Bill Summary for Bill Number HCR10-1002

Date: 04/19/2010

Final
HCR10-1002

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Moved House Concurrent Resolution 10-1002 to the C	PASS

01:33 PM -- House Concurrent Resolution 10-1002

Representative Benefield, sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 10-1002, concerning the authorization of the General Assembly to raise additional state revenue without prior voter approval for funding preschool through postsecondary education, explained to the committee why she is bringing the resolution.

01:37 PM

The following people testified on the bill:

01:37 PM -- Lisa Weil, representing Great Education Colorado, testified in support of the bill and explained the mission of her organization. She provided a handout to the committee members (Attachment A). She responded to questions from the committee regarding Great Education Colorado's funders and regarding the definition of adequate education spending. She also responded to questions about how additional funding would be used.

01:48 PM

Ms. Weil discussed that funding could be used to reduce class sizes, to provide professional development, to fund full-day kindergarten, and to fund summer school programs.

01:49 PM -- Bruce Broderius, representing Greeley-Evans School District 6, testified in support of the bill, and shared his experience in the educational field, noting his service on school boards and as a school teacher. He stated that education provides citizens emancipation from ignorance. He expressed concern that the voters of the state did not envision the issues that have arisen from the passage of certain constitutional amendments.

01:56 PM -- Carol Boigon, representing Great Education Colorado, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the importance of informing the public of the need for a strong public education system.

01:59 PM -- Chris Johnson, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. Mr. Johnson shared his experience as a small business owner, a parent, and a Republican who wants education funding increased.

02:01 PM -- Lois Skaggs, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a K-12 educator and shared a handout with committee members (Attachment B). She noted the challenges her school faces with funding technology needs. She noted the cuts that her school has had to make and the effect it has had on her students. She responded to questions regarding how much the district is cutting this year.

02:08 PM -- Andie Lerner and Ali Oksner, representing themselves as students at Denver School of the Arts, testified in support of the bill. They shared their experiences as students.

02:11 PM -- Lynn Reed, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.

02:14 PM -- Thea Ferrie, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a parent and a PTA president.

02:16 PM -- Carrie Warren Gully, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and discussed the cuts that are occurring at her children's schools, including cutting foreign language classes and international baccalaureate (IB) classes.

02:19 PM -- Chris Lindsay, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and shared his experience as a student.

02:22 PM -- Michelle Asher, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a parent with children in public education. She also shared testimony from other parents in her community.

02:26 PM -- Jon Goldin-Dubois, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and shared his experience as a parent with children in public school. He discussed the issue of having students that are not prepared for the workforce.

02:28 PM -- Brenda Smith, representing AFT Colorado, testified in support of the bill and introduced other members of AFT Colorado at the witness table: Heidi Curve, Courtney Smith, Renee Ruderman. Ms. Curve responded to Representative McNulty's earlier comments regarding education funding being sufficient. Ms. Smith shared her experience as a parent and student and what the cuts mean to her students, children, and fellow teachers. Ms. Ruderman, an AFT member and English professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD), shared her experience teaching students and the cost of education. The witnesses responded to questions and comments from the committee.

02:45 PM

The committee continued to respond to the testimony given by the AFT Colorado members, discussing teacher tenure, the fiscal issues with the entire state budget, and the merits of amending TABOR.

02:48 PM -- Hannah Pederson, representing herself, and her mother, Susan, testified in support of the bill. Susan discussed the current state of per pupil funding and the effect it may have on gifted and talented programs in Colorado.

02:51 PM -- Tracie Rainey, representing the Colorado School Finance Project, testified in support of the bill and discussed the issue of adequacy in public education funding. She noted the importance of maintaining consistently low class sizes from year to year, of technology access, and of professional development.

02:56 PM -- Erik Svennety, representing himself, and Evan, his younger brother, testified in support of the bill. Eric responded to a question from Representative Peniston about the gifted and talented program at his school, stating that he is concerned it will be eliminated because of budget cuts.

