Joint Budget Committee deadlocks on pausing new K–12 funding formula; motion fails 3–3

The Joint Budget Committee on Monday considered whether to trigger a statutory pause of the new K–12 funding formula but a motion to declare the trigger met failed on a 3–3 vote, leaving the new formula in place for now.

Madam Vice Chair moved that the committee determine the trigger described in House Bill 1448 had been met and therefore notify legislative leaders and the Department of Education as required by statute. The motion failed on a roll call after Bridges, Taggart and Soretta objected, producing a tied vote and no finding that the statutory pause applies.

The vote capped a long debate in which committee members said the committee’s legal duty is clear while others warned the statute’s intent envisioned an economic downturn rather than the revenue changes that have occurred. “By the letter of the law it does appear that with the change in our state revenue the trigger has been met,” a member said during the discussion, while another member said the committee should heed staff and Legislative Legal Services advice before taking that step.

Staff (Ms. Ewell) told the committee that, under current statute, if the JBC finds a listed condition has occurred it must promptly notify the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, the minority leaders, the education committees of both chambers and the Commissioner of the Department of Education and calculate total program under the old formula. The committee did not reach that finding.

Because the motion failed, staff proceeded with figure‑setting assuming the new formula remains in effect for calculation and long‑bill drafts. Ms. Ewell presented the staff recommendation for how to include the program figures in the long bill, which included a $150,000,000 general‑fund increase and $70,700,000 from the state public school fund as staff’s recommended long‑bill entries for K‑12 total program under current law.

Members said that the School Finance Act and ongoing legislative work will determine precise distributions to districts. Several lawmakers said they remained committed to fully funding public education and to working on bipartisan solutions over the coming weeks.

The committee moved on to the rest of its figure‑setting work after the failed motion; there was no further formal action on the trigger itself, and the committee will not issue the statutory notifications associated with a formal finding that the trigger was met.