Joint Education Committee Minutes
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Draft Only Approval Pending of SUMMARY P ROCEEDINGS JOINT E D U C AT IO N COMMITTEE COMM ITTEE M EETING I NFORMATION December 19, 2016 Teleconference and Jonah Building, Room L-54 Cheyenne, Wyoming COMM ITTEE M EM BERS PRESENT Senator Hank Coe, Co-chairman (by telephone) Representative David Northrup, Co-chairman (by telephone) Senator Dan Dockstader (by telephone) Senator Bill Landen (by telephone) Senator Stephan Pappas Senator Chris Rothfuss (by telephone) Representative John Freeman (by telephone) Representative Hans Hunt (by telephone) Representative Allen Jaggi (by telephone) Representative Mark S. Kinner (by telephone) Representative Jerry Paxton (by telephone) Representative Garry Piiparinen (by telephone) Representative Albert Sommers (by telephone) Representative Mary Throne OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT Senator Jeff Wasserburger Senator-Elect Anthony Bouchard Senator-Elect Affie Ellis Representative-Elect Debbie Bovee Representative-Elect Jamie Flitner Representative-Elect Bill Henderson The Committee Meeting Summary of Proceedings (meeting minutes) is prepared by the Legislative Service Office (LSO) and is the official record of the proceedings of a legislative committee meeting. This document does not represent a transcript of the meeting; it is a digest of the meeting and provides a record of official actions taken by the Committee. All meeting materials and handouts provided to the Committee by the Legislative Service Office, public officials, lobbyists, and the public are on file at the Legislative Service Office and are part of the official record of the meeting. An index of these materials is provided at the end of this document and these materials are on file at the Legislative Service Office. For more information or to review meeting materials, please contact the Legislative Service Office at (307) 777-7881 or by e-mail at [email protected]. The Summary of Proceedings for each legislative committee meeting can be found on the Wyoming Legislature’s website at www.wyoleg.gov. PAGE 2 OF 5 LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE STAFF Matthew Willmarth, Senior School Finance Analyst Josh Anderson, Senior Staff Attorney Ted Hewitt, Staff Attorney OTHERS PRESENT AT M EETING Please refer to Appendix 1 to review the Committee Sign-in Sheet for a list of other individuals who attended the meeting. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Joint Education Committee (Committee) met for one morning to discuss bill drafts regarding K-12 education funding. The Committee took no action on three bill drafts. The Committee voted to create a subcommittee to consider new legislation for the 2017 General Session. CALL TO ORDER Co-Chairman Northrup called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. The following sections summarize the Committee proceedings by topic. Please refer to Appendix 2 to review the Committee Meeting Agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes from the November 14-15, 2016 Committee meeting were approved. REVIEW OF LEGISLATIVE FUNDING MODEL AND 2015 EVIDENCE BASED MODEL Mr. Matthew Willmarth, LSO Senior School Finance Analyst, discussed the differences between the current K-12 education resource block grant funding model and the evidence-based funding model as recommended by the Legislature’s school finance consultants during the 2015 school finance recalibration effort. See Appendix 3, Appendix 4 and Appendix 5. Mr. Willmarth indicated that by enacting the evidence-based model, the total funding provided to school district would decrease approximately $36.1 million or 2.38% in the 2017-2018 school year. The Committee discussed the corresponding draft legislation to adopt the 2015 evidence-based model as requested from the Committee’s November 14-15 meeting and took no action. See Appendix 6. REVIEW OF WYOMING K-12 CLASS SIZES Mr. Jed Cicarelli, Wyoming Department of Education School Foundation Supervisor, updated the Committee on data regarding class sizes in Wyoming school districts. See Appendix 7. In response to a Committee question, Mr. Cicarelli stated he would provide additional detail on the number of schools contained in the quartile analysis for the large school. Mr. Willmarth discussed the estimated funding impacts of draft legislation designed to increase class sizes within the education resource block grant funding model. He stated that if the first class size option were to be enacted, the total funding provided to school district would decrease approximately $47.8 million or 3.15% in the 2017-2018 school year. Mr. Willmarth further stated that if the second class size option were to be