Senate Committee on Education (04/09/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	04/09/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:36 PM to 10:12 PM	Holbert	X
		Johnston	X
Place:	SCR 356	Kerr	X
		Merrifield	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Neville T.	X
	Senator Hill	Todd	X
		Woods	X
This Report was prepared by		Marble	X
	Rachel Kurtz-Phelan	Hill	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Conf 15-Educational And Cultural Facilities Authority - Colorado SB15-233 SB15-257 SB15-056 SB15-073 SB15-003		Refer to the Full Senate Amended, Referred to Appropriations Amended, Referred to Appropriations Referred to Appropriations Postponed Indefinitely Laid Over

01:37 PM -- Confirmation of Educational And Cultural Facilities Authority - Colorado

Senator Hill, Chair, welcomed the committee members and explained the procedural rules for the meeting. He invited Patrick Brady, reappointee to the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority (CECFA) Board of Directors to the table. The Governor's appointment letter and the reappointee's resume and application were distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Mr. Brady introduced himself and told the committee about his professional background and about his prior service on the board. He provided background information about CECFA. Mr. Brady answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0409AttachA.pdf


BILL:	Conf 15-Educational And Cultural Facilities Authority - Colorado
TIME:	01:44:21 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Refer the reappointment of Patrick M. Brady to the Colorado Educational And Cultural Facilities Authority Board to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation and a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. 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

01:45 PM -- SB15-233

Senator Hill invited Senators Marble and Woods, co-sponsors, to the table to present Senate Bill 15-233 which concerns revising accountability measures in public education. Senator Marble stated that the bill concerns Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), Senate Bill 10-191, and Common Core, and addresses the concerns of parents, students, and teachers in Colorado. She stated that the bill will end Colorado's participation in PARCC as well as some of the standards established by SB 10-191, and requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt new academic standards. Senator Woods talked about a plan concerning how to get out of Common Core as a state and stated that the bill follows that plan. Senator Hill reminded the committee members and audience that public testimony for all five bills on the agenda would be taken at the same time.

The following people testified on the package of bills:

01:54 PM -- Jillian Moster, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. She stated that she would like to eliminate most of the employees of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). She talked about wasted money on PARCC and stated that no state that has walked away from Common Core has lost federal funding.

01:59 PM -- Lily Tang Williams, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. She spoke about the similarities between standardized testing currently taking place via Common Core and testing in China. She stated that Common Core is communism. Ms. Tang Williams responded to questions from the committee.

02:04 PM -- Laura Gennitti, representing herself, spoke in support of the bills. She presented her testimony in Spanish.

02:08 PM -- Elisa Melas, representing herself, spoke in support of the bills. She talked about her personal experiences having children in charter schools and about problems with Common Core.

02:13 PM -- Cheri Kiesecker, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233. She stated that she supports the bill because it replaces PARCC which she said is an unknown, not validated, expensive test. She stated that Pearson collects too much data on students and is making a profit collecting data from children. She stated that PARCC and Common Core drive curriculum and reduce the amount of teacher accountability that is tied to the assessments. Ms. Kiesecker responded to questions from the committee.

02:18 PM -- Chelsea Henkel, representing Stand for Children, spoke in opposition to the bills. She provided background information about her organization, and spoke about specific concerns she has with the bills. She spoke about issues with requesting waivers from the federal government and about the fiscal impact of the bill on school districts. She talked about issues with the previous assessments.

02:24 PM -- Angelique Matthew, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233. She told the committee about her personal experiences with Common Core, and stated that it does not set children up for success. She talked about the need for local control. She stated that tying 50 percent of teacher evaluations to student performance is too much. Ms. Matthew answered questions from the committee.

02:29 PM -- Chuck Wards, representing the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Succeeds, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233. He provided background information on his organizations and stated that the bill undermines the progress made on accountability. He told the committee that 37 percent of high school students need remediation when they reach college and without assessments there is no way of catching and helping these students before they leave high school. Mr. Ward answered questions from the committee.

02:40 PM -- Deanna Miller, representing herself, spoke in support of the bills. She told the committee about her background as a teacher, and talked about the social and emotional stress for students created by the PARCC tests. She talked about the lack of control experienced by teachers, parents, and local administrators. She stated that the United States is the most innovative of all societies and that PARCC testing is too stressful on children and teachers.

