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Committee approves LFC operating budget for Public Education Department despite disagreement on special education staffing
Summary
The Appropriations & Finance committee adopted the Legislative Finance Committee recommendation for the Public Education Department operating budget. The executive asked for larger general fund increases to sustain FTEs in the Office of Special Education; one member recorded opposition to the LFC motion.
The Appropriations & Finance committee voted to adopt the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) recommendation for the Public Education Department(PED) operating budget after a motion by Representative Garrett and a second by Representative Luhan; Representative Duncan registered opposition on the record.
Staff and agency presenters summarized the key difference between the executive recommendation and the LFC recommendation. "The executive recommendation is a $3,000,000 general fund increase, which is the primary difference," LFC staff told the committee. The LFC proposal reflected a smaller increase in general fund authority than the executive, while increasing other state fund authority tied to federal IDEA funds and charter set‑aside amounts.
Director Minor, presenting for the department, said the executive package included roughly $1,000,000 to support approximately eight FTE in the Office of Special Education and an additional $1,700,000 intended to fully fund currently filled positions. "We need this funding to continue at the levels that we're currently at," Minor said, explaining that some staff are funded with federal dollars or vacancy savings and that recurring general fund support would stabilize those positions.
Madam Secretary emphasized staffing pressures and vacancy rates: "Our current vacancy rate is 16%, and so we do a great job with the funding that we have to hire the employees that we need," she told the committee, urging the need for stable recurring funding to support casework, regional supports and professional development tied to special education services.
Representative Duncan voiced opposition to the LFC adoption; the committee recorded his opposition but approved the motion to adopt the LFC recommendation.
The committee adopted the LFC operating budget recommendation for PED and moved on to the next agenda item. Members asked staff to continue coordination with the department on FTE needs and to monitor the expiration of any federal or temporary funding sources that underwrite current staff.
