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Education Interim Committee

MINUTES OF THE

EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE

July 16, 1997 - 10:00 a.m. - Room 303 State Capitol


Members Present:
    Sen. David H. Steele, Chair        Rep. Judy Ann Buffmire
    Rep. Lloyd Frandsen, Chair        Rep. David L. Hogue
    Sen. Lyle W. Hillyard        Rep. Susan J. Koehn
    Sen. Scott N. Howell            Rep. Keele Johnson
    Sen. Joseph L. Hull            Rep. Patricia B. Larson
    Sen. Howard C. Nielson        Rep. Evan L. Olsen
    Sen. Howard A. Stephenson        Rep. Richard M. Siddoway
    Rep. Ron Bigelow            Rep. A. Lamont Tyler
    Rep. Duane Bourdeaux        Rep. Bill Wright

Members Excused:
    Rep. Sheryl L. Allen            Rep. Tammy J. Rowan

Staff Present:
    Mr. J. Wayne Lewis, Research Analyst
    Mr. James L. Wilson, Associate General Counsel
    Mrs. Nedra B. Duzett, Secretary

Note:    A list of others present and copies of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1.    Call to Order - Rep. Frandsen called the meeting to order at 9:55 a.m.

a.    Approval of Minutes -

    MOTION: Sen. Nielsen moved to approve the minutes of the May 21, 1997 interim meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

    MOTION: Rep. Siddoway moved to approve the minutes of the June 17, 1997 interim meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

b.    Committee Business - Ms. Carmen Pingree, President of the Autism Society of Utah, gave a summary review of a report prepared by the society on services needed by autistic children in Utah. She said the society wants to use the report as a basis for legislation which would effectively coordinate care giver services within the community and highlight best practices for working with autistic children within the state. The objective of the legislation would be increase access to services and improve outcomes through currently available services while requiring greater accountability.

MOTION: Rep. Hogue moved that staff prepare legislation from the report for review by the committee prior to the 1998 General Session. The motion passed unanimously.

    Chairman Frandsen asked if committee members would like to be involved in preparing the legislative draft. Reps. Hogue and Siddoway responded affirmatively.

c.     The results of the communication survey distributed at the Logan meeting will be scheduled for discussion in the August 20 meeting.

2.    Review of Outcomes and Recommendations from the June Interim Meetings with State Board of Regents and the State Board of Education -

a.    Master Planning for Higher Education - Rep. Frandsen led a discussion on master planning for higher education recognizing it as an important function that could be reviewed by both the interim committee and the Strategic Planning for Public and Higher Education Task Force. The committee determined it was important to establish the planning responsibility with one entity.

    Cecelia Foxley, Commissioner of Higher Education, noted the Joint Liaison Committee is also involved in the preparation of a higher education master plan. Sen. Hillyard, who cochairs the Strategic Planning Task Force, said the task force views master planning as one of its responsibilities and felt this process would risk losing the depth and breadth of expertise currently available within the task force if assigned elsewhere. Other issues discussed include the need to involve legislative staff in any strategic planning subcommittee efforts in master planning. He was concerned that strategic planning may have an overall responsibility for educational planning but might not specifically focus on master planning for higher education.

MOTION: Sen. Nielsen moved for the committee to charge the Strategic Planning Task Force with the responsibility to update the Higher Education Master Plan and to involve Legislative staff in the process. The motion passed unanimously.

b.    Communications with the Board of Regents - The committee had a general discussion on agencies and legislators usually having a limited opportunity to thoroughly discuss specific issues or to even briefly understand the parameters of most educational issues. Commissioner Foxley said the Regents want to be more involved in dialogue, not only during the Legislative Session but throughout the year as well. She said better communication was available last session, but was limited in many cases to exchanges with legislative leadership.

