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Senate advances class-size funding and Centennial Schools measures amid fiscal debate
Summary
Lawmakers discussed and moved ahead with class-size reduction (House Bill 48) and Centennial Schools (Substitute HB 100), debating fiscal notes, analyst figures and a shared $20 million funding pool; HB 48 was placed on the third reading calendar and later recorded 29 ayes.
The Senate spent substantial floor time on education funding proposals, including House Bill 48 (class-size reduction) and Substitute House Bill 100 (Centennial Schools). Sponsors described HB 48 as one of the session’s major education initiatives and proposed an amendment allowing districts to use allocations in conjunction with Centennial Schools funds to reduce class sizes below a 1-to-20 ratio in targeted schools.
Senator Hall, offering the amendment, said the change would permit pairing HB 48 funds with Centennial Schools money to try more aggressive reductions—down to 1-to-15 in pilot settings mentioned by the strategic task force. Debate focused on fiscal notes: Senator McAllister and others noted differences between a $14,000,000 figure in the bill text and an analyst allocation of $11,000,000, and they highlighted a $20,000,000 pool of one-percent funding that is being negotiated across bills. McAllister warned that approving HB 48 would effectively allocate $3,000,000 of that $20,000,000 and reduce the pot available for other priorities.
Supporters, including Senator Bartle, urged the body to sustain the existing class-size program and continue funding the initiative the governor proposed. After amendment votes and debate the Senate placed HB 48 on the third reading calendar; the clerk later recorded HB 48 as showing 29 ayes and no nays (1 absent) on the third-reading tally reported in the transcript.
Substitute HB 100 (Centennial Schools) was also considered and reported as having no material effect on the group fiscal thresholds in committee. Sponsors described Centennial Schools as a strategy to pilot new teaching methods and administrative innovations. Floor discussion emphasized the need to consider both bills within the broader $20 million funding package rather than in isolation so leadership and caucuses can agree on priorities.
Both measures generated extensive budgetary questions, with senators asking staff to track how allocations would interact with the uniform school fund and general fund transfers before final appropriation votes later in the session.
