MINUTES OF THE

SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE

210 Senate Building, Utah State Capitol Complex

February 14, 2014

 

Members Present:     Sen. Patricia W. Jones

                                    Sen. Mark B. Madsen

                                    President Wayne L. Niederhauser

                                    Sen. Aaron Osmond

                                    Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson

                                    Sen. Stephen H. Urquhart

                                   

Members Excused:    Sen. Stuart C. Reid, Chair

                                    Sen. Howard A. Stephenson

 

Staff Present:             Ms. Tiffany Stanley, Policy Analyst

                                    Ms. Lorna Wells, Committee Secretary

 

NOTE:  A list of visitors and a copy of handouts are filed with the committee minutes.

 

Acting Chair Osmond called the meeting to order at 8:18 a.m.

 

S.B. 37         Statewide Online Education Program Revisions (Sen. D. Thatcher)

 

Sen. Thatcher explained the bill. “Public Education Online” was distributed to the committee.

 

Acting Chair Osmond relinquished the chair to Sen. Urquhart.

 

Spoke to the bill:                     Peter Cannon, citizen

 

Spoke for the bill:                   Margaret Dzierzon, student

                                                Corbin White, citizen,

                                                Connor Boyack, President, Libertas Institute

 

Spoke against the bill:             Ben Horsley, Communications and Community Outreach Director,

                                                            Granite School District

                                       Susan Edwards, Public Engagement Coordinator Canyon School

                                                   District           

 

MOTION:  Sen. Madsen moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

S.B. 39         Home School Amendments (Sen. A. Osmond)

 

MOTION:    Sen. Osmond moved to replace S.B. 39 with 1st Sub. S.B. 39. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

Sen. Osmond explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:                   Karianne Lisonbee, Legislative Liaison, Utah Home Education

                                                            Association

                                                Peter Cannon, Education Chair, Utah Eagle Forum

 

Spoke against the bill:             Kathleen Riebe, teacher, Granite School District

                                                Heidi Jensen, teacher, Granite School District

 

MOTION:    Sen. Madsen moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

H.B. 95        Applied Technology College Governance Amendments (Rep. D. Ipson)

 

Rep. Ipson explained the bill to the committee.        

 

MOTION:   Sen. Osmond moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Osmond moved to place H.B. 95 on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

S.B. 131       Student Leadership Grant (Sen. A. Osmond)

 

MOTION:    Sen. Osmond moved to replace S.B. 131 with 1st Sub. S.B. 131. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Osmond moved to amend the bill as follows:

1.         Page 4, Lines 110 through 111:         


                               110        addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2015. 

                             To State Board of Education - Utah State Office of Education - Initiative Programs 

                               111                            From Education Fund                                           $500,000

 

 

The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Jones absent for the vote.

 

Sen. Osmond explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:       Amy Wilcox, Principal, Coral Cliffs Elementary, Washington County

                                                School District

                                    Keri Greener, Principal, Discovery Elementary, Box Elder School District

                                 Brooklyn McLaws, Staff Developer, Coral Cliffs Elementary, Washington

                                                County School District

 

MOTION:  Sen. Jones moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

S.B. 42         Early Childhood Education (Sen. A. Osmond)

 

Sen. Osmond explained the bill to the committee.

 

MOTION:  Sen. Osmond moved to amend the bill as follows:

 

1.         Page 1, Lines 14 through 15: 


             14        ▸     establishes the High Quality Preschool Pilot Program to fund certain preschool

15          programs to   {serve at-risk}    intergenerational poverty   students;


 

2.        Page 2, Lines 30 through 31:  


             30        Programs, as an ongoing appropriation:

31                 ∙      from the Education Fund,   {$6,000,000}    $3,000,000  .


 

3.        Page 4, Lines 98 through 105:


             98               (5)  "Eligible student" means a student who:

             99               (a)  lives in the attendance boundaries of an eligible LEA;

             100                    (b)  is economically disadvantaged; and

             101                    (c)   {(i)}    is classified as a child affected by intergenerational poverty  {; or}    . 

             102                       {(ii) (A)  is classified as an English language learner; and

             103                    (B)  scores below average on an age-appropriate pre-assessment selected by an eligible

             104      LEA.} 

105                     (6)  "Intergenerational poverty" has the same meaning as in Section 35A-9-102.


 

4.          Page 5, Lines 142 through 144:        


             142                    (b)  the number of students the eligible LEA plans to serve, categorized by age  {,}    and  

             143             intergenerational poverty status  {, English language learner status, and free or reduced price

144             school lunch status}  ;


 

5.          Page 9, Lines 264 through 269:        


             264                    (4)  The board may use up to:

             265                    (a)  2%   per year  of the total appropriation under this part to administer and monitor the program;  and  

             266                    (b)    {$250,000}    10%   per year of the total appropriation under this part to  :

       (i)   contract with an

             267             evaluator as required under Subsection (3); and

             268                    {(c)  $250,000 per year of the total appropriation under this part to}    

       (ii)   select or develop a

269             school readiness assessment as required under Subsection (3)(c).


 

6.          Page 9, Line 274 through Page 10, Line 276:          


             274                    (a)  number of students served by the LEA's preschool, reported by   age and  intergenerational

             275             poverty status,   {English language learner status, and free or reduced price student lunch status}  ;

276                    (b)  attendance;


 

7.           Page 11, Line 323 through Page 12, Line 338:       


             323             addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2015. 

       To State Board of Education - Utah State Office of Education - Initiative Programs 

              324            From Education Fund                                               {$6,000,000}     $3,000,000 

             325                    Schedule of Programs:

             326                           Contracts and Grants                                  {$6,000,000}    $3,000.000 

             327             The Legislature intends that:

             328             (1)    {$5,375,000}    $2,625,000   of the appropriation under this section is to be used to carry out the

             329      requirements of Title 53A, Chapter 1a, Part 11, High Quality Preschool Pilot Program;

             330             (2)  $375,000 of the appropriation under this section is to be used to provide one-time

             331             grants to eligible LEAs for computer labs, hardware, and early childhood related software as

             332             described in Subsection (9);  and  

             333             {     (3)  up to $500,000 of the appropriation under this section may be used to:

             334                    (a)  contract with an evaluator as required under Subsection (3); and

             335                    (b)  select or develop a school readiness assessment as required under Subsection

             336             (3)(c);} 

             337               {(4)}    (3)    the appropriation under this section is:

                                     338           (a)  ongoing, subject to availability of funds;

 

 

The motion passed unanimously with President Niederhauser absent for the vote.

 

Spoke for the bill:                   Kathleen Riebe, teacher, Granite School District

                                                Dr. D. Ray Reutzel, Professor, Early Child Literacy, Utah State

                                                            University

Spoke against the bill:             Peter Cannon, citizen

 

MOTION:  Sen. Madsen moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Stevenson moved to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Acting Chair Urquhart adjourned the meeting at 9:58 a.m.

 

 

 

________________________

Sen. Stuart C. Reid, Chair