Senate Committee on Education (05/04/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	05/04/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	02:59 PM to 06:12 PM	Holbert	X
		Johnston	*
Place:	SCR 356	Kerr	X
		Merrifield	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Neville T.	*
	Senator Hill	Todd	X
		Woods	X
This Report was prepared by		Marble	*
	Rachel Kurtz-Phelan	Hill	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
SB15-290 HB15-1339 HB15-1369 HB15-1273 HB15-1349 HB15-1323 SB15-215		Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Appropriations Postponed Indefinitely Referred to Appropriations Postponed Indefinitely Amended, Referred to Appropriations Postponed Indefinitely

03:00 PM -- SB15-290

Senator Hill, chair, welcomed the committee members to the meeting. Senator Todd, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15-290 which concerns the creation of the Colorado Student Leaders Institute (COSLI). Senator Todd discussed the bill's fiscal note and explained that the program is contingent upon receiving funding from the State Education Fund as well as from gifts, grants, and donations.

The following person testified on the bill:

03:07 PM -- Stephanie James, representing COSLI, spoke in support of the bill. She provided background information about the program and spoke about its importance to the students who participate.

03:11 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Todd gave closing comments to the bill.


BILL:	SB15-290
TIME:	03:13:29 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-290 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-3.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:14 PM -- HB15-1339

Senator Grantham, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1339 which concerns the reporting of expenditures by local education providers. He talked about why the bill is important to rural school districts.

The following person testified:

03:16 PM -- Denise Pearson, representing Kiowa School District in Elbert County, testified in support of the bill. She provided background information about her school district and talked about how the bill will positively impact the district.

03:18 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Grantham provided closing comments to the bill. He distributed amendment L.003 (Attachment A) and explained the amendment.

15SenateEd0504AttachA.pdf

03:22 PM -- Leanne Emm, representing the Colorado Department of Education, came to the table to answer questions from the committee about the bill's fiscal note.

03:35 PM -- Josh Abram, Legislative Council Staff, came to the table to answer questions from the committee about the bill's fiscal note.


BILL:	HB15-1339
TIME:	03:36:18 PM
MOVED:	Neville T.
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert
	Johnston
	Kerr
	Merrifield
	Neville T.
	Todd
	Woods
	Marble
	Hill

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:	HB15-1339
TIME:	03:36:43 PM
MOVED:	Neville T.
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1339, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 5-3.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	No
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	No
	Marble
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

03:37 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

03:59 PM -- HB15-1369

The committee came back to order. Senator Kerr, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1369 which concerns the ability of unaccompanied homeless youth to determine domicile for purposes of in-state tuition status at institutions of higher education. He talked about how the bill will help ensure that homeless students in Colorado are able to establish residency to receive in-state tuition.

The following people testified on the bill:

04:03 PM -- Kachina Weaver, representing the Department of Higher Education, spoke in support of the bill. She talked about the difficulty for homeless youth in providing proof of Colorado residency. She said that it is anticipated that less than 100 students statewide will take advantage of this program.

04:06 PM -- Kristen Schuchman, representing the University of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. She said the changes made by the bill will make the tuition classification process much more clear and streamlined and will align state law with federal law. Ms. Schuchman responded to questions from the committee.

04:10 PM -- Benjamin Waters, representing Mile High United Way, spoke in support of the bill. He spoke about the organization's Youth Success initiative and Bridge the Gap program, and said the bill is a good step in the right direction to help students from the homeless population access higher education.

04:12 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Kerr gave closing comments to the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1369
TIME:	04:25:28 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1369 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a vote of 4-5.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	No
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	No

YES: 4 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	HB15-1369
TIME:	04:26:04 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Postpone House Bill 15-1369 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 5-4.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	No
	Kerr	No
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	No
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:26 PM -- HB15-1273

Senator Newell, sponsor, came to the table to present House Bill 15-1273 which concerns additional comprehensive reporting requirements for school discipline reports.

The following people testified on the bill:

04:28 PM -- Peg Ackerman, representing the County Sheriffs of Colorado, spoke in opposition to the bill. She discussed unfunded mandates and talked about the negative impact of the bill on sheriffs, especially in small, rural jurisdictions. She suggested an amendment that the County Sheriffs of Colorado would like to see passed. Ms. Ackerman responded to questions from the committee.