02:44 PM -- Jen Wolmer, representing Democrats for Education Reform, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233. She told the committee how the bill seeks to roll back bipartisan legislation that passed in prior years. She spoke about the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act and the progress it has helped make in early childhood literacy. She stated that dropping to the federal minimus requirements would get rid of the READ Act. Ms. Wolmer answered questions from the committee.

02:50 PM -- Leslie Colwell, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233. She spoke about her concerns with the bill, and talked about the extensive work and input that went into creating the Colorado Academic Standards and aligning the assessments. She talked about the fiscal impact of the bill. Ms. Colwell answered questions from the committee.

02:55 PM -- Cindy Begordis, representing herself as a parent, spoke in support of the bills. She talked about her personal experiences as a parent of an autistic child and expressed concern about having teacher evaluations based on a student's assessment. She talked about the need for local control.

02:58 PM -- Van Scholes, representing A+ Denver, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233. He stated that assessments allow for better direction of resources to schools, address inequities, improve transparency, and direct student learning. He said that assessments do need to be streamlined, but the bill is an overreach that throws away years of bipartisan work.

03:02 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

03:11 PM

The committee came back to order.

03:12 PM -- Melanie Fish, representing herself, spoke in favor of the bills. She spoke about importance of local control and stated that her school district has lost local control because of Common Core and PARCC. She stated that Common Core does not prepare kids for college.

03:16 PM -- Liz Snowden, representing herself, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233 and in support of SB 15-257. She talked about the need for a compromise bill. She spoke about the need to reduce the testing burden on high school students. Ms. Snowden answered questions from the committee.

03:20 PM -- Sarah Zerwin, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-257. She talked about her professional background as a teacher and the loss of instruction time due to assessments. She said the focus should be on equity instead of accountability. Ms. Zerwin answered questions from the committee.

03:29 PM -- Jeanne Kaplan, representing herself, spoke about the bills. She told the committee about her experiences as a member of the Denver School Board, and talked about the low return on 10 years of reform. She talked about how the achievement gap in Denver Public Schools has increased in the past decade after reforms were implemented. She discussed issues of segregation, stated that there must be a fix to the core issues and not the peripheral issues, and talked about the need to revise teacher accountability standards. Ms. Kaplan answered questions from the committee.

03:35 PM -- Kristi Butkovich, representing herself, spoke about the bills. She said that too much time is spent on testing and there is a high rate in turnover of teachers and principals because of the stresses that recent reforms are producing. Ms. Butkovich answered questions from the committee.

03:47 PM -- Lynn Roberts, representing herself, spoke about the bills. She shared a letter from a mental health professional in Denver Public Schools.

03:52 PM -- Mary Tuneberg, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233. She spoke about Common Core and Pearson.

03:55 PM -- Cathy Kipp, representing Poudre Valley School District, spoke in support of SB 15-257. She distributed a handout (Attachment B). She said the district is in support of scaling back to the federal minimum requirements, testing students in social students, and using the American College Test (ACT) as the English language arts assessment in high school. She said the current testing schedule is disruptive to learning and that many students do not take the tests seriously. She stated that social studies assessment should be an end of course test, that a paper and pencil option is good, and there should be less time spent on the actual test. Ms. Kipp answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0409AttachB.pdf

04:00 PM -- Ginger Haberer, representing Poudre Valley School District, spoke in support of SB 15-257. She expressed her support for the federal minimum requirements and augmenting the ACT to align with Colorado Academic Standards.

04:03 PM -- Luke Ragland, representing Colorado Succeeds, spoke in opposition to SB 15-257. He said there is a need to reduce testing, but that he does not support the bill because it goes too far beyond the recommendations of the House Bill 14-1202 task force and cripples the state's accountability system. Mr. Ragland answered questions from the committee.

04:21 PM -- Paula Noonan, representing No Politics in Education Policy, spoke in support of the bills. She spoke about previous legislation. She discussed the lack of change in test results despite years of educational reform and distributed a handout to the committee from the Denver Alliance for Public Education (Attachment C). She discussed assessment results and how parents receive only a score, and no other information. She stated that parents do not value the test results because they receive only a numerical score and only find the tests minimally beneficial. Ms. Noonan responded to questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0409AttachC.pdf

04:29 PM -- Van Scholes, representing A+ Denver, spoke about SB 15-257. He said the bill dismantles many of the checks and balances put in place by the state to ensure that all students receive quality education. He said the bill goes too far, that the state should set the bar for education standards and local districts should figure out how to reach that bar.

