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Education Interim Committee
MINUTES OF THE
EDUCATION INTERIM COMMITTEE
August 20, 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. Howard C. Nielson Rep. Evan L. Olsen
Sen. Howard A. Stephenson Rep. Tammy J. Rowan
Rep. Sheryl L. Allen Rep. Richard M. Siddoway
Rep. Ron Bigelow Rep. A. Lamont Tyler
Rep. Duane Bourdeaux Rep. Bill Wright
Members Excused:
Sen. Joseph L. Hull Rep. Patricia B. Larson
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 -Sen. Steele called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m.
a. Approval of Minutes -
MOTION: Rep. Bigelow moved to approve the minutes of the July 16, 1997 interim meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
b. Committee Business - Rep. Bourdeaux invited committee members to a Truancy Summit on August 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Utah Law and Justice Center, 645 South 200
East. The purpose of the summit is to review current state truancy laws and make
recommendations to improve them.
2. Draft Legislation - Transportation of Students by School Districts -
a. Laurie Chivers, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, reviewed legislation on Transportation of Students by School Districts. She said that proposed legislation increases the ceiling on the school district transportation levy from .0002 to .0003. The legislation also
provides for a state guarantee of up to 85 percent of the states average cost per mile subject to an
approved appropriation. The objective of the bill is to help pay transportation costs for students
who do not qualify for state transportation assistance and for authorized interscholastic activities,
field trips, and for the replacement of school buses.
Mr. James Wilson, Associate General Counsel, reviewed the particulars of the proposed
legislation with the committee.
Rep. Allen said the bill is a step closer to funding equity, but felt efforts made by the
High School Activities Association to reduce travel should also be discussed in tandem with the
bill. Sen. Steele said the High School Activities Association will report on its efforts in the
October meeting.
MOTION: Rep. Frandsen moved that the bill be adopted for the 1998 General Session as an Education Interim Committee bill. The motion passed unanimously.
3. Applied Technology Education - Max Lowe, Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, said the Joint Liaison Committee for Public and Higher Education had assessed the
joint budgetary process for ATE education and is recommending the chairs of both Higher and
Public Education Appropriations Subcommittees meet either early in or prior to the 1998
legislative session to coordinate ATE appropriations proposals. He suggested that one or all of
the following items be considered in that meeting: 1) a tentative allocation decision of ATE
money for both higher education and public education immediately following the hearing,
recognizing that it may need to be modified, increased, or decreased as new budget figures
emerge during the session; 2) require each appropriations subcommittee to make a tentative
allocation decision at the next regularly scheduled subcommittee meeting; and 3) hold a joint
presentation towards the end of the legislative session when budget information is current and
final decisions can be made at the ATE hearing.
Mr. Rob Brems, State Office of Education, said that due to the success of the public
information program S.O.A.R, several ATE programs are now experiencing increased demand
without sufficient funds to match the growth. He reported that the Joint Liaison Committee is
recommending a formula be developed to address ATE noncredit programs needs at colleges and
universities.
Mr. Lowe said applied technology education continually changes and must stay close to
the cutting edge of technology so students matriculating in these programs qualify for jobs. He
said $20 to $30 million is needed to upgrade equipment. The committee may wish to consider
base funding for upgrading equipment in each ATE program.
The committee discussed the need for the Department of Human Services and the
Department of Corrections to coordinate money to compliment and help with equipment needs.
It was also suggested that the committee consider funding based on demand for specific
programs, and accurate job placement data. The committee discussed whether it should send a
letter to the Department of Workforce Services recommending two questions be added to the
Unemployment Data Base to provide job title and hourly wage information of ATE graduates.
MOTION: Rep. Allen moved that Public Education and the Higher Education Appropriations Committee chairs meet to consider the three alternatives stated above for the joint
budget process and make a recommendation to legislative leadership. The motion passed
unanimously.
MOTION: Rep Allen moved that the Education Interim Committee go on record supporting an addition of two questions on job title and hourly wage to the Unemployment
Insurance database; that it be discussed with the Department of Workforce Services and a
recommendation be given to the interim committee this fall.
Rep. Hogue requested the motion be amended to include a letter to the Department of
Workforce Services from the Education Interim Committee chairs making such a request. Rep.
Frandsen said the cochairs would be willing to meet with the Department of Workforce Services.
Sen. Stephenson proposed the motion be amended to send this request to the Business
Education Partnership and have it make a recommendation to the Department of Workforce
Services. Mr. Lowe asked if he could get the letter with the committee request since he and Mr.
Brems would be meeting with the partnership shortly.
SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Sen. Stephenson moved that a letter be prepared to the Utah Education Business Partnership outlining the feasibility of adding two questions to the
Department of Workforce Services data base report and return the recommendation to the
Education Interim Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Rep. Frandsen moved to direct the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, in consultation with the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, to prepare funding formula
recommendations for the Education Interim Committee which will cover increased ATE costs
due to growth plus recommendations for an ongoing base budget for ATC equipment.
