A REPRINT from the Tri-County Alliance for Public Education
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What's clear is that our voices helped move the needle in the
Senate, although we have a long way to go over the next 5-6 weeks. Stay tuned
for more ways to help us achieve a budget that our schools and students
deserve.
SIMILARITIES
-Both continue the disinvestment of public education by providing
fewer classroom dollars than last year.
-Both divert $400 million dollars to subsidize higher education.
-Both contain gimmicks of the Oxford Foundation, most notably in
Sec. 21f which provides "vouchers to vendors" by forcing districts to
send taxpayer dollars to, and be academically accountable for, private and
for-profit vendors providing online curriculum and instruction.
-Both contain an EAA slush fund ($8M in Senate, $7M in House).
HOUSE
Here are two noteworthy changes the House made on the floor:
-They decreased GSRP by $12M and instead shifted that $12M to the
equity categorical. This change will boost the equity payment from $34 per
pupil to $50 per pupil, raising the minimum foundation grant to $7,016.
-The House also added – without any debate or recorded vote - a
Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester) amendment specifically prohibiting the
Department of Education from spending any money on either the Common Core
standards or Smarter Balance Assessments.
SENATE
The Senate made several changes to their budget:
-They adopted the following amendments by Sen. Patrick Colbeck
(R-Canton):
-Restoring the $155M MPSERS offset categorical, which was
eliminated in subcommittee.
-Eliminated the $22M Education "reserve fund".
-Eliminated the $34 per pupil equity payment to districts
receiving the minimum foundation.
-Increased the basic foundation grant up to $8,078 per pupil.
-They adopted an amendment from Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood
(D-Taylor) that stripped language related to the Governor's secret "skunk
works" project.
While the Senate made positive progress, there is still a long way
to go before we are supportive.
NEXT STEPS
Normally, both chambers will reject the other's budgets, setting
up the conference committee process to engage after the May Revenue Estimating
Conference, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15. Here, they will
determine whether January estimates were too high, too low or fairly steady.
Revised budget targets will be agreed to and the conference committee process
will start in earnest. They hope to finalize all budgets around June 1, 2013.
