Committee to Study Reducing the Number of School Administrative Units in the State accepts majority report after edits
Summary
The committee voted 5–2 to accept the majority report with edits after members corrected figures, revised wording that conflated opinion and fact, and debated NAEP score presentation and interpretation. The committee also authorized its assistant to make technical corrections and include minutes and appendices in the final package.
The Committee to Study Reducing the Number of School Administrative Units in the State voted 5–2 to accept the majority report, as amended, during a meeting that included detailed editorial changes and a debate over presentation and interpretation of NAEP results.
Members agreed to a set of editorial fixes before the vote, including changing the phrase "on our report" to "majority report," correcting a numeric typo on the report's front-page chart (a figure shown as "2,000" was corrected to "20,000"), and inserting language to make clear that conclusions of the Special Education Study Commission "should be considered in any consolidation plan." Committee members also agreed to change the phrase "basis" to "reliance" when referring to reliance on local property taxes in the funding discussion.
The committee spent substantive time on how national assessment data are presented. Several members requested that NAEP charts show both subjects at both grade levels and that subgroup reporting (SAS) be handled consistently; others pressed for clarity about which students are represented in the NAEP samples. The transcript records disagreement over whether NAEP is administered to every child; committee discussion noted that NAEP uses sampling and that participation can vary, and members agreed to adjust wording to avoid presenting contested claims as unqualified facts.
Senator Murphy summarized the funding concern in support of the report, emphasizing the link between control and funding and saying the legislature should work to remove state and federal mandates that drive local spending. Representative Damon cautioned that consolidation proposals should be examined "very, very deliberately" so any plan would not diminish the quality of public education.
A roll call followed the motion to accept the majority report as amended. The recorded votes were: Representative Leon—Yes; Senator Sullivan—Yes; Senator Murphy—Yes; Representative McGuire—Yes; Representative Drei—Yes; Representative Damon—No; Representative Prickett—No. The motion passed, 5–2.
The committee also voted to authorize the committee assistant, Miss Ford, to make typographical and other non-substantive corrections and to include the minutes of that day's meeting, appendices and attachments in the final report package. That motion was seconded by Senator Sullivan and approved by voice vote.
The transcript records that a minority report will be included in the final materials; members agreed to note who signs the minority report and to preserve language reflecting the minority's views where appropriate. The meeting concluded after brief clarifying comments on NAEP administration and state tax examples.
