Senate Committee on Education (03/05/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Date:	03/05/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:37 PM to 05:01 PM	Holbert	*
		Johnston	*
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	*
	Rachel Kurtz-Phelan	Hill	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Conf 15-Charter School Institute Board, State Conf 15-University Of Northern Colorado - Board Of Trustees Conf 15-Higher Education - Colorado Commission On Presentation by Legislative Council Staff Student presentation SB15-173		Refer to the Full Senate Refer to the Full Senate Refer to the Full Senate Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only Amended, Referred to the Committee of the Whole

01:38 PM -- Confirmation of Charter School Institute Board, State

Senator Hill, Chair, welcomed the committee members to the meeting and invited Ethan Hemming, Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI), to the table. Mr. Hemming introduced the appointee to the board, Liz Aybar Conti. Copies of the Governor's appointment letter and the appointee's application and resume were distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Mr. Hemming provided background information about CSI. Ms. Aybar Conti introduced herself to the committee and talked about her personal and professional background. She spoke about her previous experiences in education.

15SenateEd0305AttachA.pdf


BILL:	Conf 15-Charter School Institute Board, State
TIME:	01:41:31 PM
MOVED:	Woods
MOTION:	Refer the appointment of Elizabeth Dina Aybar Conti to the Charter School Institute 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 6-0, with three members excused.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Excused
	Johnston	Excused
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Excused
	Hill	Yes

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

01:44 PM -- Confirmation of University Of Northern Colorado - Board Of Trustees

Senator Hill invited Kay Norton, President of the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), to come to the table to introduce the appointees to the board, Kelly Marie Johnson and Shane Kato Crews. Copies of the Governor's appointment letter and the appointees' applications and resumes were distributed to the committee (Attachment B). Ms. Johnson introduced herself to the committee and talked about her personal and professional background. She told the committee why she would like to be a member of the board and what contributions she will make to the board if confirmed. Ms. Johnson answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0305AttachB.pdf

01:56 PM

Mr. Crews introduced himself to the committee and talked about his personal, educational, and professional background. He talked about his volunteer experiences and why he would like to be appointed.


BILL:	Conf 15-University Of Northern Colorado - Board Of Trustees
TIME:	01:59:04 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Refer the appointments of Kelly Marie Johnson and Shane Kato Crews to the Board of Trustees of the University Of Northern Colorado to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 8-0, with one member excused.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Yes
	Johnston	Excused
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

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

02:00 PM -- Confirmation of Higher Education - Colorado Commission On

Senator Hill invited Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia, Executive Director of the Department of Higher Education (DHE) and Dick Kaufman, Chair of Colorado Commision on Higher Education (CCHE), to the table. Copies of the Governor's appointment letter and the appointees' applications and resumes were distributed to the committee (Attachment C). Lt. Gov. Garcia introduced the appointees to the board, Paula Sandoval and Vanecia Kerr. Mr. Kaufman stated that both appointees will be excellent additions to the board. Ms. Sandoval introduced herself and talked about her personal, educational, and professional background. She talked about other boards of which she is currently a member, and about issues of accessibility and affordability. Ms. Kerr introduced herself and talked about her personal, educational, and professional background. The appointees answered questions from the committee.

15SenateEd0305AttachC.pdf


BILL:	Conf 15-Higher Education - Colorado Commission On
TIME:	02:08:38 PM
MOVED:	Marble
MOTION:	Refer the appointments of Paula Sandoval and Vanecia B. Kerr to the Colorado Commission Higher Education 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 7-0, with two members excused.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Holbert	Excused
	Johnston	Excused
	Kerr	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Neville T.	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Woods	Yes
	Marble	Yes
	Hill	Yes

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

02:10 PM -- Presentation by Legislative Council Staff

Todd Herreid and Louis Pino, Legislative Council Staff, came to the table to begin their presentation on several school finance maps which can be found here:http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=CGA-LegislativeCouncil%2FCLCLayout&cid=1251600282747&pagename=CLCWrapper

Mr. Herried displayed a map showing per pupil funding across all school districts in the state and explained the map to the committee members. He showed the committee members how to use the map. He pointed out other maps on the Legislative Council Staff website and told the committee members to let him know if they have other ideas for information they'd like to see mapped. Mr. Herreid answered questions from the committee.

02:16 PM -- Presentation by Students from Colorado Early Colleges

Senator Hill invited former Senator Keith King and the student representatives from Colorado Early Colleges to the table to begin their presentation. Senator King provided background information about the Colorado Early Colleges program. Sierra Glenn, a student at Colorado Early College Fort Collins, told the committee that she is a first generation college student and third generation Coloradoan. She talked about her personal background and stated that the program has given her the opportunity to complete over 30 college credits in one year for free. Braden Shindell, a student at Colorado Early Colleges Douglas County, talked about his experience with the program and the benefits to high school students of being able to take college-level courses. He told the committee that he signed up for the program as a freshman in high school, so when he graduates high school he will also be graduating with an associate degree and possibly also a bachelor's degree. Darius Heinz Cross, a 2014 graduate of Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs, told the committee that he recently graduated with over 160 credit hours and is now working full time. He explained that he is finishing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and will obtain that within the year.