Rep. Wright requested the motion be divided. The motion was divided as follows:
MOTION: Rep. Frandsen moved that the Fiscal Analyst Office be directed to prepare recommendations, in consultation with the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, for the
development of an ATE funding formula. The motion passed.
MOTION: Rep. Wright moved to direct the Fiscal Analyst's Office to propose funding options from all funding sources for ATE equipment upgrade and maintenance. The motion
passed unanimously.
Mr. Brems presented data on a perceived need for Applied Technology Education
scholarships. The Joint Liaison Committee formed an ATE Tuition Incentive Task force to
review possibilities to provide incentives for students to choose training in occupational areas of
high demand/high salary. The task force is recommending that the legislature fund a loan
forgiveness program for students who wish to pursue ATE careers in these areas.
The committee discussed the need for such a program. Many committee members felt it
was not necessary for the state to fund scholarships.
MOTION: Rep. Frandsen moved to direct staff to prepare legislation outlining an ATE educational scholarship as discussed. The motion failed.
Sen. Stephenson said many students applied for ATE programs at the Utah Valley
Community College but did not attend because they were unable to enroll in the classes they
wanted. He was concerned and felt the committee needed to address this issue. He requested
Mr. Brems and Mr. Lowe provide information on the demand for ATE classes where students
are turned away. Rep. Koehn asked for information on the types and number of high demand
programs that would require scholarships.
4. Potential of Combining Line Items in the School Finance Bill - Ms. Chivers reported on a study requested of the State Office of Education by the Legislature to look at combining of
specific line items in the School Finance Bill. A committee was formed to review each program
in the Minimum School Program to determine what changes should be recommended.
The committee's report as distributed to members of the interim committee included the
following recommendations: 1) no changes to the basic school program; 2) in the restricted basic
school programs, combine character education and pregnancy prevention; 3) expand accelerated
learning programs to include the MESA program; 3) continue the adult education program as one
line item containing the adult high school completion program and the adult basic skills program;
and 4) combine the at-risk line with the at-risk district flow through, homeless and minority, and
gang prevention and intervention items was also recommended.
MOTION: Rep. Siddoway moved the committee approve the recommendations be forwarded to the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The motion failed.
5. Review of Funding Formula Criteria for Highly Impacted Schools - Mr. Wilson explained that the committee is required by statute to receive an annual report from the State
Office of Education on funding highly impacted schools.
a. Cheryl Hostetter, State Office of Education, indicated the information given to the committee was preliminary and a final report would be provided in October. She provided a
funding overview for highly impacted schools. During FY 1996-97, 54 schools designated as
"highly impacted" were funded with $5.45 million. The Legislature reduced funding for those
schools to $4.97 million in FY 1997-98. Consequently, the number of schools was reduced to
49. Each school selected was required by the State Office of Education to submit individual
proposals outlining their goals, proposed evaluations, and intended expenditures of allocated
money.
Mr. Robert Peterson, State Office of Education, noted that five factors are used to
determine if a school should receive highly impacted monies: 1) ethnicity, 2) limited English
proficiency, 3) mobility, 4) single-parent status, and 5) poverty. A table was distributed showing
the ranking and funding of applicant schools.
b. Laurie Lacey, State Office of Education, reported on evaluations of the schools and site visits conducted by the State Office of Education. She said highly impacted funds continue to
make a difference as an entire school works together to focus on its specific needs. Data is
collected on core tests, SATs, and other measures defined by the school to provide a complete
report on improvements made over the previous year. The primary focus of highly impacted
money is to purchase additional qualified staff. Funding is also used for professional
development. Money for supplies and equipment is typically limited to less than 20 percent of
the allocation. Highly impacted funding is a motivator for schools to comprehensively review
school needs and address those issues that significantly impact student achievement.
6. Centennial Charter Schools Task Force and Public Education Computer Technology Task Force Update - This item will be discussed in a future meeting.
7. Review and Recommendations for Directing ETI Monies to the State's Colleges of Education - Mr. Wilson briefly reviewed the current Educational Technology Initiative (ETI), focusing primarily on the funding provision which earmarks monies to the colleges of education
for professional development. He said the original legislative intent apparently has not been
fulfilled over the last two years because colleges of education have not received a direct
appropriation for technology training of teacher candidates.
Mr. Wilson presented a number of options for the committee to consider. They included:
1) modification of the ETI legislation to remove the appropriation to the colleges of education;
2) a separate appropriation to the colleges of education for technology training, either reinforced
in the current ETI legislation or in a separate bill; or 3) legislation to formalize the higher
education technology initiative, with a clear provision for an appropriation to the colleges of
education. The committee discussed how it might best address this matter in a future meeting.
8. Review of Professional Development Concepts - This item will be discussed in a future meeting.
9. Adjournment - Rep. Siddoway moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:05 p.m.
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