04:34 PM -- Lydia Waligorski, Karen Moldovan, and Kim Dvorchak, came to the table together to testify in support of the bill. Ms. Dvorchak, representing the Colorado Juvenile Defense Center, talked about the benefits and importance of the bill. Ms. Moldovan, representing the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, talked about current reporting requirements. Ms. Waligorski, representing the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence, expressed concern that teen dating violence is not included in the bill.

04:39 PM -- Christie Donner, representing the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, spoke in support of the bill. She answered questions about funding the program.

04:42 PM -- Arnold Hanuman, representing the Colorado District Attorney's Council, spoke in support of the bill. He told the committee that the District Attorneys across the state are now 100 percent in compliance with the 2012 reporting requirements.

04:43 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senator Newell gave closing comments to the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1273
TIME:	04:44:21 PM
MOVED:	Woods
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1273 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 9-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:45 PM -- HB15-1349

The committee took a brief recess.

04:49 PM

The committee came back to order. Senator Ulibarri, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1349 which concerns Grow Your Own Teacher programs in high schools that encourage student exploration of the teaching profession. He stated that the programs provide a direct mentorship path for students who want to become teachers. There were no witnesses present and Senator Ulibarri asked the committee to support the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1349
TIME:	04:54:18 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1349 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a vote of 3-5.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	No
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	Excused
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	No

YES: 3 NO: 5 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:	HB15-1349
TIME:	04:54:54 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Postpone House Bill 15-1349 indefinitely. The motion passed on a vote of 5-3.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	No
	Kerr	No
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Excused
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 3 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:55 PM -- HB15-1323

Senators Kerr and Holbert, co-sponsors, presented House Bill 15-1323 which concerns assessments in public schools. Senator Holbert distributed amendment L.047 (Attachment B). He explained the amendment and talked about the work that went into developing the bill. He talked about hold-harmless language in the amendment pertaining to parents who choose to opt their students out of assessments.

15SenateEd0504AttachB.pdf

05:07 PM

Senator Kerr explained amendment L.047 (Attachment B) in further detail and told the committee that it adds a paper and pencil option for schools administering statewide assessments.

The following people testified on the bill:

05:15 PM -- Lisa Escarcega, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), spoke about the bill. She said that CASE holds a neutral position. She acknowledged what she supports about the bill, and the ways she would like to see the bill amended. Dr. Escarcega responded to questions from the committee.

05:22 PM -- Chelsea Henkel, representing Stand for Children, spoke about the bill. She stated that she appreciates that the bill reduces the current testing burden, is a good compromise, and honors the work of the House Bill 14-1202 task force. She discussed her concerns with portions of amendment L.047 (Attachment B).

05:25 PM -- Bill Jaeger, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke about the bill. He said that he was a member of the House Bill 14-1202 task force, and that the bill goes a long way to reducing the assessment burden while maintaining the intent of the state assessment system. He talked about ways in which he would like to see the bill amended.

05:28 PM -- Kerrie Dallman, representing the Colorado Education Association, spoke about the bill. She stated that the current testing burden in the state is oppressive, and that there is a need to remove negative consequences for teachers, schools, and districts when parents choose to opt their children out of assessments. She said that Colorado students are tested far beyond federal requirements. Ms. Dallman answered questions from the committee.

05:36 PM -- Luke Ragland, representing Colorado Succeeds, spoke about the bill. He talked about the concerns he has with amendment L.047 (Attachment B). Mr. Ragland answered questions from the committee.

05:42 PM -- Jason Hopfer, representing Douglas County School District, spoke about the bill. He spoke about the issues he has with amendment L.047 (Attachment B) and answered questions from the committee.

05:52 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. The co-sponsors answered questions from the committee.


BILL:	HB15-1323
TIME:	06:01:16 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.047 (Attachment B). The motion passed on a vote of 6-3.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	Yes

YES: 6 NO: 3 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	HB15-1323
TIME:	06:07:57 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1323, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 5-4.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 5 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

06:10 PM -- SB15-215

Senator Kerr, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15-215 which concerns changes to student assessments in public schools. He asked the committee to lay the bill over until May 7, 2015.


BILL:	SB15-215
TIME:	06:10:37 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Lay over Senate Bill 15-215 until May 7, 2015. The motion passed on a vote of 9-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

06:11 PM

The committee adjourned.