Panel adjusts K–12 budget lines, restores teacher mentoring, funds reading pilots and retention aids

Members of the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division on Wednesday finished detailed line‑by‑line review of the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) portions of the K–12 budget and agreed to several funding changes and clarifications.

The committee restored the governor’s proposed $2,000,000 for pass‑through grants for a teacher mentoring program, increased one‑time funding for teacher retention foundation‑aid stabilization from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000, and moved several reading and innovation programs into the proposed budget in either ongoing or one‑time categories.

Nut graf: The committee’s adjustments keep several of DPI’s priority programs in the mix while trimming or deferring items that overlap with pending policy bills, including education savings accounts (ESA) legislation. The changes aim to preserve continuity for mentoring and early‑reading efforts while awaiting further action on related bills that could alter long‑term funding needs.

Most significant changes explained: Representative Richter led the committee through a set of ongoing and one‑time adjustments. The committee accepted a $125,000 reduction to one admin program offset by a $500,000 increase in adult education funding. On a grouped $4,300,000 ongoing package, the committee allocated roughly $3,000,000 for a new Centers of Excellence (innovation) program, $1,000,000 for Science of Reading, and $300,000 for the “Indians into STEM” program.

On mentoring, Representative Richter and other members agreed to restore the mentoring pass‑through grants to $2,000,000, matching the governor’s stated request. Committee members said full funding is intended to cover first‑ and second‑year mentoring supports and a smaller pool for third‑year teachers who change assignments.

The panel also continued funding for reading supports and pilots adopted last session. Representative Richter described an Amira reading license expansion and said the committee would increase one‑time funding to support continued school use. The committee agreed to fund a Robokind pilot at $250,000 (committee shorthand “2 50” in the transcript) rather than the larger amount originally requested, to test the product with fewer schools.

On workforce development, the committee discussed the paraprofessional‑to‑teacher grant program. Superintendent Kirsten Basler, state superintendent, told the panel that more than 280 paraprofessionals have entered the program so far and that additional funding would support a new cohort and continued completion rates. Basler said she would provide the committee with follow‑up figures about any paraprofessionals who were turned away due to funding limits.

The committee removed an ESA pass‑through line from the budget pending the outcome of separate ESA bills now under consideration. Members said that line will be reconsidered if legislative action creates a need.

Smaller technical changes included clarifying spending authority for federal food‑purchase programs in schools and childcare, exemption language for ESSER and special‑education payment timing, and continuing authority for an ongoing IT project used by DPI.

Ending: Representatives agreed to set this DPI package aside for now and reconvene funding decisions after related bills (including changes to the special‑education weighting and a proposed 3‑and‑3 funding change referenced by members) move further through the process. The committee did not finalize a full bill vote for the K–12 package during this hearing; members said they will return to several sections after leadership provides further direction.