House Committee on Education (03/09/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	03/09/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:35 PM to 04:10 PM	Everett	X
		Fields	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Garnett	X
		Lee	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Lundeen	X
	Representative Buckner	Moreno	X
		Priola	X
This Report was prepared by		Wilson	*
	Lisa Gezelter	Windholz	X
		Pettersen	*
		Buckner	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB15-1201 HB15-1240		Amended, Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:35 PM -- HB15-1201

Representative Lee, acting Chair, called the meeting to order. Representative Buckner conducted a drawing for schools to win money from the Colorado Education Association. Representative Rankin, co-sponsor, introduced House Bill 15-1201, which diverts $10 million from the direct distribution of monies to school districts to helping rural and small schools in cooperative efforts to reduce overhead costs. He discussed his district and the schools within it. He described the bill as an effort to provide a three-year grant program for Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to reach out to districts. He thanked the stakeholders for their input into the bill and Representative Buckner for helping to build support. He described his intention to reduce overhead operating costs by consolidating services and specialties. He explained that the bill does not take away any local control of school districts, but rather increases efficiency in the provision of overhead services. He described the operation of BOCES and the provisions of Amendment L.002 (Attachment A). Representative Buckner, co-sponsor, discussed his role in creating the bill and bringing it before the committee. The co-sponsors responded to questions from the committee.

15HouseEd0309AttachA.pdf

01:55 PM

The following people testified:

01:55 PM -- Dale McCall, representing the Colorado BOCES Association, spoke in support of the bill. He described the members of his association and how BOCES are governed in relation to their member districts. He described 38 school districts in the state that have only one administrator and how rural administrators are eager for assistance in the areas of nursing, accounting services, transportation, food services, technical support, facilities maintenance, training for non-instructional staff, and audits, among others. He discussed efficiency and effectiveness. Mr. McCall responded to questions from the committee.

02:08 PM -- Ed VanderTook, representing Strasburg School District, spoke in support of the bill. He described his experience as a BOCES director and the problems that the bill addresses. He described the East Central BOCES and explained why it is supporting the bill.

02:11 PM -- Elliott Asp, representing the Colorado Department of Education, spoke in support of the bill. He described the stakeholder input process and the needs of small, rural districts for additional support. He described the impact the bill would have on small, rural districts and explained how the bill would preserve local control. Mr. Asp responded to questions from the committee.

02:17 PM -- Kim McClelland, representing the Colorado Digital BOCES, spoke in support of the bill. She described the Colorado Digital BOCES, its activities, the services it provides, and the students it serves. Ms. McClelland responded to questions from the committee.

02:24 PM

Mr. McCall returned to the witness table to respond to questions from the committee.

02:26 PM

Representative Rankin discussed the provisions of Amendment L.002 (Attachment A).


BILL:	HB15-1201
TIME:	02:27:31 PM
MOVED:	Wilson
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Lundeen
		VOTE
	Everett
	Fields
	Garnett
	Lee
	Lundeen
	Moreno
	Priola
	Wilson
	Windholz
	Pettersen
	Buckner

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

02:27 PM

Representative Buckner offered closing comments to the bill. Representative Rankin offered closing comments to the bill. Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	HB15-1201
TIME:	02:28:41 PM
MOVED:	Buckner
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1201, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 10-1.
SECONDED:	Wilson
		VOTE
	Everett	No
	Fields	Yes
	Garnett	Yes
	Lee	Yes
	Lundeen	Yes
	Moreno	Yes
	Priola	Yes
	Wilson	Yes
	Windholz	Yes
	Pettersen	Yes
	Buckner	Yes

Final YES: 10 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:29 PM -- HB15-1240

The committee recessed.

02:35 PM

The committee came back to order. Representative Fields, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1240, which establishes a requirement that districts and police departments enter into Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) regarding how law enforcement should interact with students. She distributed a sample MOU to the committee (Attachment B). Representative Fields responded to questions from the committee.

15HouseEd0309AttachB.pdf

02:55 PM

The following people testified:

02:55 PM -- Jim Freeman, representing Padres y Jovenes Unidos, spoke in support of the bill. He described his work on school discipline practices in Colorado. He explained the effect of harsh discipline practices on graduation rates, and how the bill's provisions align with best practices in the field. Mr. Freeman responded to questions from the committee.

03:09 PM -- Michael Eaton, Chief of Safety and Security for Denver Public Schools, came to the table with Amber Elias, Deputy General Counsel for Denver Public Schools. Mr. Eaton spoke about the bill. He described his experiences working with the Denver Police Department to establish guidelines and specific agreements for the operation of police officers in schools. Mr. Eaton and Ms. Elias responded to questions from the committee. They spoke about the MOU that was distributed to the committee (Attachment B).

03:16 PM -- Michael Madrid, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill. He described his experiences in public schools throughout the Denver metropolitan area. He described the impact of referrals to law enforcement on students. Mr. Madrid responded to questions from the committee.

03:29 PM -- Stephanie Sandhu, representing the Denver Freedom Riders, spoke in support of the bill. She described her experiences as a medical student working in a clinic. She described the psychological trauma experienced by students charged with crimes. She described racial disparities in tickets written in schools. Ms. Sandhu responded to questions from the committee.

03:33 PM -- Kim Dvorchak, Executive Director of Colorado Juvenile Defenders Center, spoke in support of the bill. She described the lifelong impact of juvenile criminal records. Ms. Dvorchak responded to questions from the committee.

03:44 PM -- Alan Gilbert, representing himself, spoke in support of the bill. He described his book on black soldiers in the American Revolution. He described his research on racism and American democracy and his work on restorative justice at the University of Denver (DU). He described books on the topic of racism. He described the number of people in American prisons. He described the history of Jim Crow laws, the enslavement of prisoners, and books on the subject as well as a PBS show. He talked about Ferguson, Missouri and the use of military equipment by local police forces. He talked about breaking the school to prison pipeline. He discussed restorative justice and its use at DU. Mr. Gilbert responded to questions from the committee.

03:52 PM

Representative Fields explained the provisions of Amendment L.001 (Attachment C).

15HouseEd0309AttachC.pdf


BILL:	HB15-1240
TIME:	03:53:16 PM
MOVED:	Fields
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:	Lee
		VOTE
	Everett
	Fields
	Garnett
	Lee
	Lundeen
	Moreno
	Priola
	Wilson
	Windholz
	Pettersen
	Buckner

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

03:55 PM

Representative Fields explained the provisions of Amendment L.002 (Attachment D).

15HouseEd0309AttachD.pdf


BILL:	HB15-1240
TIME:	03:55:53 PM
MOVED:	Fields
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment D). The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Moreno
		VOTE
	Everett	No
	Fields	Yes
	Garnett	Yes
	Lee	Yes
	Lundeen	No
	Moreno	Yes
	Priola	No
	Wilson	No
	Windholz	No
	Pettersen	Yes
	Buckner	Yes

YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:01 PM

Representative Fields offered closing comments to the bill. Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	HB15-1240
TIME:	04:02:31 PM
MOVED:	Fields
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1240, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:	Garnett
		VOTE
	Everett	No
	Fields	Yes
	Garnett	Yes
	Lee	Yes
	Lundeen	No
	Moreno	Yes
	Priola	No
	Wilson	No
	Windholz	No
	Pettersen	Yes
	Buckner	Yes

Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

04:09 PM

The committee adjourned.