Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT EDUCATION

Date:03/01/2006
ATTENDANCE
Time:07:40 AM to 08:35 AM
Bacon
Benefield
Place:HCR 0107
Evans
Jones
This Meeting was called to order by
King
Senator Windels
Larson
Massey
This Report was prepared by
McKinley
Jennifer Thomsen
Paccione
Penry
Pommer
Rose
Solano
Spence
Todd
Tupa
White
Williams
Merrifield
Windels
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
Presentation from the Regional Representative to the U.S. Department of Education-

07:40 AM

Pat Chlouber, Regional Representative of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, introduced herself and her colleagues, Wendy Evans, Deputy Representative of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and Dr. Patrick Chapman from the Colorado Department of Education. Ms. Chlouber remarked on a recent visit to Washington DC. She described the handouts she provided to the committee (Attachments A through C).

07:43 AM

Ms. Chlouber described education aid flowing to the states in response to Hurricane Katrina. She said that the money should amount to about $4,000 per student in Colorado due to the hurricane. Ms. Chlouber continued her presentation, commenting on a number of areas of flexibility granted by Secretary of Education Spellings in relation to the "No Child Left Behind Act." She told the committee about a pilot program announced by Secretary Spellings in which states may propose a growth-based accountability model for use in meeting the goals of "No Child Left Behind." She said Colorado, along with 19 other states, has submitted a plan.





07:49 AM

Ms. Chlouber continued her remarks, commenting on Colorado's growth-based accountability model plan and the timing of the implementation of the plan. She explained how states would be chosen for the pilot program. Representative King commented on the Colorado plan and asked a question regarding the timing of approval. Ms. Chlouber responded, noting that one state had its plan approved, but that she does not know where Colorado is in the approval process. Ms. Evans responded to follow-up questions from Representative King, noting that the U.S. Department of Education is fast-tracking the approval of the plans. Ms. Chlouber provided further response.

07:55 AM

Ms. Chlouber responded to a question from Senator Windels, remarking that she does not believe the pilot program comes with federal funding. She responded to follow-up questions regarding the pilot program from Senator Windels. Ms. Chlouber commented on the progress in student achievement in Colorado and across the nation. She told the committee about recent visits she had made to schools around the state. She spoke to closing the achievement gap and federal programs in place in that regard. Ms. Chlouber remarked on the affects of technology. She commented on the drop in the number of students getting math and science degrees.

08:05 AM

Ms. Chlouber remarked on the education gap and the ambition gap. She related a number of statistics about the number of science and engineering students graduated in other countries. Ms. Chlouber said math and science are becoming more and more essential. She noted that math and science are a harder sell than literacy. She spoke about the need for students to continue beyond high school and related statistics about the earning potential of high school graduates versus high school dropouts.

08:09 AM

Representative Merrifield made a number of comments about math and science education, reading to the committee from an article in the Rocky Mountain News. Ms. Chlouber responded to Representative Merrifield's comments.

08:13 AM

Ms. Evans told the committee about a number of new initiatives proposed by President Bush, including the American Competitiveness Initiative. She also described the Math Now Program and the National Mathematics Panel. She spoke about a program to increase the number of advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. She described a request for funding for the Adjunct Teacher Corps.

08:18 AM

Ms. Evans responded to a question from Representative Merrifield. Representative Solano asked about preschool opportunities and about economically disadvantaged families. Ms. Chlouber responded, speaking about the Early Reading First Program and other efforts to provide quality preschool. Representative Solano made follow-up comments.


08:23 AM

Ms. Evans responded to a question from Senator Windels regarding funding for the new programs, noting that the programs still needed to be approved by congress and that the details are not yet known. Senator Windels commented on the foreign language initiative. Ms. Evans continued describing new programs, including a High School Reform Initiative and the Striving Readers Program. She responded to a question from Representative Merrifield regarding expanding assessments to high school students.

08:26 AM

Ms. Evans continued describing the President's budget request. She described the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans. Ms. Chlouber responded to questions from Senator Windels regarding funding for new programs and funding for current mandates.

08:32 AM

Representative King asked a question about Part C IDEA funding, to which Ms. Chlouber and Ms. Evans responded.

08:34 AM

Ms. Chlouber made concluding remarks. The committee adjourned.