Elaine Price — Representative Price was recognized by the chair and asked that an earlier email be resent regarding special education funding, specifically how increases in that funding could affect future obligations. The chair responded that it was a good point, continuing the discussion on the same issue.
Elaine Price — Representative Price begins a new question and references the 5% language in the statute.
Elaine Price — Representative Price asked whether the employee overseeing the farm-to-school federal grant understands that it is the final year of the grant, then followed up by asking whether the requested funding is correlated with the special high needs fund and whether the two references are to the same fund.
Chris Bruce — Bruce was called in the roll call.
Chris Bruce — Representative Bruce raised questions about state-level initiatives included in the budget, specifically asking what guardrails are in place to ensure those initiatives do not override local school districts' decision-making authority.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — During the roll call, Harris was called in, and the same roll-call mention was repeated in the overlapping transcript segment. A transcription error likely rendered the name as Zuiderveld/Ciderveld, but it refers to the same member being recorded in attendance.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — Senator Zuiderveld is introduced as the next questioner and then begins her remarks to the Chair and Superintendent Critchfield, opening a question about school fund balances and savings accounts.
Brooke Green — Green was called during the roll call.
C. Grow — Likely a transcription error for Senator C. Grow; called in the roll call.
James Woodward — Called in the roll call.
James Woodward — Senator Woodward was credited with helping get the public schools distribution proposal off the Senate floor last year.
Kevin Cook — Called in the roll call.
Kevin Cook — Raised a question about the driver's education/training fund balance versus the requested $1.77 million.
Kevin Cook — Asked why the account balance cannot be used directly without additional appropriation.
Kevin Cook — Asked why IDLA is funded at $445 per student while LEA reimbursements are capped at $300.
Kevin Cook — Asked about the difference between IDLA funding and LEA reimbursement caps.
Kevin Cook — Commented positively on the farm-to-school grant and described observing student engagement with a tower garden/triangle structure.
Kevin Cook — Asked how many schools request participation in the grant versus how many receive equipment.
Kevin Cook — Asked to wait and possibly ask the director or follow up later.
Carl Bjerke — Likely a transcription error for Senator Carl Bjerke; called in the roll call.
Phil Hart — Called in the roll call.
Cindy Carlson — Called in the roll call.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Carlson was called on and then raised concerns about changes to the funding formula, noting she had understood it would not be worked on this session. She asked whether there were plans to draft the policy pieces needed to accompany the broader changes being made.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Ward asked to pose one final question to the superintendent and then raised concerns about school district fund balances, specifically whether those balances include upfront facilities money and interest earnings.
Codi Galloway — Called in the roll call.
Codi Galloway — Senator Galloway asked the Chair whether members would have an opportunity to ask questions after the presentations conclude, noting that the presentations had been lengthy and that he did have questions but did not want to interrupt.
Codi Galloway — Senator Galloway is introduced by the chair, then asks a series of questions about the Regional Service Center and how many students it will serve, requests a more precise estimate than 'thousands,' and follows up with concerns about whether the complexity of the funding formula creates added expense or lost money for schools before yielding the floor.
Codi Galloway — Senator Galloway questioned the origin and current use of the safe schools and drug line item, asking how the funds are being used now and whether they are allocated directly to schools for local decisions or managed through a centralized support process.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Likely a transcription error for Senator Janie Ward-Engelking; called in the roll call.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Asks whether questions should go to Mr. McGurkin or the state superintendent and begins a series of questions.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Asks whether career ladder money goes to every teacher or only to teachers moving on the ladder.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Asks whether health care money must be used first for health care before any remainder goes to discretionary funds.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Receives confirmation that the health insurance allocation explanation is essentially correct.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Continues pressing for clarification on health insurance and discretionary funding.
Janie Ward-Engelking — States concern about school funding and asks whether districts received no discretionary funds last year.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Asks whether any new discretionary money was sent out last year.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Referenced as having raised the point about unused insurance money going to discretionary funds.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Asks how much of House Bill 292 funding goes to new facilities versus paying down bonds and levies.
Janie Ward-Engelking — She interjects to ask a question after the health insurance explanation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — She asks how health care funding based on support units relates to FTEs.
Janie Ward-Engelking — She asks for a statewide count of employees not included in the 1.55 FTE classroom-based calculation.
Janie Ward-Engelking — The speaker responds directly to Senator Ward-Engelking’s question about employee counts and health insurance funding.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Senator Ward-Engelking asks whether the current budget amount is $330 million more than the 2022 amount. The response indicates the speaker will need to check the slides to verify the figures.
Janie Ward-Engelking — She was identified as the next senator to ask a question and was offered the speaking spot.
Melissa Wintrow — Called in the roll call.
Melissa Wintrow — Addressed by the witness in response to the question about facilities funding.
Melissa Wintrow — Melissa Wintrow was introduced as the next question and then delivered a continuous set of remarks thanking the chair, appreciating the presentation, and disagreeing with Representative Miller’s comments. She objected to language suggesting institutionalizing children, clarified that the state should not return to that approach, retracted the word “essential,” and emphasized the need to ensure there are spots for everyone.
Kellan McGurkin — Introduced himself as a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office and said he would give several presentations.