MINUTES OF THE

SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE

210 Senate Building, Utah State Capitol Complex

March 3, 2015

 

Members Present:     Sen. Ann Millner, Chair

                                    Sen. Jim Dabakis

                                    Sen. Mark B. Madsen

                                    Sen. Aaron Osmond

                                    Sen. Howard A. Stephenson

                                    Sen. Stephen H. Urquhart

                                   

Members Excused:    President Wayne L. Niederhauser

           

Members Absent:      Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson

 

Staff Present:             Ms. Allyson Goldstein, Policy Analyst

                                    Ms. Wendy Hill, Committee Secretary

 

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

 

Chair Millner called the meeting to order at 4:12 p.m.

 

MOTION:  Sen. Dabakis moved to approve the minutes of the March 2, 2015 meeting.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Madsen and Sen. Urquhart absent for the vote.   

 

 S.B. 151         National Board Certification Scholarships for Teachers   (Sen. A. Osmond)

 

Sen. Osmond explained the bill to the committee.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Osmond moved to replace S.B. 151 with 1st Sub. S.B. 151. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Madsen absent for the vote.

 

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

 

S.B. 84         Federal Nutrition Standards Exemptions   (Sen. A. Osmond)

 

Sen. Osmond explained the bill to the committee.

 

MOTION:   Sen. Osmond moved to replace S.B. 84 with 1st Sub. S.B. 84. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Madsen absent for the vote.

 

 

 

 

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

 

1.      Page 2, Lines 43 through 47: 

 

                     43           (ii)  the school breakfast program, authorized by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42

                     44 U.S.C. Sec. 1771, as amended.

                                     (d) "Local Education Agency" or "LEA" means:

                                    (i) a school district;

                                    (ii) a charter school; or

                                    (iii) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.  

                     45    {(d)}    (e)    "School food authority" means a governing body that:

                     46   (i)  is responsible for the administration of one or more schools; and

                     47   (ii)  has legal authority to operate school breakfast and lunch programs  for       an LEA  .

 

The motion passed unanimously.

 

Spoke to the bill:         Mr. Bruce Williams, Associate Superintendent, Utah State Office of Education

                                    Ms. Melva Sine, President, Utah Restaurant Association

                       

MOTION:  Sen. Madsen moved to pass the bill out favorably.  The motion failed with Sen. Dabakis, Sen. Millner and Sen. Urquhart voting in opposition.

 

S.B. 285       Student-centered Learning Pilot Program   (Sen. H. Stephenson)

 

Sen. Stephenson explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:       Mr. Brad C. Smith, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Utah State

Office of Education

Dr. Patti Harrington, citizen

Ms. Tami Pyfer, Education Advisor, Utah Governor’s Office                     

 

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

 

S.B. 279       Student Assessment Task Force   (Sen. H. Stephenson)

 

Sen. Stephenson explained the bill to the committee.

                       

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

 

S.B. 283       Post-secondary Career and Educational Choice Amendments   (Sen. H. Stephenson)

Sen. Stephenson explained the bill to the committee. The handout “Utah Futures”

 was distributed to the committee.

 

Spoke to the bill:         Ms. Tami Pyfer, Education Advisor, Utah Governor’s Office                     

 

Spoke for the bill:       Dr. Laura Hunter, Director, Utah Education and Telehealth Network                         Dr. Dane Goodfellow,            President, Digital Learning Alliance

                                   

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

 

S.B. 284       Charter School Funding Revisions   (Sen. H. Stephenson)

 

Sen. Stephenson explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke against the bill:             Dr. Patti Harrington, President, Utah Superintendents Association

                                                Ms. Kelsey White, Utah Taxpayers Association

                                                Ms. Cindy Davis, citizen

                     Ms. Lisa Nentl-Bloom, Executive Director, Utah Education Association    

                                             Mr. Royce Van Tassell. Executive Director, Utah Association of

                                             Public Charter Schools           

 

MOTION:  Sen. Osmond moved to move the bill to an interim study.  The motion failed with Sen. Madsen, Sen. Stephenson and Sen. Urquhart voting in opposition. 

 

1st Sub. H.B. 118        Public Education Human Resource Management Act Revisions (Rep. B. Last)

 

Rep. Last explained the bill to the committee.

 

Spoke for the bill:       Ms. Lisa Nentl-Bloom, Executive Director, Utah Education Association                               

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

                                               

MOTION:  Sen. Osmond moved to adjourn.  The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Dabakis absent for the vote.

 

Chair Millner adjourned the meeting at 6:01 p.m.

 

 

_____________________

Sen. Ann Millner, Chair