Today’s House Education committee meeting features two bills proposing grant programs with dollars appropriated from the general fund.

 

House Bill 1119 would establish a school-to-work grant program for students who may not pursue a secondary education. The bill would take $300,000 from the general fund for the program.

 

House Bill 1133 would allocate an unspecified amount of dollars in 12-grants for school districts using innovative education practices through technology, cooperation with other districts or other creative practices.

 

ASBSD appreciates the thought behind the bills to find ways to fund K-12 education, but opposes each bill because they remove dollars from the general fund that could be used to better serve districts in an ongoing funding method.

 

House State Affairs will hold a hearing this morning on House Bill 1139, which would require school district’s to “submit to a survey regarding the district’s budget, programs, workforce, or other related data” for the Department of Education. ASBSD will continue to monitor the bill.

 

On Tuesday, the Senate Education committee is scheduled to hold hearings on two bills ASBSD is in support of.

 

Senate Bill 96 would allow school districts with under 100 enrollment to remain open, if they are exercising joint powers or intergovernmental cooperation in education.

 

Senate Bill 158 would provide state funding for educational programs for children in treatment centers to the student’s home district and the district the treatment center is located in.

 

Bookmark the ASBSD blog and bill tracker for updates on the bills.