Date: 01/26/2015

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB15-1024

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment B). The motion f
Refer House Bill 15-1024 to the Committee on Appro		FAIL
PASS



04:23 PM -- House Bill 15-1024

The committee recessed.


04:34 PM

Representative Buckner called the committee back to order. Representative Pettersen, sponsor, presented House Bill 15-1024, which increases the number of students enrolled in the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) as preschool students. She discussed the CPP and the benefits that would be provided under the provisions of the bill. Representative Pettersen responded to questions from the committee.

04:41 PM -- Rich Jones, representing the Bell Policy Center, testified in support of the bill. He discussed the benefits of preschool attendance, and distributed handouts to the committee (Attachment A). Mr. Jones responded to questions from the committee.

15HouseEd0126AttachA.pdf15HouseEd0126AttachA.pdf

04:48 PM -- Jennifer Landrum, President and CEO of the Denver Preschool Program (DPP), testified in support of the bill. She discussed the benefits of preschool programs, and the 38 states that have invested in pre-kindergarten programs. She discussed the results of Denver's pre-kindergarten program. She explained the process DPP uses to evaluate students, and how well DPP graduates do as they progress through school, with positive results persisting through third grade. She explained that 64 percent of DPP students score advanced or proficient in reading compared to 56 percent of non-DPP students. She talked about how preschool makes a difference in children's lives, and her wish that all children who are eligible for CPP be able to attend. Ms. Landrum responded to questions from the committee.

04:57 PM -- Princess Mack, representing Together Colorado, came to the table with Joaquina Garcia and Megan Carrier, a translator for Ms. Garcia. Ms. Mack spoke about the benefits her adult children received from early childhood education and how children she has known who have not had early childhood education have not been able to catch up or keep up during kindergarten. She discussed kindergarten as preparation for first grade, and she pointed out that preschool is a place to develop social-emotional skills, motor skills, and other skills necessary for subsequent academic success. She discussed the benefits to families, including parents, of participating in early childhood education.

05:03 PM -- Joaquina Garcia testified in support of the bill. She spoke in Spanish. Megan Carrier translated her testimony into English. She discussed the problem of insufficient space in early childhood education programs. She spoke about her family's story. Her two oldest children did not attend preschool, while her three younger children did. She spoke about the differences between the older children and the younger children, and how the younger children have had more academic success.


05:07 PM

The preceding two witnesses responded to questions from the committee.

05:10 PM -- Bridget Kaminetsky, representing 9 to 5 Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. She pointed out that the high cost of early childhood education and the dearth of quality providers make for poor choices among parents. She explained that parents must choose between low quality care or forgoing income to stay home and care for children themselves. She discussed early childhood education as a multi-generational approach to reducing poverty. She discussed parents' lack of options.

05:13 PM -- Heather Frenz, Director of Healthy Childcare Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. She spoke about her organization, a statewide partnership and tech assistance hub that is mandated by the Colorado Department of Human Services (DHS) to consult with childcare facilities. She discussed the long-term health benefits of quality early childhood education.

05:15 PM -- Pamela Harris, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mile High Montessori, spoke in support of the bill. She discussed Mile High Montessori's history and current enrollment. She discussed her organization's CPP slots and how the program benefits the families that enroll their children at Mile High Montessori. She discussed achievement gaps, their early roots, and how early childhood education mitigates achievement gaps.

05:20 PM -- Bill Jaeger, representing the Colorado Children's Campaign, spoke in support of the bill. He pointed out that it's easier to prevent academic achievement gaps than to remediate them later. He explained that Colorado has one of largest achievement gaps from low to high income students of any state and that quality early childhood education will address that gap. He pointed out that less than half of all children in Colorado attend preschool. He mentioned data that shows children with access to high quality early childhood education are more likely to succeed later. He listed outside groups that prioritize high quality early childhood education, including the National Governors Association and the U.S. Department of Defense, among others. Mr. Jaeger responded to questions from the committee.


05:24 PM

Representative Pettersen read a statement from Shawna Fritzler in support of the bill.


05:25 PM

Representative Pettersen responded to questions from the committee. Bill Jaeger was called back to the table to respond to questions from the committee.

05:27 PM -- Lucy Tschoppler, representing herself, spoke in opposition to the bill. She discussed a study showing Head Start had little impact on students' later achievement. She posited that there is little long-term benefit to early childhood education, particularly among African Americans. She spoke against womb-to-tomb education. She spoke about the benefits of in-home programs as opposed to large school-based programs. She quoted several studies saying there are no benefits to early institutionalization. She said that early childhood education discriminates against boys and discussed the differences in maturation between boys and girls. She spoke against state-funded government programs.

 05:34 PM -- Donna Jack, representing herself, discussed the best ages for children to start school She discussed the best curriculum to use for teaching reading. She discussed the Tiger Cubs program for boy scouts, and how the program was too mature for the young children who enrolled in it. She explained that children should not be pushed into academics too early.


05:38 PM

Representative Wilson introduced amendment L.001 (Attachment B). He explained its provisions.

15HouseEd0126AttachB.pdf15HouseEd0126AttachB.pdf
BILL:HB15-1024
TIME: 05:38:49 PM
MOVED:Wilson
MOTION:Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment B). The motion failed on a vote of 5-6.
SECONDED:Lundeen
VOTE
Everett
Yes
Fields
No
Garnett
No
Landgraf
Yes
Lee
No
Lundeen
Yes
Moreno
No
Wilson
Yes
Windholz
Yes
Pettersen
No
Buckner
No
YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


05:41 PM

Representative Pettersen offered closing comments to the bill. She discussed the importance of preschool. She thanked the experts who worked with her on the bill
BILL:HB15-1024
TIME: 05:42:34 PM
MOVED:Pettersen
MOTION:Refer House Bill 15-1024 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 6-5.
SECONDED:Moreno
VOTE
Everett
No
Fields
Yes
Garnett
Yes
Landgraf
No
Lee
Yes
Lundeen
No
Moreno
Yes
Wilson
No
Windholz
No
Pettersen
Yes
Buckner
Yes
Final YES: 6 NO: 5 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS