Senators sent on a bill resetting the membership of a special education oversight board and establishing it in state statute recently (1/22).

 

On a 34-0 vote, Senators passed Senate Bill 1, which establishes the Extraordinary Cost Oversight Board in state statute and amends membership.

 

Sen. Ryan Maher noted on the Senate floor that SB 1 originated from the legislative interim study on the Extraordinary Cost Fund due to rising number of students in and costs associated with special education.

 

SB 1 establishes Extraordinary Cost Oversight board – the group which approves or denies requests to access Extraordinary Cost Fund dollars – in statute, repeals its status from administrative rule and amends membership to the seven-member ECO board to include one member of the legislature and six members – appointed by the Secretary of Education – from the following categories:

• The Department of Education;
• A district with an enrollment of 600 or more students;
• A district with an enrollment of between 200-599 students; and
• A district with an enrollment of 200 or fewer students.

Sen. Maher said the interim committee “thought it would be a good idea to have at least one legislator serving on this board” to communicate back to the full legislature any developments related to special education.

 

ASBSD supports the bill, which now heads to the House for review.

 

For updates on this bill and other legislation, check the ASBSD Blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and Bill Tracker.