Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB05-1057

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes:
Action Taken:
Move to refer House Bill 05-1057 to the Committee
Moved amendment .005 (Attachment B). The motion 		TIE
Pass Without Objection



02:46 PM -- Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by the chairman, Representative Merrifield.


02:48 PM -- House Bill 05-1057

Representative Frangas reviewed the provisions of House Bill 05-1057, concerning parental notification of postsecondary education opportunities and discussed an amendment that would be proposed. Mr. Frangas discussed input from other legislators and members of the education community he had received in considering amendments to the bill.
,

02:52 PM

The following persons testified:

02:53 PM -- Rick O'Donnell, Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education (CCHE), testified in favor of the bill and distributed a hand-out (Attachment A). He discussed pre-collegiate curriculum opt-out and referred to the document in discussing remediation. He described the pre-collegiate curriculum and informing parents and students of choices. The document includes the rates of remediation required, by high school. Representative King asked questions about the fiscal impact of the strike-below amendment, which has not been provided. Mr. O'Donnell asked questions about the funding of remedial courses through high schools or community colleges.


03:00 PM

Representative King asked additional questions about waivers for opting out of pre-collegiate curriculum. Representative Rose asked questions about the statistics on remediation. Mr. O'Donnell said the state figure for the number of high school students requiring remediation is approximately 25 percent, although figures vary for individual schools. There was discussion of the responsibility in the K-12 system for remediation needs. Representative Paccione discussed the bill in the context of the discussion.


03:07 PM

Representative King and Representative Paccione discussed potential language in an amendment and whether provisions around remediation are permissive or mandatory.


03:09 PM -- Allan Huong, representing the University of Northern Colorado, testified in support of the bill. He stated that about 14 percent of incoming students at the University of Northern Colorado require remediation, about 89 percent of whom are Colorado high school graduates, and that it is best to catch those students earlier in the process.


03:14 PM

Mr. Huong responded to questions about which subject areas require remediation at the highest rates, and Mr. Huong discussed mathematics remediation. He answered additional questions about how the need for remediation is determined. For the University, he said about three-quarters of incoming students have taken a pre-collegiate curriculum.


03:16 PM -- Shelly Aquino and Jasmine Maciel came to the table together as a parent and student representing themselves and testified in support of the bill. Ms. Aquino described her family situation and her children's need for remediation and the fact that it was quite expensive and difficult. She said that she had not known that they needed assistance prior to going to college.

03:20 PM -- Ms. Aquino's daughter Jasmine Maciel, a sophomore student at Aurora Central High School, said that she is investigating the curriculum she needs to go to college. However, she said that she knows many other students who do not have the information or resources that they need to prepare for college. She said that sometimes parents are working long hours and have not had the time or opportunity to find the information that their children need. Ms. Maciel discussed how the bill could assist families in getting the information they need and that providing information in the parents' native language makes a big impact as well. She responded to questions about how she has decided what courses she should take in high school.


03:29 PM

Ms. Aquino responded to questions about the assistance and information she received from her children's high school teachers and counselors. She said that the assistance she received varied among school personnel.


03:32 PM -- Mr. O'Donnell responded to a question regarding the impact of the bill on vocational programs and said that it may be an issue that needs to be discussed further as the bill moves through the process. He also responded to questions about providing notice and information to students who move into the state late in their high school years.

03:36 PM -- Tony Salazar, representing the Colorado Education Association (CEA), testified in support of the bill. He provided background on CEA's position and discussion on the issue. He said that he supports proposed amendments to the bill. He thanked Representative Frangas, liaisons from the Colorado Commission of Higher Education, and Representative Merrifield, for assisting in the progress of the bill.


03:41 PM -- Lauren Kingsbery, representing the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), testified in support of the bill. She said that local boards of education and districts support additional marketing and information for parents. She said that many school districts are looking at revising high graduation requirements, and that graduation requirements should be a focus of the discussion on the bill.

03:45 PM

Representative Paccione responded to Ms. Kingsbery's comments about the bill. There was also discussion of concerns about language barriers and what school districts may do to address those concerns.


03:48 PM -- Phil Fox, representing the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) said that the bill addresses a difficult subject area, but that Representative Frangas had crafted language around a bill that CASE can support.



03:49 PM -- Mike Lynch, a principal in Douglas County Schools, discussed how his district handles issues around curriculum planning and communication with parents. Mr. Lynch responded to questions from committee members. Representative Pommer asked Mr. Lynch asked about parent feedback, student selection and how these assist in determining courses offered at high schools. He responded to questions about data for Douglas County high school students.


03:55 PM

There was additional committee discussion about what is already being done by high school counselors and their high case loads. Mr. Lynch said that decisions about where to allocate resources in the district are difficult. Representative Frangas made additional comments following Mr. Lynch's testimony.


04:00 PM

George Walker, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He expressed concern about funding and how to determine who needs remediation.




BILL:HB05-1057
TIME: 04:06:13 PM
MOVED:Paccione
MOTION:Moved amendment .005 (Attachment B). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Benefield
VOTE
Balmer
Benefield
King
Larson
McKinley
Penry
Pommer
Rose
Solano
Todd
White
Paccione
Merrifield
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:HB05-1057
TIME: 04:09:59 PM
MOVED:Paccione
MOTION:Move to refer House Bill 05-1057 to the Committee of the Whole, as amended. No further action was taken on Representative Paccione's motion.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Balmer
Benefield
King
Larson
McKinley
Penry
Pommer
Rose
Solano
Todd
White
Paccione
Merrifield
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: TIE

After further discussion about the potential fiscal impact of the amendment, the chairman decided to delay action on the bill.



04:11 PM

The committee recessed.