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Senate committee removes $16.5 million PLC earmark from adequacy bill, sends companion funding bill to pass
Summary
Lawmakers struck a $16.5 million line for statewide Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) from the House adequacy bill and approved a companion measure to reallocate professional development funds to district-level implementation of LEARNs and related literacy/numeracy supports, after debate over the value and procurement of PLC contracts.
Representative Keith Roach presented House Bill 1312 to the Senate Education Committee on behalf of the House; the bill was amended to match the Senate version by striking language that earmarked $16,500,000 for statewide Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
The change removes a specific supplemental appropriation for PLCs that had been the subject of debate after a single-source vendor arrangement and a contested procurement process. A separate companion bill, House Bill 1874, was presented by Representative Bridal McKenzie and Senator Brianne Davis to allow the Department of Education to use adequacy-supplement funds for LEARNs implementation and to change the prior earmark to a flexible ‘‘aid to the maximum’’ approach, directing professional development dollars to districts and cooperatives.
Committee members pressed presenters on fiscal and programmatic details. Secretary-level staff from the Department of Education described how the department had handled the PLC funds during a recent procurement: the vendor initially chosen in a prior procurement withdrew after a contested review, and the department instead distributed professional development money to districts and developed a menu of qualified vendors. Department staff said the categorical line item still funds district-level professional learning on a per-student basis; the change would free the second half of the categorical so districts could access a broader set of vendor options tailored to local needs.
Representative John Eubanks testified in opposition during the companion bill’s hearing, arguing he had tracked PLCs from their inception and citing educators’ positive testimonials and district-level results after multi-year cohorts. Eubanks warned that dismantling the statewide approach could interrupt progress in districts that committed to multi-year PLC cohorts and produce uneven outcomes. Supporters of the change said it preserves district access to PLC-style professional development while redirecting funds toward LEARNs priorities and more directly accountable literacy and numeracy interventions.
Committee members discussed accountability, procurement history, and data on effectiveness. Department of Education staff said a range of vendors responded to a statewide RFP last year and that the department had worked to create qualified-vendor lists and to allow districts flexibility; they noted that research and implementation timelines mean gains can take multiple years to appear.
The committee recorded a motion to pass the related measures by voice vote; motion records indicate the bills advanced on a voice vote with no formal roll-call tally specified in the transcript.
Why it matters: the change alters how professional development dollars flow to districts. Removing an earmark for a statewide PLC contract increases local flexibility but raised concerns from some legislators and educators who argued sustained, centralized PLC support had produced measurable benefits in participating schools.