04:31 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

04:46 PM

The committee came back to order.

04:48 PM -- Shannon Keown, representing herself, spoke in opposition to SB 15-233. She told the committee about her educational and professional background and talked about her experiences with Common Core. She said that standards have a positive benefit on students and are an improvement upon the previous standards. She stated that change and progress go hand in hand. Ms. Keown answered questions from the committee.

04:54 PM -- Cheri Kiesecker, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-257. She told the committee why she supports the bill.

04:56 PM -- Maria Volker, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-003. She talked about the importance of public education. She stated that tying teacher evaluations to academic growth is not fair to students or teachers. She said that teachers are having to teach to the test instead of to their curriculum. Ms. Volker answered questions from the committee.

04:59 PM -- Cindi Will, representing herself, spoke in favor of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. She told the committee about the charter school of which she is the principal, and about why she supports the bills. Ms. Will answered questions from the committee.

05:06 PM -- Elizabeth Berg, representing herself, spoke in favor of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. She provided background information about the charter school she leads, and said she is not afraid of appropriate and transparent assessment. She said the current testing system is burdensome and oppressive. Ms. Berg answered questions from the committee.

05:11 PM -- Bethany Drosendahl, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. She spoke about the importance of having a hold-harmless period and read the testimony from a parent in Durango, Colorado who was unable to attend the committee. She stated that the people who are against change all are from the Denver area. She distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment D).

15SenateEd0409AttachD.pdf

05:15 PM -- Daniel Greenberg, representing himself, spoke about SB 15-257. He told the committee about his professional background and stated that whatever new policy is implemented, it is important to meet the goals that statewide standardized testing is meant to accomplish. He stated that as policy is set, it is important to consider the impact that too many different tests given across the state will have on the reliability of data. Mr. Greenberg answered questions from the committee.

05:32 PM -- Marcia Neal, representing herself, spoke about the bills. She spoke about the accountability clock and the need to have standards. She stated she would like to see PARCC put on hold for a year, and questioned how the SBE will handle poorly performing schools if the accountability system is dismantled.

05:38 PM -- Andrew Burns, representing himself, spoke in support of SB 15-233 and SB 15-257. He told the committee about his background as a teacher, and expressed his support for standardized tests that provide timely feedback. He stated that the perception may become that if a subject is not tested, it does not matter. He spoke about his support for the local control measures included in the bill. He talked about the negative impact of having teacher effectiveness ratings tied to student performance. Mr. Burns answered questions from the committee.

05:45 PM -- Judi Reynolds, representing the Douglas County School Board, spoke about the bills. She stated that education is no longer a state or local issue since it is tied to federal funding. She stated that the amount of time spent on testing takes valuable time away from teaching and learning. She stated that there should be a menu of tests being offered to districts and that it is very important to continue administering the ACT to juniors in high schools. She said she wants tests that are meaningful to teachers and students while also ensuring accountability. Ms. Reynolds answered questions from the committee.

05:55 PM -- Ian Simpson, representing himself, spoke in support of SB 15-257. He spoke about his educational and professional background as a teacher, and talked about the benefits of moving to the federal minimum. He spoke about over-testing and losing too much teaching time, the stress of testing on students, and the increasing rates of parents opting their students out of the tests. He stated that students are no longer trying, and that he is not against assessment or accountability but is against over-testing.

05:58 PM -- Rachel Harrison, representing herself, spoke in support of SB 15-257. She discussed the need for summative assessments as opposed to formative assessments. She distributed two handouts to the committee (Attachments E and F).

15SenateEd0409AttachE.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachF.pdf

06:04 PM -- Drew Madson, representing himself, spoke in opposition to SB 15-257. He told the committee about his professional background. He stated that he loves PARCC and Common Core, and that they are necessary for creating meaningful schedules and structures. He stated that if ninth grade testing is eliminated, the state will lose a valuable piece of accountability. He discussed the importance of keeping social studies assessments in tact.