02:59 PM -- Karen Wick, representing the Colorado Education Association, testified in support of the bill and discussed the recent education reforms enacted in Colorado and expressed concern about the cost to fund these reforms.

03:04 PM -- Penn Pfiffner, representing the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR) Committee, testified in opposition to the resolution. He stated that this resolution is not the best vehicle for improving education funding. He further stated that the resolution is an attack on TABOR and that voters do not want the constitutional provision to be amended in such a manner.

03:12 PM

Representative Merrifield asked Mr. Pfiffner to clarify his remarks regarding the resolution being an attack on TABOR. Mr. Pfiffner responded that if the committee intends to get rid of TABOR, then the measure should address that question, as opposed to exempting one segment of the budget from TABOR. Conversation on this topic ensued, which touched on the specificity in the resolution on what the additional revenue could be spent on and how the resolution represents an attack on TABOR.

03:19 PM

Representative Merrifield asked why the proposal is different from the Highway User's Tax Fund (HUTF), which the voters approved previously. Representative Benefield weighed in, noting that the funding stream is not identified in the resolution for the education spending, but it would be in future legislation, should the resolution pass. Representative McNulty asked Mr. Pfiffner to comment if the measure passed, would voters be constrained on bringing voter-approved tax increases on education in the future. Mr. Pfiffner responded that because of the fungability of funds, exempting one segment of the budget from TABOR allows other areas of the budget to grow.

03:24 PM -- Don Beezley, representing the TABOR Committee, testified in opposition to the bill. He stated that there is no accountability included in the measure and that the resolution will prevent voters from testifying on future tax increases pertaining to education spending.

03:27 PM -- Jan Tanner, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards, testified in support of the bill and discussed the importance of educating voters about representative democracy and school finance.

03:29 PM -- John Giardino, representing Colorado PTA, testified in support of the bill and responded to questions from the committee.

03:32 PM -- Andrew Bateman, representing the Associated Students of Colorado, testified in support of the bill and provided a handout with committee members (Attachment C).

03:35 PM -- Nancy Rumfelt, representing the 9-12 Project Coalition, testified in opposition to the measure. She stated that she does not believe that this is the appropriate manner to fund public education. She raised issue with the lack of discussion on why education costs so much and why previous measures such as Referendum C, Amendment 23, and mill levy freezes have not been sufficient. She stated that parental involvement is the best way to improve education. She responded to questions from the committee. She also expressed concern about the number of programs that may be funded through the additional revenue.

03:40 PM -- Tom Graham, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill and expressed concern of the effect of the measure on TABOR. Mr. Graham also stated that it creates a burden on the citizens of Colorado to pay additional taxes.

03:44 PM -- Bill Kirton, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and presented concerns about future education funding, and that the measure allows citizens to bring the funding issue to legislators.

03:46 PM -- Carol Hedges, representing the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, testified in support of the bill because it provides the legislature more tools for addressing budget issues. She responded to questions from the committee.

03:51 PM -- Don Bammes, representing himself, testified in opposition to the bill and stated that the bill is not about education funding. He stated that he does not want to relinquish his right to vote on tax proposals and that it also encroaches on local school boards. He responded to questions from the committee.

03:56 PM -- Margaret Brady, representing the TABOR committee, testified in opposition to the bill and stated that the measure eviscerates TABOR and is wrong.

04:00 PM -- Sharon Wilson, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

04:02 PM -- Kathy Frank, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

04:03 PM -- Charlene Oswald, representing the TABOR Committee, testified in opposition to the resolution and stated that there needs to be additional accountability so that voters know what they are voting on.

04:06 PM -- S. Dee Oltmans, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill and asked that the members respect the boundaries of TABOR.

04:09 PM -- Patricia Bortz, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared the disadvantages of depending on school-based fundraising, and the inequity it creates between rich and poor communities.

04:13 PM -- Yvonne Bradford, representing herself, testified in support of the measure and discussed the measures her community took to support school funding through mill levies, but noted that the funding was insufficient to prevent budget cuts.

