House Committee on Education (03/18/2010)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	03/18/2010	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:33 PM to 03:09 PM	Benefield	X
		Massey	X
Place:	HCR 0112	McNulty	X
		Middleton	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Murray	X
	Representative Merrifield	Peniston	X
		Scanlan	X
This Report was prepared by		Schafer S.	*
	Katey McGettrick	Summers	X
		Tipton	X
		Todd	X
		Solano	X
		Merrifield	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB10-101 HB10-1369		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Amended, Referred to Appropriations

01:34 PM -- Senate Bill 10-101

Representative Scanlan, sponsor of Senate Bill 10-101, concerning authorizing Colorado Mountain College (CMC) to offer baccalaureate degrees, presented the bill to the committee and provided information about CMC (Attachment A). Representative Massey, co-prime sponsor, discussed the importance of the bill to the mountain communities and noted that the bill does not have a fiscal impact.

Attachment A can be viewed at State Archives

01:37 PM

Representative Murray asked for an overview of how the college operates. Representative Scanlan explained that there are day and residential programs. The residential programs are in Steamboat Springs, Spring Valley, and Leadville.

01:38 PM

The following people testified on the bill:

01:38 PM -- Dr. Stan Jensen, President of CMC, testified in support of the bill. Dr. Jensen shared the mission of CMC. He noted how the bill will increase access to higher education in rural mountain communities. He explained that the college would like to first offer baccalaureate business and teacher preparation programs.

01:42 PM

Representative Murray asked Dr. Jensen to explain how a school becomes a four-year college. Dr. Jensen responded that:

the school's board of trustees must approve the request;
the school must receive legislative approval to expand the mission; and
the degree programs must be regionally accredited and approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE).

01:45 PM -- Stan Orr, representing the CMC Board of Trustees, testified in support of the bill. He explained that the board of trustees are elected, not appointed. He shared his perspective as a business owner on the importance of having access to higher education in his community.

01:48 PM

Representative Schafer asked about the affordability of the four-year programs. He responded that the CMC has the most affordable tuition rates in the state, at $49 per credit hour.

01:49 PM -- Peter Tijm, representing the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, testified in support the bill. Mr. Tijm stated that his community is underserved in the area of higher education.

01:51 PM -- Erin Furman, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a nontraditional student at CMC. She noted the barriers that she has faced in accessing higher education, both geographic and financial.

01:53 PM -- Yesenia Silva-Estrada, representing herself, testified in support of the bill and shared her experience as a graduate of the CMC. She noted the financial effect of needing to complete her four-year degree at Regis University. She noted that she would have stayed in her home community to complete her bachelor's degree had that option been available at that time.

01:55 PM -- Bud Elliott, mayor of the City of Leadville, testified in support of the bill. He shared that he is enrolled in a course at CMC and noted how accommodating the college is to nontraditional students. He also stated that the college is well-managed.

01:57 PM

Representative Scanlan concluded her remarks on the bill, noting that the college is an economic driver in the community, and asked for the committee's support.


BILL:	SB10-101
TIME:	02:00:27 PM
MOVED:	Scanlan
MOTION:	Moved to refer Senate Bill 10-101 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a 13-0-0 vote.
SECONDED:	Massey
		VOTE
	Benefield	Yes
	Massey	Yes
	McNulty	Yes
	Middleton	Yes
	Murray	Yes
	Peniston	Yes
	Scanlan	Yes
	Schafer S.	Yes
	Summers	Yes
	Tipton	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes

Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:02 PM -- House Bill 10-1369

Representative Scanlan, co-prime sponsor of House Bill 10-1369, concerning the financing of public schools, reviewed the provisions of the bill with the committee. She explained how the base was calculated under the bill. She also discussed the budget stabilization factor. She noted that the bill updates the base per pupil rate.

02:09 PM

Representative Pommer explained that the amount of the cut is not fixed, because it is based on a formula, and depends on the amount of money in the budget. He also explained how federal stimulus fund requirements affect the amount that can be cut. Representative Massey stated that he appreciated the difficulty of carrying this legislation. Representative Murray asked the sponsors to explain the 6.35 percent cut. Representative Pommer responded that there are different ways to calculate the cut, and noted that the fiscal note states that it is a 6.35 percent cut before the rescission enacted earlier this year.

02:13 PM

Representative Peniston asked a question about Table 2 in the fiscal note, asking if there are certain districts that do not get enough state aid to make the 6.35 percent cut. Representative Scanlan responded, explaining that some school districts receive little or no state aid, so after the state aid is cut, the cut will come from mill levy funds. Committee discussion on the fairness of the cuts in these school districts ensued.

02:18 PM

The following people testified on the bill:

02:18 PM -- Karen Wick, representing the Colorado Education Association (CEA), testified in opposition of House Bill 10-1369. She stated that CEA appreciates the current economic situation, but presented concerns about the budget stabilization factor.

02:20 PM -- Mary Wickersham, representing the Office of the State Treasurer, testified on amendment L.001 (Attachment B) that the Treasurer is requesting. The amendment moves funds from land earnings to the interest earnings.

02:22 PM -- Wilson Hatcher, representing the Academy School District and the Pikes Peak Alliance, testified in support of the bill. He shared the various issues that his school district faces in the current economic climate, noting Public Employee's Retirement Association (PERA) obligations and other benefit obligations. He explained that his school district and others have instituted salary schedule freezes and are considering cutting administrative positions and school resource officers, and reductions in supplies. He explained that the 10 school districts of the Pikes Peak Alliance plan to cut a total of 250 teachers.

