Agency of Education asks committee to plug gaps for licensure, adult education and school meals

The House Appropriations Committee on Jan. 24 heard the Agency of Education request several adjustments to its fiscal 2025 budget, including $75,000 to cover increased demand in the peer‑review teacher-licensure pathway, $506,000 for adult education and a $2.9 million reduction to a school‑meals appropriation based on updated usage estimates.

Sean Guzman, interim chief financial officer at the Agency of Education, told the committee the peer‑review line needs an additional $75,000 because the General Assembly authorized removing the $1,200 peer‑review fee to encourage more teacher candidates to use the alternative pathway. "The good news is there's an uptake of that program, which was the intended goal," Guzman said, adding the department had under‑estimated demand when the fee was removed.

The request for adult education and literacy totals $506,000, split into $303,000 from the general fund and $202,000 from the Education Fund, Guzman said. The agency said roughly 120 students appear to be in a transitional cohort tied to a recently ended high‑school‑completion program and that a new program beginning in February may change how many of those students need additional funding to receive diplomas.

Guzman and Jill Briggs Campbell, interim deputy secretary, told members they would follow up with program staff to clarify the cohort size and whether language changes had already resolved some gaps. Committee members asked the agency to verify how many of the students have completed requirements and how many still need administrative steps to receive diplomas.

On education spending, the agency asked to reduce a current‑year appropriation by $11 million. Guzman said $3 million had been duplicated when a new English‑learner categorical aid appropriation was created, and a further $8 million reduction reflects updated district requests and amendments that lowered the originally projected need.

The agency also sought a $2.9 million reduction in a child‑nutrition appropriation to bring the line to the current estimate for this year—about $17.5 million. Guzman said federal reimbursement covers a significant share of meal costs, but that federal funds are tied to free and reduced‑price applications, so districts must continue collecting those records to preserve other federal funding streams. The committee asked the agency to bring Rosie Krueger, the state child nutrition director, to a future meeting for detailed modeling and operational questions.

No formal committee votes were recorded during the presentation. Members signaled they wanted follow‑up documents and staff appearances to confirm the adult‑education cohort counts, peer‑review participation and detailed child‑nutrition reimbursement modeling.