02:25 PM

Senator King answered questions about how the program is different from concurrent enrollment. Senator King stated that the Colorado Early Colleges program allows students to obtain an associate degree while still in high school, and concurrent enrollment programs are statutorily prohibited from conferring associate degrees upon students. The students answered questions from the committee about their experiences in the program.

02:32 PM -- SB15-173

Senator Holbert, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 15- 173, which concerns student data privacy. He talked about his experiences in school and what student data means and it's relationship to standards and assessments. He stated that the bill is a way to empower parents and is a first step to restoring the trust that parents have in our education system. Senator Holbert distributed amendment L.003 (Attachment D) and explained that it is a strike below amendment, and amendment L.005 (Attachment E) which is a technical amendment to amendment L.003. Senator Woods distributed a copy of amendment L.004 (Attachment F). Senator Holbert distributed two handouts to the committee (Attachments G and H) and talked about the need to protect kids. He discussed the stakeholder process and stated that the bill is a bipartisan effort.

15SenateEd0305AttachD.pdf

15SenateEd0305AttachE.pdf

15SenateEd0305AttachF.pdf

15SenateEd0305AttachG.pdf

15SenateEd0305AttachH.pdf

The following people testified on the bill:

02:46 PM -- Andrew Moore, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), spoke in support of the bill. He stated that the State Board of Education also supports the bill and explained that the bill addresses four areas: first, it places restrictions on software vendors by not allowing them to sell data or market to students; second, it requires vendors to have copies of the contracts that outline what data they are allowed to have access to; next, it contains a requirement to train non-rural school districts on how to handle data privacy; and finally, it requires districts to set rules around parent notification in the event that there is a data breach. He stated that the bill does not have any unfunded mandates or additional burdens on districts. Mr. Moore answered questions from the committee.

02:59 PM

Mr. Moore continued to answer questions from the committee.

03:03 PM -- Rachel Cohen, representing herself, spoke about the bill. She talked about data issues and what can happen to data 10 or 20 years after it is collected that we may not currently understand or know. She stated that citizens do not know what corporations who are contracted by districts are doing with this data. She talked about a lack of transparency and stated that she only supports the bill if amendment L.004 (Attachment F) passes. Ms. Cohen answered questions from the committee.

03:20 PM -- Rachael Stickland, representing the National Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, spoke in support of the bill. She spoke about inBloom and free applications that teachers can use to monitor student behavior and the privacy issues that these applications can trigger. She stated that the only recourse parents have to stop data mining is to take legal steps to stop it. Ms. Stickland answered questions from the committee.

03:33 PM

Andrew Moore returned to the table to answer questions from the committee.

03:35 PM -- Denise Maes, representing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Colorado, spoke in support the bill. She stated that the ACLU is a long-time supporter of privacy, and talked about the dramatic increase of data collection and the need for meaningful oversight for protecting student data. She said that once privacy is lost, it is difficult to get it back. She said that our current laws remain outdated and that the ACLU supports amendment L.004 (Attachment F).

03:39 PM -- Cheri Kiesecker, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She told the committee why she supports the bill. She stated that she is not afraid of data but that she is afraid of the misuse of data.

03:53 PM -- Paula Noonan, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She spoke about her professional background as a former member of the Jefferson County School Board. She discussed amendment L.003 (Attachment E) and described its provisions. She discussed negotiated agreements between districts and vendors and explained that she would like to see a requirement that vendors and districts post contracts online. She said that the goal of the bill is to make everyone more conscious of the treatment of data. Ms. Noonan answered questions from the committee.

04:13 PM -- Terry Whitney, representing the College Board, spoke in support of the bill. He provided background information about the College Board and stated that the College Board takes privacy and security very seriously. Mr. Whitney answered questions from the committee.

04:17 PM -- Jennifer Butts, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She told the committee why she supports the bill and answered questions from the committee.

04:26 PM -- Sunny Flynn, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She stated that she only supports the bill if amendment L.004 (Attachment F) passes.

04:30 PM -- Judi Reynolds, representing the Douglas County Board of Education (board), spoke in support of the bill. She stated that this issue has been raised to the board by parents in the Douglas County School District.

04:32 PM -- Ilana Spiegel, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She stated that she supports amendment L.004 (Attachment F). She told the committee about the discussions about data privacy that took place during the Standards & Assessments Task Force meetings. She talked about parents opting their students out of assessments due to data privacy concerns.

04:34 PM -- Natalie Adams, representing herself, spoke in support of the bill. She said that private companies should bear the responsibility of making sure their products protect the privacy of students. She stated that she supports amendment L.004 (Attachment F).

04:38 PM -- Jane Urschel, representing Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), spoke in support of the bill. She stated that the bill is a value statement and a work in progress. She said that vendors currently have unfettered monetary opportunities to benefit from student data and that the bill gives a voice to parents.

04:42 PM

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


BILL:	SB15-173
TIME:	04:43:14 PM
MOVED:	Holbert
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.003 (Attachment D). 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:	SB15-173
TIME:	04:43:44 PM
MOVED:	Holbert
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment E). 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:	SB15-173
TIME:	04:43:56 PM
MOVED:	Woods
MOTION:	Adopt amendment L.004 (Attachment F). 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

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

04:45 PM

The committee discussed the bill.


BILL:	SB15-173
TIME:	04:55:57 PM
MOVED:	Holbert
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 15-173, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. 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

05:01 PM

The committee adjourned.