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Committee reviews CTE access for EFA students as legislation moves to governor
Summary
Members discussed two bills affecting EFA students and career-technical education: guidance requirements in SB 491 and HB 1817’s proposal to allow free access to CTE centers for EFA families; the department said SB 491 requires only guidance work and SB 1817 would alter funding/compensation dynamics for districts.
Committee members discussed career‑technical education (CTE) access for EFA students and two recent bills that touched the issue.
Mark Manganiello said Senate Bill 491 (sponsored by Senator Waters) requires the scholarship board and the Department of Education to develop guidance for families; the department is preparing training and guidance materials and said the bill had no fiscal impact. Manganiello said the department is ready to implement guidance if the governor signs it.
The committee also discussed HB 1817, which would give EFA families free access to CTE programs. Department staff explained the current law: an EFA family can either pay for CTE services with EFA funds or disenroll and forfeit the EFA (and related funds) to access CTE tuition free through the resident district. The department noted practical challenges: some CTE programs are competitive with waitlists, districts vary in whether they bill EFA families, and there is no statutory mechanism to pass adequacy funding to the district for EFA students attending CTE.
Representative Peggy Balboni said districts and families need clearer guidance on billing and access; the department said it will provide technical assistance and work with stakeholders on implementation questions. No fiscal commitments were made at the meeting.
