Conference committee leaves education item open after objection over teacher-certification funding

At the May 16 conference committee hearing on House Bills 53 and 55, Senator Sam Kaufman objected to conference action on a Department of Education and Early Development budget line identified in the motion as item 15, saying the funding helps certify foreign teachers and fill teacher shortages. The committee left item 15 open for further consideration.

Kaufman said, “I have an objection on item 15, and, conversations that I've had, with Deeds. They, this, funding, that's being decremented here, really helps them onboard the foreign teachers, get them certified, and kind of helps fill that deficit in teachers that we're experiencing.” He asked the committee to consider whether the proposed reduction was appropriate.

Vice Chair Senator Hoffman responded that it was a judgment call and noted the committee had not taken the reduction for item 13, which also related to teacher certification. Hoffman agreed to leave item 15 open: “It is a judgment call, item 15… if the chairman wants to leave that open, we could do so.” The chair directed that item 15 remain conferenceable.

What was decided: Item 15 was left open; no final appropriation change was adopted for that item during the session. The transcript does not specify the dollar amount for education item 15 in the committee’s motion text at the time of the objection.

Context: Earlier in the committee’s read of the education motion, item 10 was listed as “House minus $277,000 UGF,” and the committee adopted most education items by consent, but made the exception to keep item 15 open after Kaufman’s objection. The committee’s action preserves lawmakers’ ability to restore, modify, or decline the proposed change on a later date.

The discussion occurred during the Department of Education and Early Development portion of the hearing and was brief; the committee proceeded after designating item 15 as the only remaining conferenceable item in that department.