enacted, the total funding provided to school district would decrease approximately $34.9 million or 2.30% in the 2017-2018 school year. See Appendix 8. The Committee discussed the corresponding draft legislation as requested from the Committee’s November 14-15 meeting and took no action. See Appendix 9 and Appendix 10. JOINT EDUCATION COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE www.wyoleg.gov PAGE 3 OF 5 Public Comment Ms. Jillian Balow, Wyoming Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction cautioned the Committee in eliminating research-based investments that have paid off and supported the Committee to explore a more comprehensive approach in dealing with the issue at hand. Mr. Gerry Chase, President of the Wyoming Association of School Administrators supported the Committee’s action earlier regarding the bill drafts. Mr. Chase requested that categorical grant funding for instructional facilitators and summer school and extended day program be folded into the block grant for provide school district greater flexibility with their budgets. He stated that funding for instruction should be separated from funding for construction. Mr. Chase also requested ways to stabilize funding and supported a super committee approach to evaluate this issue. Boyd Brown, Superintendent of Campbell Country School District #1 stated that he wanted to remind the Committee that cuts have already have occurred at school districts and the economy appears to be improving and stabilized funding should be a priority. Mr. Brown also requested that the conversation between capital construction and instruction funding be separated. He stated that school districts are required to provide the basket of goods and the Hathaway scholarship’s success curriculum and that if the Legislature wants to decrease funding, the basket of goods also be evaluated. He also requested categorical funding also be included in block grant funding. Charles Auzqui, Superintendent of Sheridan County School District #3 requested that the Committee consider small school districts as they move forward in this process and continue communicating with them. John Lyttle, Superintendent of Laramie County School District #1 appreciated the Committee’s effort regarding this issue. He stated that across the state approximately 80 to 85 percent of school districts’ expenditures are personnel and benefits costs so additional cuts will have to be evaluated within those areas. Mr. Lyttle stated his school district has started the process in his school district in convening groups to identify areas where efficiencies can be made. Brian Farmer, Executive Director of the Wyoming School Boards Association stated that he supported a super committee discussing this issue, but cautioned the Committee that the requirement to fund education is a Constitutional requirement. Committee Directives and Action The Committee discussed preparing new legislation to comprehensively address K-12 education funding issue. Representative Sommers moved, seconded by Senator Landen to draft a substitute bill to work on a comprehensive solution and asked the Chairmen work with staff and other members to form the bill draft for consideration by the end of Committee’s tenure. The motion was adopted. Senator Pappas moved, seconded by Representative Kinner to create a subcommittee composed of the Committee Chairmen, Senators Rothfuss and Pappas, and Representatives Kinner, Paxton and Sommers to develop recommendations on a bill draft for a comprehensive solution to the education funding issue. The motion was adopted. JOINT EDUCATION COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE www.wyoleg.gov PAGE 4 OF 5 MEETING ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Co-Chairman Northrup adjourned the meeting at 11:25 a.m. Respectfully submitted, David Northrup, Co-Chairman JOINT EDUCATION COMMITTEE Summary of Proceedings WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE (307) 777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • E-MAIL [email protected] • WEB SITE www.wyoleg.gov PAGE 5 OF 5 Committee Meeting Materials Index Appendix Agenda Item Appendix Description Appendix Provider 1 Committee Sign-In Sheet Lists meeting attendees Legislative Service Office 2 Committee Meeting Provides an outline of the topics the Legislative Service Office Agenda Committee planned to address at meeting 3 Review of Legislative Memo: Estimated impact of school finance Legislative Service Office Funding Model and 2015 bill drafts with Summary, December 8, Evidence Based Model 2016 4 Review of Legislative Table depicting model components and Legislative Service Office Funding Model and 2015 differences in the Legislative Models and Evidence Based Model Evidence based