Division II advances technical education budget items; Department of Education seeks PSAT funding and clarifies charter and VLACS rules

House Finance Division II heard multiple Department of Education briefings and approved several technical HB 2 sections affecting charter funding, virtual learning academy payments, and special‑education aid. Department officials also requested additional funding and statutory language to add a tenth‑grade assessment (PSAT) to the state’s assessment suite and to codify some assessment‑related technical cleanups.

Charter funding and VLACS payments: The committee accepted HB 2 language clarifying how the department will calculate and pay charter‑school funding. Department staff proposed using the October 1 enrollment count (the statewide ADM anchor date) for the December payment cycle rather than requiring separate October and November counts from charter operators. The department argued the change eliminates a redundant November count and does not affect year‑end true‑ups: “Any difference between October 1 and November 1 would be accounted for in the final payment,” a department official said. The committee asked staff to coordinate technical drafting so the change supersedes the earlier, similar HB 2 language; staff said they would fold the…