04:16 PM -- Marty Neilson, representing the Colorado Union of Taxpayers, testified in opposition and stated that she believes it is a run around of TABOR. She expressed the concern for how the state legislature currently manages the state budget and stated that local communities may vote on increased funding for school districts.

04:18 PM -- Michelle Burnett, representing herself, testified in opposition to the bill. She shared her experience as a parent with children in the public education system. She also discussed how she used food stamps to help her through difficult times and that she finds current efforts to increase taxes and fees frustrating.

04:21 PM -- Phil Campbell, representing the United Church of Christ and the Colorado Council of Churches, testified in support of the bill and expressed concern over the school budget cuts over the years.

04:23 PM -- Amie Baca-Oehlert, representing herself, testified in support of the measure, and shared her experience as an educator and discussed the recent cuts she has seen to school counselor programs.

04:27 PM -- Linda Mackety, representing herself, testified in opposition because she believes it is an end run around the will of the people to vote on tax measures.

04:28 PM -- David Williams, representing the Gadsden Society and the Libertarian Party of Colorado, testified in opposition to the measure. He stated that there are many segments of the government that would like increased funding but that fiscal responsibility benefits everyone in the state.

04:31 PM -- Garrett Baum, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and responded to earlier comments made by Representative Murray.

04:34 PM -- Matt Worthington, representing Associated Student of Colorado State University, testified in support of the bill and discussed the importance of the measure to higher education.

04:37 PM -- JoAnn Fujioka, representing herself, testified in support of the measure and addressed previous comments about the intention of the measure to gut TABOR.

04:41 PM -- Andrew Simpson, representing the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Colorado Council of Churches, testified in support of the bill.

04:48 PM -- Jane Schaefer, representing the TABOR Committee, testified against the bill.

04:50 PM -- Paula Peairs, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

04:52 PM -- Gordon Dolven, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and shared his experience as a student in public school.

04:54 PM -- Jonna Levine, representing herself, testified in support of the bill. She also shared testimony from a parent in Crested Butte, Colorado (Attachment D).

04:58 PM -- Paula Dickerson, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

04:59 PM -- Robert Kardokus, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.

05:04 PM -- Kelly Johnson, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

05:05 PM -- Shannon Fender, representing the University of Colorado - Denver (UCD) Student Government Association, testified in support of the bill and addressed previous testimony against the bill.

05:06 PM -- Cynthia Negron, representing Associated Students of Colorado at UCD, testified in support of the bill and addressed previous testimony against the measure.

05:10 PM -- Elinor Christiansen, representing herself, testified in support of the measure and provided a written copy of her testimony (Attachment E).

05:13 PM -- Caren Press, representing herself, testified in support of the bill because she believes that the state needs a stable source of funding for schools.

05:15 PM -- Troy Hubbell, representing himself, testified in support of the measure and shared his experience as a paraprofessional working in public schools.

05:18 PM -- Liane Morrison, representing Great Education Colorado, testified in support of the bill and addressed previous comments against the measure.

05:22 PM -- Becky Updike, representing Every Child Matters, testified in support of the bill.

05:24 PM -- Matt Oehlert, representing himself, testified in support of the bill and shared how budget cuts are impacting the school district where he teaches.

05:27 PM -- Margie Adams, representing herself, testified in support of the measure and addressed previous witness testimony against the measure.

05:30 PM -- Sophie Updike, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a sixth grader in the public education system and stated how she sees budget cuts affecting schools.


BILL:	HCR 10-1002
TIME:	05:33:05 PM
MOVED:	Benefield
MOTION:	Moved House Concurrent Resolution 10-1002 to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a 8-4-1 vote.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Benefield	Yes
	Massey	No
	McNulty	No
	Middleton	Yes
	Murray	No
	Peniston	Yes
	Scanlan	Yes
	Schafer S.	Yes
	Summers	Excused
	Tipton	No
	Todd	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 4 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

05:38 PM

The committee adjourned.