Bill Summary for Bill Number SB14-167

Date: 04/28/2014

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB14-167

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Refer Senate Bill 14-167 to the Committee on Appro	PASS

01:52 PM -- SB14-167

Representative Hamner, Chair, welcomed the audience and committee members. She explained that she would be laying over three bills until the committee's next meeting on Wednesday, April 30.

Representative Fields, sponsor, introduced Senate Bill 14-167, which creates a pilot initiative within the Department of Education (CDE) to provide funding to Alternative Education Campuses (AECs) for at-risk students. She discussed the definition of at-risk students, also known as opportunity youth. She discussed the need to identify best practices for helping at-risk students, how many at-risk students have been identified in Colorado, and other statistical information. She talked about dropouts, and the associated societal costs. Representative Fields responded to questions from the committee. She handed out a list of AEC campuses (Attachment A).

14HseEd0428AttachA.pdf

The following people testified:

01:58 PM -- Beth Cutter, a governing board member of Community Prep Charter School, testified in favor of the bill. She discussed the students at her school who are classified as opportunity youth. She explained that they may be victims of abuse, exiting gang involvement, former substance abusers, victims of psychiatric conditions, or teen parents. She discussed her school's partnership with Pikes Peak Community College. She explained that many of her students are the first in their families to graduate from high school, or the first in their families to attend college. She discussed a fact sheet that had been distributed to committee members (no copy provided to staff) and pointed out how the bill would benefit her school. Ms. Cutter responded to questions from the committee.

02:06 PM -- Wayne Hutchison, a governing board member of Community Prep Charter School, testified in favor of the bill. He discussed the needs of at-risk youth, also known as opportunity youth. He discussed the importance of relevant training, workplace experiences, and concurrent enrollment. He discussed the need for resources, and the benefits of cooperation among AECs. He discussed how the bill would reduce the number of dropouts, and how the bill would benefit his school.

02:10 PM -- Lydia Guzman, Assistant Principal at the Contemporary Learning Academy, testified in favor of the bill. She discussed the nature of her school, how the bill would impact students, and her students' needs. She explained that many students arrive with health or mental health issues, have attended many schools, and may have previously dropped out. She talked about how the bill would benefit the students at her school and discussed the importance of mentors to coach students in life skills. Ms. Guzman responded to questions from the committee.

02:17 PM -- Dan Schaller, Director of Advocacy for the Colorado League of Charter Schools, testified in favor of the bill. He explained that 25 percent of all AECs in Colorado are charter schools. He discussed the need for quality and innovation. Mr. Schaller responded to questions from the committee.

02:21 PM -- Reilly Pharo, Vice President of Education Initiatives for the Colorado Children's Campaign, testified in support of the bill. She discussed AECs across Colorado, and why these schools have little success. She discussed how the bill would benefit the students, and how successes would be replicated. She discussed a 2012 report on AECs written by the Colorado Children's Campaign.

02:23 PM -- Kim Dolan, Associate Director of the Donnell-Kay Foundation, spoke about the bill. She discussed dropout statistics, at-risk students, increased costs to the state when a student drops out, and the need to invest in successful strategies. She discussed current research, pioneering models that have seen great success, and how those models focus on integrating high quality instruction with strong academic supports. She discussed a culture of engagement, wraparound support, and other strategies to better serve opportunity youth. She explained that in Colorado, AECs are the primary pathways for opportunity youth. She discussed need to serve this population in better and different ways.

02:27 PM -- Ethan Hemming, Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI), testified in support of the bill. He gave background information on CSI, and explained that 10 percent of CSI schools are AECs. He pointed out that 50 percent of students in CSI schools are considered at-risk. He discussed the bill's structure, and explained that it will leverage the marketplace to bring new ideas to the table. He discussed methods of assessing outcomes for students and explored the lessons that all AECs can learn about how to define efficiency and effectiveness.

02:30 PM -- Davina Miller, an economics student at the University of Colorado, spoke about the bill. She delivered an economic interpretation of the bill. She discussed at-risk students, the economic costs to the state, and how the bill's investment would yield returns.

02:35 PM

No further witnesses being present, Representative Hamner closed public testimony. Representative Fields offered closing comments to the bill.


BILL:	SB14-167
TIME:	02:43:43 PM
MOVED:	Fields
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 14-167 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 7-5, with one member excused.
SECONDED:	Pettersen
		VOTE
	Buckner	Yes
	Court	Yes
	Everett	No
	Fields	Yes
	Holbert	No
	McNulty	No
	Murray	No
	Pettersen	Yes
	Priola	Excused
	Wilson	No
	Young	Yes
	Peniston	Yes
	Hamner	Yes

Final YES: 7 NO: 5 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS