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Joint committee approves supplemental and FY‑26 funding changes for State Board of Education; $5 million workforce grant removed
Summary
The Joint Finance Committee approved a $20,000 FY‑25 supplemental tied to a $40,000 credit‑mobility grant and approved a package of FY‑26 adjustments for the Office of the State Board of Education that removed a previously proposed $5 million workforce initiative.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 11 approved a FY‑25 supplemental tied to a credit‑mobility grant and approved a larger FY‑26 funding package for the Office of the State Board of Education while removing a $5 million workforce grant that had been included earlier in deliberations.
Kevin Campbell, a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services Office, told the committee the credit mobility grant would help "identify options for improving the portability and mobility of credits between institutions." Campbell said the grant covers January 2025 through January 2026 and totals $40,000. A supplemental motion to add $20,000 for FY‑25 from the miscellaneous revenue fund was moved by Senator Ward Engelking and seconded by Representative Petzke; the committee approved the supplemental unanimously.
The committee later approved a FY‑26 program maintenance motion, offered by Representative Petzke, that added 1 full‑time position and a set of line items the analyst described as requested by the agency. The FY‑26 package included $144,200 for a database engineer, $10,000 for software support, $35,000 for cybersecurity testing, $12,500 for marketing a program, $20,000 for the credit mobility grant, $99,000 for replacement vehicles, and $40,000 for OITS hardware. Petzke summarized the motion as "1 FTP and $229,200 from the general fund and $131,500 from dedicated funds for a total of $360,700."
During debate, Petzke and other members confirmed the FY‑26 motion removed entirely an earlier $5 million appropriation for an in‑demand workforce grant that had been part of previous JFAC negotiations. Petzke said the $5 million was taken out after the proposal failed on the House floor and the committee "hasn't been able to win that on the floor." Several members, including Senator Wintrow and Senator Ward Engelking, expressed disappointment that the workforce incentive had been cut, citing wait lists and shortages in health care and other programs.
Chairman Groh and members proceeded to vote on the FY‑26 motion and later voted on associated language (the committee noted the only language change from a prior March 11 motion was removal of language related to the use of appropriated funds). The FY‑26 package advanced with a due‑pass recommendation; the committee recorded a combined roll call of 17 ayes and 3 nays on the motion and later recorded a roll call of 18 ayes and 2 nays when voting on the reappropriation language.
The committee record shows members pressed for context on how the FY‑26 reductions and the removal of the $5 million workforce item could affect students and workforce pipelines. Senator Ward Engelking said the cuts would delay students’ progress and hurt programs such as nursing and engineering. Representative Petzke and the cochair described larger investments elsewhere, including $10 million to address wait lists at technical schools and capital investments to upgrade university facilities, as partial mitigation.
The committee asked staff to include the approved language and to transmit the bill and language with the committee’s due‑pass recommendations.
Votes at a glance: FY‑25 supplemental (credit mobility grant): unanimous approval; FY‑26 program maintenance and associated language: motion passed (committee recorded 17 ayes, 3 nays on the motion; 18 ayes, 2 nays on the reappropriation language).
