001 (Attachment F), much of which is conforming changes for Senate Bill 09-163. She explained the other changes made by the amendment, noting that local boards of education will determine how people are selected to serve on the advisory council and the length of the advisory council members' terms. She described various other changes the amendment makes to provisions in law related to school accountability committees.

090205AttachF.pdf


02:17 PM

The following persons testified:


02:18 PM -- Jim Griffin, representing the Colorado League of Charter Schools, testified in opposition to the bill. Mr. Griffin said many charter schools are founded around parental involvement. He expressed concern about two main issues. First, he said, there is considerable research around what makes good governance of charter schools, and he said that research does not support putting requirements about the make-up of charter school boards in law. The second issue he talked about is the provision of the bill stating that the board of a charter school may not serve as the accountability committee. He said for some small schools in particular this is not a practical requirement. Mr. Griffin suggested there is room in the bill for a waiver process related to the accountability committee.

Mr. Griffin responded to committee questions and comments, including a question from Senator King about how charter school boards are constituted across the state. Mr. Griffin talked about the variety in the make-up of charter school boards.


02:29 PM

Conversation between Senator King and Mr. Griffin continued, with discussion about waivers of statutes related to school accountability committees. Senator Bacon called the next witness to the table, asking Senator King and Mr. Griffin to continue their conversation after the next witness


02:33 PM -- Chris Domino, representing the Colorado State Accountability Network, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Domino said she is a long-time member of accountability committees for the Cherry Creek School District. She said the bill an education reform bargain. Ms. Domino talked about the importance of increasing parental involvement, particularly parents of underserved students. She said the bill is an effort to reach out to parents. She said it is powerful to put all kind of parents on accountability committees, representing all kinds of kids.

Ms. Domino responded to questions from the committee, including a question from President Groff about what happens in situations where parents cannot participate due to other demands on their time. Ms. Domino talked about different ways parents can participate in their children's education.


02:44 PM

The discussion between Senator King and Mr. Griffin resumed, with conversation about waivers of accountability committee provisions. Senator Hudak asked Mr. Griffin to talk about how charter schools are dealing with current law about accountability committees. Conversation between Mr. Griffin and the committee regarding the law related to the make-up of accountability committees ensued.


02:51 PM

Committee discussion with Mr. Griffin continued around the make-up of accountability committees and the challenges faced by some charter schools.


02:56 PM

Senator King asked Mr. Griffin to comment on language in amendment L.001 related to the district board of education setting the length of terms for charter school accountability committees and language in the amendment related to allowing charter school board members to serve as members of the accountability committee.


03:01 PM -- Richard Garcia, Executive Director of the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, member of the Governor's P-20 Council, and representing the Colorado Parent Involvement Network for Education, and Raaki Garcia-Ulam, testified in support of the bill.

Mr. Garcia talked about the typical representation on current accountability committees, saying they contain very few people of color. He said getting parents effectively involved in education is critical, and said the state has not lead on this issue.

Ms. Garcia-Ulam described her work in the community, partnering parents with schools. She talked about mistrust among parents, and the importance of parental trust of schools. Ms. Garcia-Ulam spoke about the difference in children's school performance when their parents are involved.

The witnesses responded to questions from the committee, including a question from Senator Heath about how the bill will encourage parental engagement. The committee discussed ways to encourage and help parents, especially low-income and parents of color, be involved in their children's education. Mr. Garcia expressed his view that an accountability committee is needed in addition to a governing board.


03:17 PM -- Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), testified. She said CASB has not taken a position on the bill, but does have a number of questions. Dr. Urschel said some rural districts are concerned about the prescriptive nature of the bill. She talked about the fiscal impact of the bill, saying that though it is not huge, it is a concern for school districts.


03:21 PM

Senator Hudak answered questions posed by Dr. Urschel, saying the bill provides more flexibility in many ways than current law. Discussion between Dr. Urschel and Senator Hudak on this issue ensued. Senator King commented on the provisions of the bill related to who is to serve on the accountability committee. He asked Dr. Urschel to comment as well. Discussion ensued between Senator Hudak and Dr. Urschel about current law around accountability committees.


03:30 PM -- Bruce Caughey, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), testified. He said CASE has not yet taken as position on the bill. Mr. Caughey said many CASE members are concerned about mandates around the number of parents serving on the board. Senator Hudak responded, saying amendment L.001 addresses the issue. Conversation between Mr. Caughey and Senator Hudak ensued.

