Date: 03/09/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1201

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment A). The motion p
Refer House Bill 15-1201, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
PASS



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.pdf15HouseEd0309AttachA.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