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Senate education staff review 2018 adequacy recommendations ahead of fiscal session
Summary
Bureau of Legislative Research staff summarized the 2018 adequacy study updates members must review before the fiscal session, highlighting proposed teacher-pay steps, categorical funding changes, and per‑student foundation adjustments that affect FY2020–FY2021 planning.
Nell Smith, principal analyst with the Bureau of Legislative Research, briefed the Senate Education Committee on the statutory requirement to review the most recent adequacy report and any recommended changes ahead of the fiscal session.
Smith summarized the November 1 handout outlining committee recommendations from the 2018 adequacy report. Key recommendations she cited include raising every step of the statutory minimum teacher-salary schedule by $1,000 in FY2020 and again in FY2021, and proposed categorical adjustments such as modest increases to professional learning community funding and per‑student rates for English-language learners and alternative-learning environments.
Smith noted the House and Senate differed on special-education catastrophic funding: the House recommended a $4 million increase to reach $17 million for FY2020 and hold FY2021 at that level; the Senate recommendation at the time was no change from roughly $13 million for FY2020 and FY2021.
On the adequacy matrix, Smith described recommended percentage adjustments to several components (teacher salary components, instructional materials, operations and maintenance) and explained chairs added per‑student increases to account for an employer contribution increase in the teacher retirement system. That addendum raised the per‑student foundation funding to $6,899 for FY2020 and to $7,018 for FY2021 in the committee materials she presented.
Committee members probed how categorical and grant funds are being distributed in practice and whether existing grant processes achieve equity. Smith said categorical funding (ELL, ALE and the formerly NSL/now ESA program) is distributed per eligible student and agreed to resend a district- and school-level list of ESA/NSL grant recipients to members who requested it.
The committee did not take formal votes during the briefing; staff were asked to provide follow-up data and lists to inform policy decisions before the fiscal session.