06:13 PM -- Scott VanTatenhove, representing himself, spoke about the bills. He told the committee about his background as a social studies teacher, and stated that what is missing from all of the bills is a social studies assessment. He expressed his desire to keep the current fourth and seventh grade social studies tests as they currently exist and stated that he does not recommend sampling for social studies testing because it does not provide sufficient information. Mr. VanTatenhove answered questions from the committee.

06:16 PM -- Rob Clinton, representing the Colorado Council for Economic Education, spoke about the bills. He provided background information about his organization, and talked about the importance of including social studies in assessments since they have been marginalized. He talked about the cut scores of high school socials studies tests. Mr. Clinton answered questions from the committee.

06:25 PM -- Julie Whitacre, representing the Colorado Education Association (CEA), spoke in support of SB 15-257. She talked about the need to go to federal minimums and streamline the assessment system. She talked about the ways CEA would like to see the bill amended.

06:28 PM -- Ilana Spiegel, representing Seeking Equity and Excellence for Kids (SEEK), spoke in support of SB 15-257. She distributed a handout to the committee (Attachment G). She said that testing is ineffective and does not produce positive outcomes for students. Ms. Spiegel answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0409AttachG.pdf

06:33 PM -- Lisa Escarcega, representing Aurora Public Schools and the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), spoke about SB 15-257. She stated that CASE has an amend position on the bill. She talked about need for meaningful data in a timely manner and about the ways in which she would like to see the bill amended. She stated that buy-in from students and parents would be greater if the burden of assessments was lowered. She stressed the need to keep the ACT as part of the high school assessments and answered questions from the committee.

06:54 PM -- Lucinda Hundley, representing the Consortium of Special Education Directors, spoke about SB 15-257. She stated that the consortium holds an amend position on the bill and told the committee which provisions of the bill the consortium would like to see amended. She spoke about how the assessment impacts students with disabilities.

07:01 PM -- Ricardo Martinez, representing Padres y Jovenes Unidos, spoke about SB 15-257. He spoke about the importance of civic engagement and the arts, and stated that he is opposed to anything that fully eliminates assessments. He talked about the importance of seeing patterns and trends to counteract institutional racism.

07:06 PM -- Bill Kottenstette, representing the Montessori school community, spoke in support of SB 15-257. He spoke about the history of Montessori schools, and about the impact of assessments on Montessori schools.

07:11 PM -- Jill Cullis, representing herself, spoke about SB 15-003. She told the committee about her background as a teacher, and stated that teachers are not opposed to accountability and talked about why she supports the bill. She stated that the current teacher evaluation process has not made her a better teacher. She said test scores do not reflect what students know or can do and that there is no motivation for students to do well on the assessments. Ms. Cullis responded to questions from the committee.

07:19 PM -- Lynn Roberts, representing herself, spoke about SB 15-003. She distributed a handout (Attachment H) and answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0409AttachH.pdf

07:22 PM -- Ilana Spiegel, representing SEEK, spoke in support of SB 15-003.

07:24 PM -- Ricardo Martinez, representing Padres y Jovenes Unidos, spoke in opposition to SB 15-003. He talked about the need to evaluate teachers on their performance.

07:26 PM

There were no more witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Senators Woods and Marble distributed amendments L.001 and L.002 (Attachments I and J) and explained the amendments. Senator Woods provided closing comments to the bill. Senator Marble provided closing comments to the bill. Committee discussion ensued.

15SenateEd0409AttachI.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachJ.pdf


BILL:	SB15-233
TIME:	07:52:41 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment I). 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:	SB15-233
TIME:	07:54:49 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment J). The motion passed on a vote of 6-3.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	No
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	No
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

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

07:55 PM

The committee continued to discuss the bill.


BILL:	SB15-233
TIME:	07:59:46 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-233, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. 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

08:07 PM -- SB15-257

Senator Marble took over chairing the committee. Senators Hill and Merrifield, co-sponsors, presented Senate Bill 15-257 which concerns accountability in public schools. Copies of amendments L.001, L.003, L.007, L.008, L.010, L.011, L.013, L.014, and L.016 were distributed to the committee (Attachments K - S). Senator Merrifield distributed two handouts (Attachments T and U). Senator Merrifield and Senator Hill explained several provisions of the bill.

