Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pre K And Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee notes $75,000 cost‑of‑care analysis and data‑collection changes; flags tuition‑fee prohibition
Summary
The bill would appropriate $75,000 to JFO for a pre‑K cost‑of‑care analysis, require new student forms to collect waiting‑category data that could affect weighted‑student counts, and (contingently, effective July 1, 2030) prohibit receiving schools from charging additional fees to tuition students; fiscal impacts remain unclear.
Legislative counsel told the Senate Education Committee that Section 21 of Draft 3.1 would appropriate $75,000 from the general fund in FY2027 to the Joint Fiscal Office to hire a contractor for a cost‑of‑care analysis for pre‑K programs. Counsel said JFO staff (or program staff such as Ted Barnett) would be better positioned to detail the scope of the contract.
Separately, the bill would require tuition‑receiving schools to collect information on waiting‑category data for every student receiving tuition; counsel warned the committee that added weighted‑student data could shift foundation payments and thus redistribute education funding across districts even if total statewide spending did not rise. Counsel described the fiscal impact as uncertain because an increase in weighted students in one district shifts taxing capacity statewide.
The measure also includes a provision (effective July 1, 2030 and contingent on conditions described in the bill) prohibiting any receiving school from charging additional tuition or fees to a tuition student; counsel flagged that if a receiving school responds by increasing base tuition, the change could raise overall education spending, and the fiscal impact is therefore unclear.
Committee members asked for clarifying information about the JFO contract scope, the meaning of "cost of care," and whether related reporting requirements are necessary; counsel agreed to bring appropriate JFO or agency staff to explain further in a later session.
No votes were taken on these sections during the session; staff will return with more detailed fiscal and implementation information.
