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Committee debates $40M for reading screeners and proposed delays to initial screening
Summary
The governor requests $40 million one‑time to support kindergarten–grade‑2 reading‑difficulty screener implementation and proposes statutory windows (91 days for kindergarten, 46 days for grades 1–2) before screening results could trigger special‑education referrals; advocates and many parents urged keeping screening at the start of the school year and preserving the funding.
The subcommittee spent extended time on the governor's reading‑difficulty screener proposal, which pairs a $40 million one‑time Proposition 98 implementation appropriation with statutory changes that would restrict when a screener could trigger special‑education identification.
Elena Powell of the Department of Finance described the administration's reasoning: preliminary data show a steep decline in initial flags after roughly 90 instructional days in kindergarten and after 46 days in grades 1–2, and the proposed timelines are intended to reduce overidentification. “This language is intended to do is ensure that at risk flags would only trigger the broader process of evaluation for special education services only after…
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