Committee hears testimony on pausing growth of Transition to Kindergarten program

The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on substitute House Bill 2012, a proposal to limit growth of the Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) program by capping each district’s average annual full‑time‑equivalent (FTE) TTK enrollment at that district’s 2024–25 level beginning in the 2025–26 school year, Jordan Clark, staff to the committee, told members.

Clark summarized the program and funding mechanics, saying TTK ‘‘must be calculated using the actual number of annual average full time equivalent eligible children enrolled’’ and that a TTK child ‘‘must be counted as a kindergarten student for purpose of the model’s funding calculations, but be reported separately.’’ Clark also said TTK funding is ‘‘not part of the state statutory program of basic education and must be expended only for the support of operating a TTK program.’’ Clark told the committee the Caseload Forecast Council projects about 7,266 average annual FTE students enrolled in TTK during the 2024–25 school year and that the February 2025 forecast assumed increases to 9,451 in fiscal 2026 and 11,636 in fiscal 2027. Clark said maintaining 2024–25 enrollment levels would yield roughly $194 million in NGF‑O savings over a four‑year outlook and that those numbers are preliminary.

Why it matters: TTK serves 4‑year‑olds judged to need extra preparation for kindergarten; testimony at the hearing stressed that pausing program growth could…