Conference committee negotiators agree to study special-education weights, accept draft language pending tax classification

Conference committee negotiators working on changes to the K-12 school foundation formula said they would accept proposed draft language while ordering targeted studies and contingencies to limit unanticipated budget or tax impacts.

Speaker 1, an unidentified meeting participant, said negotiators were seeking clarity on parts of the formula that remain unsettled, “such as CTE,” and emphasized that “as we study career technical education, and figure out where that money needs to go, that we're not exceeding current spending levels, on the system as a whole.”

The committee emphasized multiple reviews before any funding changes take effect. Speaker 1 said special-education weights are a priority for the administration and recommended that any new weights “only take effect contingent upon a real look at making sure that they work,” listing three subpoints of…