Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senators weigh revised foundation formula, warning of tax shifts and ‘winners and losers’ for districts
Summary
Members of the Senate Education Committee debated a proposed change to the state’s school foundation formula — how the base amount and pupil weights are set — and pressed for more modeling and for education-cost analyst Tammy Colby to testify before any final vote.
Members of the Senate Education Committee spent the meeting discussing proposed changes to the state’s school funding foundation formula, focusing on how the “base” and pupil “weights” are calculated and how those changes could shift property tax burdens across districts.
The debate centered on whether the committee should adopt an empirically-derived foundation amount proposed by consultant Tammy Colby or keep a formula that largely reflects current district spending. Committee members repeatedly urged more analysis, told staff to provide clearer modeling of the enhanced proposal, and asked that Colby return to explain her methodology.
Speaker 1, a committee member, said the panel has seen only a short period of implementation for the most recent weights and urged caution. “I want to make sure we, as far as we possibly can, speak the truth,” Speaker 1 said, arguing the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
