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Representative Slater’s school-choice bill amended, rolled for two weeks
Summary
Representative Slater said the amended House Bill 349 would let families enroll children in public schools outside their district without tuition barriers; members pressed the sponsor for clearer language on how local funding and special-education weights would be handled, and the bill was rolled for two weeks.
As amended, Representative Slater said, House Bill 349 would expand school choice by allowing families to enroll their children in public schools outside their designated district without tuition barriers and would create an appeals process involving local review panels and the Department of Education.
"As amended, House Bill 349 expands school choice by allowing families to enroll their Children in public schools outside their designated district without tuition barriers," Representative Slater said, briefly summarizing the bill and the amendment (amendment 13,316) that rewrote it.
Members immediately focused on funding. Representative Mackenzie asked whether receiving local education agencies (LEAs) would be expected to shoulder costs for students who do not contribute to the receiving district's local tax base, warning that "the actual LEA's funding area will bear the brunt of all those costs." Representative Slater responded that the bill requires districts to post seat availability, create a 90-day enrollment window and provide timely decisions, and that state (TISA) dollars "will follow the student" to the receiving district; he said the sponsors will continue to work on clearer language about local funding in full committee.
Other members raised questions about protections for districts that do not yet know enrollment growth and whether special-education weights and other funding components would adequately cover students with individualized education programs (IEPs). Representative Slater said the funding would follow the student in keeping with existing formula mechanics and that sponsors would refine the statute's language before next steps.
The subcommittee adopted amendment 13,316 and, at the sponsor's request to refine funding language and allow department input, agreed to roll House Bill 349 for two weeks to the next available calendar.
The sponsor and members said they expect to continue work on funding details in advance of any full-committee consideration.