    Rep. Frandsen felt it would be useful if the Legislative Management Committee authorized attendance and compensation to a variety of informational meetings during the year. During the session the Legislature is under pressure to deal with immediate issues and does not always have sufficient time to adequately communicate with executive agencies. Rep. Siddoway said legislators often don't known when board and other education meetings will be held. Commissioner Foxley said legislative staff is sent agenda materials for most higher education meetings. Mr. Wilson said staff will forward those materials to interested committee members.

Mr. Brad Winn, from the Office of Planning and Budget, said his office supports the idea of pre- session meetings to review budgetary items.

MOTION: Sen. Nielsen moved that Legislative Management be informed of the committee's desire for pre-session hearings and informational meetings and requested its approval for legislative attendance and reimbursement at such meetings. The motion passed unanimously.

c.    Applied Technology Education - Rep. Frandsen noted the ATE topics listed on the agenda, including the budgetary hearing process, capital expenditures, and accountability which were all discussed in the June meetings in Logan, should be addressed in some depth and proposed that they be reviewed in the August 20 meeting.

d.    Teacher Preservice and Inservice -The committee briefly discussed the topics listed on the agenda under teacher preservice and inservice, including stronger teacher mentoring programs, extensive clinical experiences in preservice education, and requirements for professional development, which could be developed into legislation by staff. Rep. Johnson said Board of Regents staff members have data in these areas and suggested legislative staff consult with them.

MOTION: Rep. Bigelow moved that staff be directed to prepare legislation on those topics dealing with preservice and inservice teacher education listed on the agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

e.    Middle School Education - Mr. Carl Bruce Principal of Snowcrest Junior High School in the Weber School District, presented an overview of the results of middle school reforms at Snowcrest Junior High. He said there is a strong sense of community ownership, pride, and interest in the progress of the school. He explained that his staff has earned the trust of parents and patrons by including them in the decision-making process. The central goal at Snowcrest Junior High is to improve student learning and performance.

    Snowcrest Junior High is a modified Centennial School, and although it uses a site-
based management model, it retains accountability to the local school district and the state. Snowcrest's students, parents, and teachers have prepared a strategic plan for the school, and manage the school through by-laws and administrative committees.

    The school researches and develops ways to meet student needs before curriculum materials are adopted for use in the school. Parents, teachers and students are provided a set of expectations and faculty is accountable for meeting those expectations. Snowcrest uses a grading system that identifies essential competencies to be acquired and requires all students to master each competency. Students who do not acquire essential competencies receive remediation. Teachers are given planning time with two hours being provided on two remediation days. This planning effort has resulted in 47 percent of the students being on the honor roll, and ATC scores are up four percent.

    Several legislators showed strong interest in the organizational structure and student progress at the school and asked specific questions about different parts of the teaching program. Sen. Stephenson asked Mr. Bruce to give the committee advice regarding the predominant top- down school management system in Utah. Sen. Howell asked Mr. Bruce to prepare statements of two things the Legislature could or should do to improve education and two things the Legislature shouldn't do in order to advance student progress.

MOTION: Rep. Koehn moved to request legislative staff to prepare legislation on all middle school issues stated in the agenda, including middle school teacher certification requirements, inservice incentives and funding, and a line item appropriation to the colleges of education for the ETI. The motion passed unanimously.

f.    Preschool Education - Rep. Frandsen asked the committee its feelings on those items that emerged as preschool education recommendations from the meeting in Logan. The committee reached no consensus on the issue but determined that it should concentrate on topics previously dealt with on the agenda, and preschool education issues should be addressed another time.

3.    Truancy Prevention Recommendations - Mr. Stevan Kukic and Sue Robinson, State Office of Education, updated the committee on current truancy issues. Mr. Kukic said the Legislature appropriated $100,000 for truancy support centers which are currently being implemented in Provo, Murray, Jordan, and Granite School Districts. He said Rep. Bourdeaux is organizing a truancy summit to be held in August that will review current legislation and proposed legislation that addresss issues of truancy.

4.    Proposed Legislation on Transportation of Students - Held over for the next meeting.

5.    Adjournment - Rep. Bigelow moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:45 a.m.

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