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Senate Bill 582 tabled after heated debate over court-ordered per-pupil adequacy amount
Summary
Senate Bill 582—tied to a court order setting a per-pupil adequacy figure—failed an initial 'ought to pass' motion and was then indefinitely postponed (ITL) 4-2. Senators debated following the court order versus the large fiscal impact on taxpayers.
The committee debated Senate Bill 582 at length before voting to indefinitely postpone the measure 4-2.
Senator Aultschuler told colleagues the state faces a court order setting an adequacy payment of "$7,356.01 per pupil," and urged the legislature to comply: "we are court ordered to pay $7,356.01 per pupil," the senator said on the committee floor. Opponents stressed the large price tag and the burden on property taxpayers, and several members questioned whether the legislature is compelled by the court ruling to appropriate the full amount.
An initial motion that the bill 'ought to pass' failed. Later, Senator Carson moved to indefinitely postpone the bill (ITL); that motion passed 4-2. Committee members noted the bill's long litigation history and said the issues will continue to be debated on the Senate floor and in finance. No funding appropriation was adopted in committee.
