Education Funding Reform

There were a lot of discussions last Fall on Senate Bill 16, which was the State’s proposal for education funding reform.  SB16 passed the Senate and was discussed in the House of Representatives, but was not called for a vote in the House.  That means that the bill will need to go back to the Senate and be passed again before going back to the House for a vote this Spring.  The proposal changes how the State determines how much funding a school district needs without adding any additional money to the overall pot of available funds.  This basically means that the State is redistributing existing State education funding and it results in “winning and losing” School Districts. 

Senate Bill 16 will be reintroduced in the Senate with amendments to address some of the concerns that were raised last year.  I will provide updates once Senate Bill 16 is reintroduced showing how local School Districts will be impacted by the proposed changes.  It is also expected that other proposals to address education funding will emerge in the Spring from other Legislators.  All of these proposals will be debated and additional amendments will be added.  Any changes to how the State funds public education will have long term impacts on our Schools and our Communities.  It is important that you follow these changes through the Spring