State Board supports goals but seeks details, wants key rulemaking kept amid governor’s education plan

State Board of Education Chair Jennifer Deck Samuelson told the House Committee on Education on Feb. 5 that the board “supports the goals” of the governor’s education transformation proposal but cannot endorse the proposal without more specific details on funding, formulas and implementation.

The board, appearing through Chair Jennifer Deck Samuelson and Vice Chair Tammy Colby, said it backs the proposal’s stated outcomes — expanding early childhood education, increasing afterschool and summer programs in underserved communities, guaranteeing essential arts for students, improving access to school mental-health services, strengthening college- and career-readiness pathways and raising teacher salaries — but raised multiple unanswered questions about the foundation formula, revenue sources and operational impacts.

“We support the idea of increased transparency and predictability in establishing the tax rate,” Samuelson said. But she added that "without more specific details, the board is unable to comment on either its support or lack of support for the foundation formula contained in the proposal at this time." The board held a special meeting Feb. 3 to discuss the plan and took nearly 20 minutes of…