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House advances overhaul of school funding, codifies review commission
Summary
Lawmakers approved enabling legislation (SB 302) to allow the Department of Education to prepare for a new school funding model and codified the Public Education Funding Commission (SB 303). Members said the changes aim to direct more funds to students with greater needs and modernize systems ahead of implementation.
The House on June 24 passed measures to reform public education funding and to codify the Public Education Funding Commission (PEFC). Representative Williams, sponsor of the enabling legislation, described SB 302 as the bill that allows the Department of Education to begin the technical work—updating systems, developing trainings, and launching parent-facing tools—needed before statutory changes put a new model into law.
Representative Williams said the proposed funding framework will organize dollars into base funding, opportunity funding and operational funding; it preserves resource-based funding while directing additional supports to early learners, students with disabilities and multi-language learners. The sponsor stressed a hold-harmless provision intended to prevent districts with fewer high-need students from losing resources during implementation.
The House also approved legislation codifying the PEFC (SB 303), which the sponsor said will allow the commission to continue refining the model and monitoring outcomes; the commission must meet at least twice a year and report annually.
Both measures passed on recorded roll calls (each recorded as passed with the constitutional majority noted on the floor). Supporters called the votes the culmination of multi-year work by commissioners, educators and agency staff; members thanked the Department of Education and commission staff for sustained technical work.
