Members of the House voted 56-11 to advance a bill that would reduce the amount of state aid and eliminate the small school adjustment for a school district that drops under 100 total students if the district does not reorganize in the two-year window currently allotted by state law.

“It gives (school districts) another option,” Rep, Charles Hoffman (23), House Bill 1213‘s sponsor, said. “We change some of the activity we’ve forced some of those small, rural schools into doing.”

ASBSD is opposed to the current version of HB 1213.

Hoffman noted his bill is “a work in progress” and said he planned to introduce an amendment on the Senate side that would reinstate full funding and the small school adjustment if school districts entered into a joint powers agreement proposed by Senate Bill 96.

SB 96 allows school districts to remain open if they are exercising joint powers or intergovernmental cooperation in education, which would allow districts to share services and costs. Districts could share teachers, courses or curriculums among other services while students remain in their home district.

The bill has passed the Senate and House Education committee and is awaiting vote by all House members. ASBSD supports SB 96.