Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Education bills face scaling as budget pressure tightens; special education likely to move
Summary
Lawmakers said three prioritized education measures (special education, student transportation, materials/supplies and the school lunch bill) are being vetted in Ways & Means; they predicted a special-education bill is most likely to advance but likely in reduced form to fit a constrained budget.
The press availability focused substantial attention on the status of several education bills that Senate members called the "big three"—special education, student transportation, and materials/supplies/operating costs—and a separate school lunch bill. Speaker 1 said all three have been heard in the Senate Ways & Means Committee and that the panel will hear dozens more bills before making funding judgments.
Speaker 5 said a special-education bill is the item most likely to move out of committee, though it "is likely, as Senator Peterson said, scaled down in terms of the cost." The speakers stressed they have not yet agreed on final funding levels and that many education proposals are subject to the fiscal realities set by the broader budget process.
On the school lunch bill specifically, Speaker 1 said it is uncertain whether that bill will be in front of the committee in its final form, and predicted that some bills will be reported out in reduced form compared with their original education-committee versions. The group emphasized the need to examine fiscal notes and to reconcile proposals with the Senate budget.
Lawmakers said public testimony and district priorities—special education, operating supplies and student transportation costs—are driving House and Senate attention, but that until Ways & Means reports its recommendations, availability of funding remains unclear.
