Final
Interim Committee on the School Finance System
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Votes:
Action Taken:
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02:37 PM -- Report from the Interim Committee on the School Finance System, Senator Sue Windels, Chair, Committee on the School Finance System
Senator Sue Windels, Chair, Committee on the School Finance System, came to the table to discuss her committee's activities. She discussed financing K-12 education in the state. The committee has found that the state's K-12 educational system is being underfunded by 12 to 15 percent. She discussed the TABOR and Gallagher amendments impact on school finance. Mr. Protopsaltis discussed the need to look at the funding of education, but stated that some of his recommendations can occur without funding increases. The state needs to have better coordination and partnerships between K-12 education and higher education.
Senator Tapia commented that early college high schools could be a good policy that the state could implement. He also discussed the importance of a good education system to other trades that do not require a college degree. Mr. Protopsaltis stated that the P-16 educational concept focuses on providing skills training; students do not necessarily need to have a college degree. He stated that the goal of the P-16 concept is to cause more students to obtain more than a high school degree so that they can better compete in the new economy.
02:59 PM
Senator Windels stated that one of the recommendations discussed by the committee is the P-16 concept. She explained that the state needs to provide students with the opportunity to have a seamless transition between high school and vocational education or college. She discussed the basic goals that the state should have for funding education, including: increasing the base funding for schools; providing funding for full-day kindergarten; providing preschool to every at-risk four-year-old; and providing an opportunity for students to get college credits during high school.
Representative Massey commented on the need to consider that 18- and 19-year-olds may not know the career direction in which they want to go.
Senator Bacon discussed how people are moving from career to career more often and going back to school. He also commented on the funding for colleges and universities through stipends and that it could have a negative impact on higher education and the economy if funding is reduced.