Joint Committee Committee on Joint Education (01/21/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT EDUCATION

Date:	01/21/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:37 AM to 12:08 PM	Everett	X
		Fields	X
Place:	HCR 0112	Garnett	X
		Holbert	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Johnston	*
	Representative Buckner	Kerr	X
		Lee	X
This Report was prepared by		Lundeen	X
	Lisa Gezelter	Marble	X
		Merrifield	X
		Moreno	X
		Neville T.	X
		Pettersen	X
		Priola	E
		Todd	X
		Wilson	X
		Windholz	X
		Woods	X
		Buckner	X
		Hill	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Office of the State Auditor presentation on unimplemented audit Presentation by Boards of Cooperative Education Services Presentation by the State Land Board CDE report: Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention		Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only

09:38 AM -- Office of the State Auditor presentation on unimplemented audit

Representative Buckner, Chair, called the committee to order and welcomed the audience. Monica Bowers, representing the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) discussed the report that she distributed to the committee (Attachment A). She discussed audit recommendations that OSA made to departments and the status of the agencies' efforts to implement those recommendations. She clarified that recommendations not implemented as of June 2014 are included in report. She discussed the function and purpose of OSA and explained that the office serves as the state's independent external auditor. She discussed the audit reports OSA issued in FY 2013-14 and explained that audit reports typically discuss the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies, as well as compliance with state and federal laws. She explained that the report covers audit recommendations issued from July 2008 through June 2013 and that it contains 3,300 recommendations with which agencies agreed.

JtEd0121AttachA.pdf

Cynthia Hookmiller, representing OSA, discussed financial audit recommendations listed on page 4 of the report. She talked about the nature of financial audits and explained that financial audits include audits of state agencies' compliance with federal grant requirements. Ms. Hookmiller responded to questions from the committee.

09:46 AM

Ms. Hookmiller continued her presentation by discussing the table on page 7 listing the number of audit recommendations not implemented by each state department. She discussed recommendations to the state's higher education institutions. She told the committee about performance audits, which evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies, and information technology (IT) audits, which evaluate the integrity of the state's computer systems and taxpayer data. Ms. Hookmiller explained the various priority levels given to audit recommendations and discussed the percentage of recommendations that remain unimplemented. Ms. Hookmiller responded to questions from the committee regarding the process of issuing recommendations to the departments. The committee discussed the process and what to do about unimplemented audit recommendations within the role of the legislative branch.

09:57 AM

Ms. Hookmiller continued her presentation, discussing the education tab of the report. She discussed current outstanding recommendations for the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), which were not given a high priority ranking by OSA. She discussed the Higher Education tab of the report, explaining that one school has a material weakness. Colorado State University - Pueblo has an outstanding recommendation relating to timely account reconciliations and review of those reconciliations. This recommendation has been outstanding for one year. Ms. Hookmiller responded to questions from the committee.

10:04 AM -- Presentation by Boards of Cooperative Education Services

Representative Buckner, and Senator Hill, Vice-Chair, welcomed Don Anderson, representing the Colorado Association of Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Mr. Anderson discussed the role of BOCES in Colorado's educational system. He discussed a brochure and presentation slides he distributed to the committee (Attachment B and Attachment C). He explained that BOCES are similar to school districts, that each BOCES has a board and is governed by the board. He told the committee that each member district elects one of its board members to sit on the BOCES board. He discussed the legislation that created BOCES in 1965 to allow streamlining of specialized services such as occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, and physical therapy, among others. He explained that rural districts that could not afford to provide services on their own joined together in BOCES to make sure students' needs are met. He told the committee that each BOCES meets regularly with the superintendents of its member districts. Mr. Anderson clarified that not all BOCES provide all services, that some are full service, while others specialize. He explained that there are 20 BOCES in Colorado and discussed the BOCES' coverage areas. He explained that BOCES serve 138 of 178 school districts in Colorado.

JtEd0121AttachB.pdf

JtEd0121AttachC.pdf

Mr. Anderson responded to questions from the committee. The committee and the witness discussed funding, assessments, staffing requirements, and the Colorado Digital BOCES.

10:19 AM

Mr. Anderson continued his presentation, discussing East Central BOCES specifically. He explained it covers a geographic area of over 10,000 square miles, and that member districts vary in size from 12 to 1,050 students. Mr. Anderson discussed the challenges faced by the East Central BOCES, including recruitment and retention of quality staff, driving distances, mileage costs, and fuel costs. Mr. Anderson responded to questions from the committee.

Mr. Anderson continued his presentation, discussing professional development, special service providers, alternative licensure programs, and high rates of staff turnover. He told the committee members about legislative priorities currently being formulated by BOCES and other rural education agencies. Mr. Anderson responded to questions from the committee. Mr. Anderson and the committee members discussed promoting BOCES as an alternative to consolidating school districts.

10:34 AM

Mr. Anderson continued to respond to questions from the committee.

10:38 AM -- Presentation by the State Land Board

Representative Buckner, recognized the members of school boards present in the room for Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) day at the Capitol.

Bill Ryan, Director of the State Land Board, came to the witness table and discussed the role of the board in education funding. He explained how the board earns money, and how those funds are spent. He went over the history of the board and referred to a map of state trust lands. He discussed the board's mission to support schools while meeting the needs of current and future generations. He told committee members that the board manages eight trusts, and that the largest is the school trust which comprises 98 percent of the board's revenue and 98 percent of the assets owned by the board. He explained that the board is governed by a 5-member board of commissioners, that the board members are appointed by the Governor, and that each board member has a unique area of expertise. He discussed the board's dual mission: to produce reasonable and consistent income, while providing sound stewardship of its assets. Mr. Ryan responded to questions from the committee.

10:42 AM

Mr. Ryan continued his presentation. He explained that the board is self-funded, that it has 42 employees, and that it costs $5 million each year to run the organization. He told committee members that the board relies on lessees and partners to achieve its goals. He discussed the different types of leases the board offers and referred to slides distributed to the committee (Attachment D). He explained that trust lands are held for specific purposes and are not always open to public access, but that the board does have large leases with recreational organizations. He told the committee that the board makes money through extractive businesses, asset sales, and leases. He discussed the current volatility in oil prices and how that may impact the board's profits in the future. He discussed the board's recurring-revenue businesses such as agricultural and grazing leases. Mr. Ryan responded to questions from the committee.

JtEd0121AttachD.pdf

10:59 AM

Mr. Ryan continued his presentation, discussing how the board benefits education. He explained that 50 percent of the board's revenues go to the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program. He discussed the success of the BEST program, with more than 300 schools impacted statewide. Mr. Ryan responded to questions from the committee.

11:07 AM

Mr. Ryan continued to respond to questions from the committee.

11:13 AM -- CDE report: Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Jill Hawley, representing CDE, introduced the report on Minority Teacher Recruitment and Retention, conducted by Augenblick Palaich and Associates (APA).

Robert Reichardt, representing APA, introduced Abby McClelland and Sarah Wool, also representing APA. Mr. Reichardt discussed the study and characterized it as a collaborative effort with partners. He discussed the slide presentation (Attachment E), report (Attachment F), and executive summary (Attachment G). He explained that minority teachers have different experiences depending on geography, which minority group they belong to, and other factors. Mr. Reichardt stressed that solutions are local and must match context of schools and districts. He discussed the difference between recruitment and retention and explained that 10 percent of Colorado teachers are minorities while 43 percent of students belong to minority groups. He defined the term "minority" as including all non-white individuals. He explained that demographics in Colorado are changing rapidly, that our neighbor states have 50 percent or more minority students, and that Colorado will probably join them soon. He discussed APA's methodology in conducting the study. He explained that each district has different assets and challenges, and that programs put forward to solve problems need to match the contexts in which districts operate.

JtEd0121AttachE.pdf

JtEd0121AttachF.pdf

JtEd0121AttachG.pdf

Mr. Reichardt mentioned the following barriers to recruiting minority teachers: negative perceptions of the teaching profession, low salaries, and retirement systems. Mr. Reichardt responded to questions from the committee. He explained that minority teachers are generally retained at lower rates than white teachers and discussed supports for new teachers (or lack thereof) that lead to them leaving the profession, especially those that teach in low income/high minority schools. Mr. Reichardt discussed problems throughout the recruitment/retention pipeline and responded to questions from the committee. He mentioned problems with programs' sustainability, particularly recruitment or retention programs that depend on grant funding. Mr. Reichardt responded to questions regarding barriers to recruitment and retention. He mentioned higher education barriers, licensure tests, and work environments that are not always welcoming to minority teachers.

11:35 AM

Mr. Reichardt continued to respond to questions from the committee, then continued his presentation and spoke about recruitment strategies. He emphasized recruitment at every career stage as important to increase the number of minority teachers. He discussed retention strategies and told the committee those strategies are the same for minority teachers as they are for retaining all teachers. Mr. Reichardt discussed his recommendations and responded to questions from the committee.

11:55 AM

Mr. Reichardt continued to respond to questions from the committee.

12:07 PM

Representative Buckner offered closing comments.

12:08 PM

The committee adjourned.