Committee advances bill clarifying interventionist staffing counts for early grades
Summary
A bill clarifying that a full-time interventionist assigned to up to two classrooms satisfies early childhood classroom assistant (ECAT) paraprofessional requirements for kindergarten through third grade cleared committee and was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation to pass.
A Senate committee voted to report Senate Bill 650 to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass after counsel summarized the staffing change the bill would authorize.
Counsel explained: "This bill provides that a full time interventionist hired and assigned to up to 2 classrooms satisfies the early childhood classroom assistant teacher or ECAT aide or paraprofessional related requirements for kindergarten through third grades for both classrooms and clarifies that a part time interventionist only satisfies those requirements for 1 classroom. And this is, for the house bill 30 35, requirements." The counsel tied the statute references to the existing House Bill 3035 requirements.
Committee discussion was brief; one senator said he had checked with his local superintendent and that the superintendent viewed the change favorably. With no amendments offered, the vice chair moved that Senate Bill 650 be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the chair declared the motion adopted. The committee record does not include a roll-call tally of individual votes.
The bill will proceed to the full Senate for additional consideration.
