Date: 02/25/2009

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB09-236

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Moved that Senate Bill 09-236 be postponed indefin
Refer Senate Bill 09-236 to the Committee of the W
PASS
FAIL



11:41 AM -- Senate Bill 09-236

Senator Lundberg, sponsor of Senate Bill 09-236, presented the bill. The bill requires school districts that are building a new public school to hold at least one public hearing about the planned construction. He said he has two amendments, and described the amendments' effects. He also said he would be willing to add a conceptual amendment to reduce the financial impact on school districts.

Senator Lundberg responded to committee questions. He clarified that one of his amendments is intended to address concerns raised around security.


11:47 AM

Committee discussion with Senator Lundberg continued, with conversation around time frames, particularly as they relate to charter schools, specified in the bill. Senator Lundberg responded to a number of committee questions related to the bill's impact on charter schools. He said the intent of the bill is not to slow down the building process, it is to provide transparency.


11:55 AM

The following persons testified:


11:55 AM --
Bruce Caughey, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), testified in opposition to the bill. He talked about the requirements that must be met by districts under the procurement code, which include public meetings. Mr. Caughey talked about the possible costs to school districts to meet the requirements of the bill.


11:57 AM --
Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), testified in opposition to the bill. She described the process under current law and said it is very transparent. She said CASB has not taken a formal position on the bill, enumerated CASB's concerns about the bill, and posed a number of questions about the reach of the bill.

Senator Lundberg responded to committee questions related to the issues raised by Dr. Urschel.


12:05 PM --
Daniel Bennan, representing the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police, testified in opposition to the bill. He expressed concerns around public safety related to the bill's requirements on posting information on a website. He said the bill provides information to a much larger audience than just those interested in what the school might look like, and this might pose a danger to students and adults in the school, as well as first responders.


12:08 PM --
Brian Campbell, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He said that blueprints are available currently, so if there are security issues, they already exist. He said he supports the transparency provided in the bill.


12:10 PM --
Bill Geis, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He said transparency is the most important aspect of the bill. Mr. Geis related an example that illustrates the issue the bill seeks to address. He said that information is already digitized, so the expense should be minimal.

Mr. Geis responded to committee questions.


12:14 PM --
Linda Sasenick, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She spoke further to situations in Jefferson County, saying the public was not notified. She said current law does not provide the needed and adequate public notice. In big districts, she said, there is no statutory requirement that the public be notified and heard. Ms. Sasenick said the sense that there is an open process is not correct.

Ms. Sasenick responded to committee questions and comments.


12:19 PM --
Jeff Sacco, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Sacco talked about the situation in Jefferson County, and said the bill represents common sense and allows citizens to work in concert with schools. Mr. Sacco talked about CORA requests, and the difficulty faced by the community in getting information from the Jefferson County School District.

Mr. Sacco responded to committee questions and comments.


12:27 PM --
Russell Haas, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He spoke to the security issues raised by earlier witnesses.

Mr. Haas responded to committee questions.


12:29 PM --
Jack Ott, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Ott said the voter is the customer of the government, and neighborhoods should have input into school construction.


12:30 PM

Senator Lundberg provided closing comments to the bill and responded to committee comments.
BILL:SB09-236
TIME: 12:32:42 PM
MOVED:King K.
MOTION:Refer Senate Bill 09-236 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a 1-6-1 vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
No
Heath
No
Hudak
No
King K.
No
Scheffel
Excused
Spence
No
Romer
Yes
Bacon
No
Not Final YES: 1 NO: 6 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:SB09-236
TIME: 12:33:08 PM
MOVED:Spence
MOTION:Moved that Senate Bill 09-236 be postponed indefinitely. The motion passed on a 6-1-1 reversal of the previous roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Groff
Yes
Heath
Yes
Hudak
Yes
King K.
Yes
Scheffel
Excused
Spence
Yes
Romer
No
Bacon
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 1 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS




12:33 PM

The committee adjourned.