House Education reviews miscellaneous education bill; considers moratorium exemption, compact readoption and pause on class-size enforcement

The House Education committee met Feb. 25 to walk through a miscellaneous education bill and possible additions, focusing on ownership exemptions for therapeutic approved independent schools, rejoining the interstate education compact, renaming boards of cooperative educational services, a delay in enforcement of class-size penalties and proposed background-check authority for school contractors.

Legislative counsel (Speaker 3) summarized the bill’s main parts: an exemption to the 2023 moratorium on initial approvals of new independent schools for cases where a therapeutic approved independent school experiences a change in ownership and an application for initial approval is required; reinstatement of the interstate compact for education (adding a new chapter 35 to Title 16); broad renaming of BOCES references to cooperative educational service areas; and a provision that would prevent a school's failure to comply with class-size minimums from counting toward the three consecutive years of noncompliance that could trigger consolidation until the State Board adopts rule updates or until July 1, 2027, whichever comes first.

On the moratorium exemption, counsel explained the intent: "the moratorium on approval of new independent schools would not apply…