Date: 01/23/2012
Final
Review of Budget/Strategic Plan by CDE
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
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04:09 PM -- Review of Budget/Strategic Plan by CDE
Diana Sirko, Deputy Commissioner of Education, Jeff Blanford, Chief Financial Officer, and Jill Hawley, Chief of Staff and Strategy, Colorado Department of Education (CDE), came to the table to provide a brief review of CDE's FY 2012-13 budget request and strategic plan. They provided several handouts to the committee (Attachments K through N) including: a side-by-side comparison of the State Board of Education's and Governor's budget requests; a summary of CDE's budget decision items; a summary of the department's goals, objectives, and strategies; a chart of funding options regarding assessments; and a table of state assessment data.
Mr. Blanford explained the items in the side-by-side budget request comparison handout (Attachment K). He stated that because the State Board of Education (SBE) is comprised of elected board members, the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) entertains budget requests directly from the SBE when there is a difference of opinion between the Governor's budget request and the SBE's budget request.
The committee asked if there are ongoing conversations between SBE and the Governor's Office to come to an agreement on the differences in the budget requests. The committee also asked how Race to the Top moneys are being spent. Ms. Hawley responded to the committee's question about Race to the Top, saying that some of the funding is going toward implementation of teacher effectiveness. She stated that Race to the Top finding will go towards the design portion of teacher effectiveness and that the Governor's request is complementary to this money and will allow for the heavy implementation of teacher effectiveness, on the ground training, and support. Ms. Hawley discussed the way that the Race to the Top Funds are allocated between districts, noting that about 148 school districts in Colorado are receiving $20,000 or less, but conversations are occurring about how districts can pool their funds with their BOCES. She added that Race to the Top moneys can be used for educator effectiveness, implementing new standards, and increasing access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content.
The committee asked about the new state assessment tool that is being developed by CDE. Dr. Sirko responded and referred the committee to a handout which outlines the options regarding assessment funding (Attachment M). Committee discussion with Dr. Sirko about the content and cost of the new state assessment ensued. Dr. Sirko responded to questions from the committee and noted that Colorado's state assessment has not been updated in 16 years and is the oldest assessment being administered in the U.S.