02:28 PM

Representative Todd asked Mr. Hatcher what the school district's teacher-student ratio is, and the state of its arts programs. He responded by sharing the various cuts school districts are making, including after-school Spanish and athletic coaches. He noted that there are school districts that are considering increasing class size. Representative Todd asked if Mr. Hatcher has held community meetings on the budget issue. He explained that there are parent sounding boards to present the issues and listen to concerns. He also noted that in his school district, the community passed a mill levy in 2008. He explained that parents are frustrated because the cuts are starting to affect the classroom.

02:32 PM

Representative Solano asked about the effect on full-day kindergarten programs. Mr. Hatcher responded that some school districts offer the program for free, and other offer it at graduated tuition rates. He explained all school districts in the alliance participate in the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP). He explained that his district is working to protect early childhood education funding, but some districts may have to consider cuts to these programs. Representative Murray asked how much of the district's budget is transportation. He responded transportation equals about 5 percent of the district's total budget, before state funding is accounted for. He further noted that if even law allowed the district to zero-out its transportation budget, there would still be a budget shortfall. Representative Schafer asked about the status of the school district's reserves. Mr. Hatcher responded that it is currently at four percent, but that may decline in the next fiscal year.

02:35 PM -- Jane Urschel, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), testified in support of the bill. She stated that CASB supports the efforts of the sponsors to deal with a difficult situation. Ms. Urschel further stated that the bill cuts Amendment 23 and is unconstitutional. She noted that CASB has two goals for the bill: to do the cut in a clean and equitable way and to ensure the bill spells out the exact spending levels so that there is a history of the funding levels in law. She addressed specific provisions of the bill that spell out the cuts.

02:41 PM -- Bruce Caughey, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), testified in support of the bill. He explained the issues school administrators face in administering the cuts in their school districts. He also noted that he believes there needs to be a more permanent fix and hoped that there will be the political will to do so in the near future. He expressed concern with calling the new factor a budget stabilization factor because of the possible confusion it could cause with federal stimulus fund terminology around state stabilization funds.

02:44 PM

Representative McNulty addressed Mr. Caughey's comments on the legislature having the political will to address funding issues in the state, noting that more money does not automatically equate to better schools. Representative Pommer responded to Representative McNulty's comments, stating that he believes that the taxpayers in Colorado get a good deal for the amount of money that is spent on K-12 education. Mr. Caughey also responded to Representative McNulty's comments, noting that Colorado is $1,900 below the national average of per-pupil funding.

02:48 PM

Representative McNulty reiterated that he believes it is not a lack of political will that prevents a discussion on education funding.


BILL:	HB10-1369
TIME:	02:49:04 PM
MOVED:	Scanlan
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.001 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Benefield
	Massey
	McNulty
	Middleton
	Murray
	Peniston
	Scanlan
	Schafer S.
	Summers
	Tipton
	Todd
	Solano
	Merrifield

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB10-1369
TIME:	02:49:26 PM
MOVED:	Scanlan
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.002 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Benefield
	Massey
	McNulty
	Middleton
	Murray
	Peniston
	Scanlan
	Schafer S.
	Summers
	Tipton
	Todd
	Solano
	Merrifield

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB10-1369
TIME:	02:49:49 PM
MOVED:	Scanlan
MOTION:	Moved amendment L.003 (Attachment D). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Todd
		VOTE
	Benefield
	Massey
	McNulty
	Middleton
	Murray
	Peniston
	Scanlan
	Schafer S.
	Summers
	Tipton
	Todd
	Solano
	Merrifield

Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection

02:50 PM

Representative Scanlan concluded her remarks on the bill and asked for the committee's support. She also responded to Representative McNulty's comments and shared her perspective as a school board member implementing the cuts locally. Representative Pommer stated his regret for cutting the schools and noted that the budget issue is a long-term problem for the state. Representative Massey stated that he believes that taxpayers do not realize the amount it takes to provide K-12 education on a day-to-day basis. He shared his experience as a school board member who worked to pass mill levies in his district. He further stated that school districts do the best they can with the amount of money they have. He noted that the state has a responsibility to explain what it costs to provide quality K-12 programs.

02:54 PM

Representative Middleton stated that she hopes that the current funding situation is the wake-up call that the state needs to address this issue. She echoed Representative Massey's comments on the lack of awareness among the public on the cost of providing a quality public education. Representative Tipton stated that he believes the citizens of Colorado have an appreciation of the cost, which is why he believes Amendment 23 was passed. He further stated that the families and businesses of Colorado feel the burden of the current economy as well.

02:58 PM

Representative Summers discussed the overall long-term budget issues the state faces, and that the state is at the point where it must determine what are the most critical components of the K-12 education. He noted the importance of being sensitive to the amount of education legislation that is enacted each year and amount of requirements that the state hands down to local school districts. Representative Todd stated that it is important to provide specific information to taxpayers on what the money will be spent on when mill levies are placed on the ballot. She also discussed the potential effect of four-day school weeks on parents and children.

03:06 PM

Representative Schafer commented on a presentation that she recently heard from Great Education Colorado. She also discussed the struggle that the nation is facing in competing with other countries in the areas of education and innovation. Representative Merrifield also provided concluding remarks on the bill.


BILL:	HB10-1369
TIME:	03:08:45 PM
MOVED:	Scanlan
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 10-1369, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a 13-0-0 vote.
SECONDED:	Benefield
		VOTE
	Benefield	Yes
	Massey	Yes
	McNulty	Yes
	Middleton	Yes
	Murray	Yes
	Peniston	Yes
	Scanlan	Yes
	Schafer S.	Yes
	Summers	Yes
	Tipton	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Solano	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes

Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:09 PM

The committee adjourned.