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Conference draft increases study funding and sets Agency of Education transformation appropriation
Summary
The conference draft raises the Joint Fiscal Office study appropriation to $400,000 for the 45a report, and assigns $2,865,000 to the Agency of Education for transition work, positions and contracted services.
Conferees reviewed updated appropriation totals in the H.454 conference draft tied to studies and Agency of Education (AOE) transformation work.
The draft increases the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) appropriation for the 45a foundation-formula study from $150,000 (previously proposed) to $400,000. Staff said the increase was intended to expand the pool of potential contractors and allow for contracting with one or more contractors if appropriate (for example, separate contractors for CTE and high-school cost studies).
To align with the JFO increase, the conference draft updates the AOE transformation appropriation to a sum of $2,865,000, described in the draft as: $200,000 to support school-board transitions; $562,500 for new positions; and $2,102,500 for contracted services. The draft also enumerates the titles of proposed AOE positions (business operations support specialist; data integration support specialist; curriculum and education quality standards integration specialist; learning and teaching integration specialist; and school facility field support specialist).
Why it matters: the increased study funding and AOE appropriation reflect staff and conferees’ desire to ensure adequate resources for technical analysis, implementation support and hiring necessary staff to manage a multi-year transition to a new funding system.
Procedural notes and next steps
- Staff explained that JFO will be authorized to contract with one or more contractors to complete the 45a report; conferees asked that recommendations include whether secondary students cost more to educate and how to account for CTE within a foundation formula. - The AOE appropriation is included in the draft to support rulemaking, transition management and contracted services; staff said editorial edits remain to confirm appropriation routing and budget language.
Quotes
“The additional appropriation to JFO was previously $150,000, and this is now $400,000,” the legislative counsel said while summarizing the draft’s funding changes.
Ending: Conferees asked staff to ensure the appropriation language aligns with budget documents and to finalize editing before the conference report is printed.
