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Senate advances $18 million elementary math initiative to third reading
Summary
First substitute Senate Bill 65, a statewide elementary math initiative with an $18 million fiscal note to fund teacher professional development, interventions and assessment, was advanced to third reading after floor debate on curriculum timing and local control.
The Senate moved first substitute Senate Bill 65 forward to third reading following floor debate about curriculum timing and the scope of teacher training. Sponsor Senator Bell described the measure as a statewide effort to strengthen algebraic reasoning among fourth through sixth graders and said an $18,000,000 fiscal note would fund professional development, interventions, technology and assessments.
Bell outlined the funding breakdown: $9,000,000 for professional development to help teachers pursue elementary math endorsements (one week of paid training included in the plan), $2,000,000 for tutoring/tutorial software, $1,000,000 for classroom assessment programs, $5,300,000 for student interventions, and $700,000 for evaluation and administration. The sponsor said the initiative is intended to be broad-based and apply to every district and charter school in the state.
Floor questions centered on whether the bill should wait for a statewide curriculum decision by math educators and the State Board of Education. Senator Dayton said she would prefer a meaningful report from educators before proceeding, noting local districts are still settling on preferred curricula; Bell replied implementation will take years and that teacher training and capacity-building cannot wait.
The bill was placed on the third-reading calendar (vote to move to third reading reported). Next steps include committee and full-chamber consideration in third reading, and any appropriation must be resolved through the final budget process.
