The House Ways and Means committee passed SHB 2127 out of committee Saturday with two changes to K12 funding. The committee restored funding for small high schools and added $3 million for an "urban schools" partnership between school districts and universities. This is in addition to funding also included for the Governor's university/school district partnership.
The supplemental operating budget bill passed along party lines (Democrats voting yes, Republicans voting no).
In addition to offering a number of amendments, House Republicans proposed striking the House Democrats' K-12 funding proposal and replacing it with their own funding priorities. This included opposing the apportionment shift and May/June LEA shift of payments to school districts to July 2013.
Rep. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup, opposed making the delayed $404 million in payments part of the 2013-15 biennial operating budget, and said that with deeper cuts this biennium, the payment shifts were unnecessary.
The House is expected to vote on the budget bill Tuesday.
Meanwhile ... Senate Ways & Means has a long list of bills for possible executive action today, including bills on WaKIDS (HB 2586), fiscal insolvency of school districts (HB 2617), state board of education fiscal impact statements (HB 2492) and open source curriculum (HB 2337).
They are breaking for caucus now and will be back to take on the list of some 35 bills ...they are expected to return around 6:30 p.m.
Updates on the Legislature and state government from the Washington State School Directors' Association.