Mr. Caughey responded to committee questions and comments.


03:39 PM -- Paula Christina, representing the Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee, testified in support of the bill. She said she knows, as a teacher, that children succeed when their parents are involved. She said the bill establishes inclusive participation, including families of students with special needs. Ms. Christina said she recognizes there are challenges around the bill, but the advantages outweigh those challenges.


03:44 PM -- Janine Erickson, representing the Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers, testified in support of the bill. She talked about the importance of pulling from the diverse community of parents, and the importance of their input. Ms. Erickson said the diversity of parents would be a benefit to language education programs. She said making parents feel comfortable in leadership positions in the community is important.


03:48 PM -- Frank Waterous, representing the Bell Policy Center, testified in support of the bill. He provided a handout outlining the reasons the Bell Policy Center supports the bill (Attachment G). Dr. Waterous talked about reasons that parental involvement is important, talking about the most important indicators of student success. He said the bill will help more minority and low-income students' parents get involved.


090205AttachG.pdf

03:53 PM -- Vicki Newell, representing Colorado PTA, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Newell talked about ways to get parents to school. She talked about what accountability committee meetings look like. Ms. Newell talked about the message parental involvement sends to students.


03:57 PM

Senator Hudak provided closing comments to the bill. She said the bill attempts to add flexibility to allow parents be involved and to increase the number of parents who are involved. Senator Hudak said the bill gives tools to accountability committees to involve more parents. Senator Hudak said it is just as important for charter schools to have accountability committees as it is for all other schools, and commented that she is willing to consider the problems of small schools. She reiterated that the bill is a partner bill with Senate Bill 09-163.

Senator Hudak responded to committee comments and questions.
BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:09:03 PM
MOVED:Hudak
MOTION:Moved amendment L.002 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:09:37 PM
MOVED:Hudak
MOTION:Moved amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:10:00 PM
MOVED:Hudak
MOTION:Moved amendment L.004 (Attachment E). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

04:15 PM

Senator King expressed a number of concerns with the amendment as it relates to charter school accountability committees.

04:18 PM

Julie Pelegrin, Office of Legislative Legal Services, came to the table to respond to committee questions about amendment L.001. Committee discussion of the amendment ensued.


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:22:17 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 4, line 7, strike "THE SCHOOL DISTRICT"; strike lines 8 through 10; on line 18, strike "THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD"; and strike lines 19 and 20. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection






04:23 PM

Senator King and Senator Hudak talked about a potential amendment to L.001 that would address whether members of the charter school board can serve as the accountability committee. Ms. Pelegrin provided clarification about what the amendment says. Discussion between Senator Hudak and Senator King on the issue ensued.


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:30:03 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 5, line 8 strike "OR OF THE DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE" and on line 9 strike "COMMITTEE." and substitute "COMMITTEE AND THE DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE MAY SERVE AS A SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE.". The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


04:31 PM

Senator King and Senator Hudak talked about the potential amendment to L.001 that would give districts the same flexibility.


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:31:46 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Page 5, line 3 strike "MEMBERS OF THE" and on line 5, strike "MEMBERS OF". The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:32:51 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. Strike lines 10 through 23 on page 5 of the amendment, and substitute language striking Section 6 and Section 8 of the bill. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:35:22 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to amendment L.001. The proposed amendment would strike section 7 of the bill. After further discussion and agreement that this amendment should be made to the bill rather than the amendment, the motion was WITHDRAWN.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:42:39 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment striking Section 7 of the bill. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:42:43 PM
MOVED:Hudak
MOTION:Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment F), as amended. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:42:58 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Moved an amendment to remove from the bill provisions allowing an appropriation from the State Education Fund. The motion failed on a 3-5 vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
No
Heath
No
Hudak
No
King K.
Yes
Kopp
Yes
Spence
Yes
Romer
No
Bacon
No
Not Final YES: 3 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:46:30 PM
MOVED:Bacon
MOTION:Moved an amendment to fill in the bill number throughout where there are blanks. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Heath
Hudak
King K.
Kopp
Spence
Romer
Bacon
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

04:47 PM

Senator Spence made comments expressing her concerns about the bill.


BILL:SB09-090
TIME: 04:49:22 PM
MOVED:Hudak
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 09-090, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 6-2 vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Yes
Heath
Yes
Hudak
Yes
King K.
Yes
Kopp
No
Spence
No
Romer
Yes
Bacon
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS



04:49 PM

The committee adjourned.