15SenateEd0409AttachK.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachL.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachM.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachN.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachO.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachP.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachQ.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachR.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachS.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachT.pdf

15SenateEd0409AttachU.pdf

08:27 PM

Senator Marble asked if anyone would like to testify on the bill. No one was present to testify and Senator Marble closed public testimony. Senator Merrifield explained amendment L.011 (Attachment P).


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:31:18 PM
MOVED:	Merrifield
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.011 (Attachment P). 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

08:31 PM

Senator Hill explained amendment L.017 (Attachment W).

15SenateEd0409AttachW.pdf


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:33:06 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.017 (W). 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

08:34 PM

Senator Hill explained amendment L.018 (Attachment X).

15SenateEd0409AttachX.pdf


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:34:16 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.018 (Attachment X). 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

08:37 PM

Senator Hill explained amendment L.019 (Attachment Y).

15SenateEd0409AttachY.pdf


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:37:47 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.019 (Attachment Y). 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

08:38 PM

Senator Hill explained amendment L.012 (Attachment V).

15SenateEd0409AttachV.pdf


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:39:14 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.012 (Attachment V). 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

08:40 PM

Senator Kerr explained amendment L.003 (Attachment L). Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:41:23 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment L). 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

08:45 PM

Senator Kerr explained L.007 (Attachment M).

08:59 PM -- Julie Pelegrin, Office of Legislative Legal Services, came to answer questions from the committee.


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:55:00 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.007 (Attachment M). 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

08:58 PM

Senator Johnston explained amendment L.008 (Attachment N). The committee discussed a conceptual amendment to L.008, page 1, line 18 after "The" insert "anticipated", and line 19 after "the" insert "expected", and after line 23, insert section 3 from amendment L.014 (Attachment R).


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	08:59:52 PM
MOVED:	Johnston
MOTION:	Amend amendment L.008 (Attachment N). The motion passed on a vote of 7-2.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	No
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	No
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

YES: 7 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	09:16:23 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.008 as amended. 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

09:16 PM

Senator Todd explained L.010 (Attachment O). Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	09:18:20 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.010 (Attachment O). The motion was withdrawn.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert
	Johnston
	Kerr
	Merrifield
	Neville T.
	Todd
	Woods
	Marble
	Hill

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:

09:27 PM

Senator Todd explained amendment L.013 (Attachment Q). Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	09:36:57 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.013 (Attachment Q). The motion failed on a vote of 3-6.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	No
	Johnston	Yes
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	No
	Todd	No
	Woods	No
	Marble	No
	Hill	No

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

09:37 PM

Senator Todd explained amendment L.016 (Attachment S). Senator Holbert explained L.023 (Attachment Z). Committee discussion ensued.

15SenateEd0409AttachZ.pdf


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	09:43:32 PM
MOVED:	Todd
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.016 (Attachment S). The amendment was withdrawn.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert
	Johnston
	Kerr
	Merrifield
	Neville T.
	Todd
	Woods
	Marble
	Hill

YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION:

09:57 PM

The co-sponsors gave closing comments to the bill. Committee discussion ensued.


BILL:	SB15-257
TIME:	09:58:07 PM
MOVED:	Hill
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-257, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 8-1.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	No
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:03 PM -- SB15-056

Senator Hill resumed chairing the committee. Senator Kerr, sponsor, presented SB 056 which concerns reducing the frequency of administering the statewide assessment in social studies. Senator Kerr explained the bill. He talked about the usefulness of sampling and reporting assessment data once every three years instead of once every year. He talked about importance of social studies. There were no witnesses and Senator Hill closed public testimony. Committee discussed ensued.


BILL:	SB15-056
TIME:	10:08:37 PM
MOVED:	Kerr
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-056 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

10:09 PM -- SB15-073

Senator Merrifield, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15-073 which concerns reducing the assessments administered in public schools. He asked the committee to postpone the bill indefinitely.


BILL:	SB15-073
TIME:	10:10:50 PM
MOVED:	Merrifield
MOTION:	Postpone Senate Bill 15-073 indefinitely. 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

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

10:11 PM -- SB15-003

Senator Merrifield, sponsor, asked Senator Hill to lay over Senate Bill 15-003 to a later date. The committee adjourned.