STAFF SUMMARY OF SECOND MEETING OF

FIRST CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON HB06-1375


Date:04/11/2006
ATTENDANCE
Time:12:50 PM to 04:31 PM
Merrifield
X
Williams
X
Place:SCR 354
King
X
Spence
X
This Meeting was called to order by
Windels
X
Representative Pommer
Pommer
X
This Report was prepared by
Susan Liddle


12:50 PM -- Conference Committee on House Bill 06-1375

The second meeting of the school finance conference committee came to order. The committee first met on Monday, April 10. Representative Pommer explained recent discussions with the Governor's office to come to a compromise. The committee discussed the draft committee report (CLHB1375.001 - Attachment A), and the Chair asked whether the committee had any suggestions.

Representative King suggested removing the section of the bill related to the Summer School Grant Program since no funding is being provided for this program. He also discussed removing the provision related to preschool slots in the rerevised bill. He also expressed concern about the level of funding for charter schools in the bill.


12:54 PM

The committee discussed the charter school provisions of the bill and where they are located. Senator Windels distributed a handout which provides a history of appropriations from the State Education Fund (Attachment B). She discussed the priorities of the State Education Fund, and proposed that the Summer School Grant Program funding for math, reading, or writing come from the State Education Fund at a level of $1 million. She discussed the funding for charter school capital construction needs, and declining enrollment districts. Representative King commented that maybe funds for charter schools should come out of assistance for declining enrollment districts.


01:04 PM

The committee members continued to discuss the funding of declining enrollment districts, and whether additional funding should be given each year for charter school capital construction needs. Representative King provided a history of why the General Assembly decided to fund the capital needs of charter schools. The committee discussed the idea of putting all of the capital construction funds into the Giardino pot of grant money for which all schools may apply. The committee discussed the state's moral obligation to fund charter school capital construction, and the impact of making the pot of money available to all schools.






01:17 PM

Discussion of charter schools and the state funding thereof continued.


01:24 PM

The committee discussed the funding of preschools. Representative Pommer stated that he preferred to leave the funding for this program in the school finance bill. Representative King stated that this should be decided on an annual basis, so that it can be determined whether there is sufficient funding.


01:26 PM

Senator Windels discussed the summer school grant program funding issue, and stated that it is an important program to restore, even with the reduced funding that is available this year. She stated that it makes a statement that the General Assembly is working toward restoring funding for this program. Representative King requested that $1 million be taken from the State Education Fund for the summer school program. He then asked that funding be restored to charter schools.


01:32 PM

Recess.
BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 01:32:59 PM
MOVED:King
MOTION:moved to go back to annual funding of preschool slots, thus striking the multiple-year funding language from the bill. The motion failed on a 2-4 roll call vote.
SECONDED:
VOTE
Merrifield
No
Williams
No
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
No
Pommer
No
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 01:38:07 PM
MOVED:Pommer
MOTION:moved to take $2.8 million out of State Education Fund and allocate it as follows: $1 million to the Summer School Grant Program; leave $1 million in the declining enrollment district assistance program; and $800,000 to charter school capital construction. [a substitute motion was offered - see next vote sheet - but failed].

The motion before the committee was the original Pommer motion which passed on a 4-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Merrifield
VOTE
Merrifield
Yes
Williams
Yes
King
No
Spence
No
Windels
Yes
Pommer
Yes
Not Final YES: 4 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 01:38:52 PM
MOVED:King
MOTION:substitute motion to take $3.8 million out of capital construction. The substitute motion failed on a 2-4 roll call vote)
SECONDED:Spence
VOTE
Merrifield
No
Williams
No
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
No
Pommer
No
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


01:40 PM

The committee discussed other amendments that may be needed to the bill. Christy Chase, Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS), discussed the Giardino funding. Representative King clarified what the successful amendment was actually funding and at what monetary levels. There was discussion of how the funding in the bill stands at this point prior to final adoption of the proposed committee report as amended by the Pommer amendment.





BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 01:48:44 PM
MOVED:King
MOTION:increase categorical funding by inflation plus 1 percent for one year, and clarify that the increase above that for special education not be considered part of the base for categoricals and instead be put into its own line item. Senator Windels expressed concern that the state's obligation to fund special education needs to be in the law with the intent that it will stay in there. Senator Williams concurred that there needs to be a base that the school districts and parents of special needs kids can rely on.

The motion failed on a 2-4 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Spence
VOTE
Merrifield
No
Williams
No
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
No
Pommer
No
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 4 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


01:56 PM

Ms. Chase, OLLS, asked whether the committee wants to walk through the draft committee report in order to ensure that the amendments adopted on April 10 were agreeable. Nicole Hoffman, OLLS, and Ms. Chase walked section-by-section through the draft committee report.


02:01 PM

There was discussion about whether the Summer School Grant Program was intended for 6th - 9th grades, or whether it was for 3rd - 9th graders. Senator Windels stated that her preference was for the program to be for 3rd - 9th grade. Senator Windels stated that the bill requires students to have scored unsatisfactorily for two years on the CSAP, thus 3rd and 4th grade would not really work with that restriction since CSAPs do not begin until the 3rd grade. Representative King stated that his intent was to narrow the program to middle school students. There was discussion of amending the bill to allow eligibility for the Summer School Grant Program after only one year of unsatisfactory performance rather than two years.













BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 02:07:41 PM
MOVED:Windels
MOTION:moved to make the eligibility for the Summer School Grant Program based on a student scoring unsatisfactory for one year in grades 4-8 rather than for two years in grades 6-8. The motion was adopted on a 6-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Merrifield
VOTE
Merrifield
Yes
Williams
Yes
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
Yes
Pommer
Yes
Not Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


02:09 PM

Ms. Hoffman and Ms. Chase continued walking through the proposed committee report. There was discussion about the amendments that were adopted at the previous meeting.


02:20 PM

On page 11 and 12 of the proposed committee report, Ms. Hoffman indicated that there were two options being suggested for how to fund high-cost grants for special education: one option would require the General Assembly to act each year; the other option would set the funding at $2 million annually, and would only need to be amended if the General Assembly decided it was necessary.


02:24 PM

The committee agreed that they need to pick an option. There was discussion about special education funding.


















BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 02:25:45 PM
MOVED:Windels
MOTION:moved to go with Option #2 on page 12 of the bill that sets the funding for high-cost grants for special education at $2 million each year unless changed by the General Assembly. The motion passed on a 6-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Pommer
VOTE
Merrifield
Yes
Williams
Yes
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
Yes
Pommer
Yes
Not Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS
BILL:HB06-1375
TIME: 02:26:22 PM
MOVED:Pommer
MOTION:moved to take special education funding increases out for 2007 and 2008, but to keep the $2,000 in for this year's budget. The motion passed 6-0.
SECONDED:King
VOTE
Merrifield
Yes
Williams
Yes
King
Yes
Spence
Yes
Windels
Yes
Pommer
Yes
Not Final YES: 6 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


02:28 PM

Recess until 4:30 p.m.


04:31 PM

Representative Pommer announced that the conference committee would reconvene tomorrow. The committee recessed.