Committee OKs bill for school aid

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 12, 2008 - Page: 6A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Twitter
• Social Media

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

Basic state aid for 650,000 public school students would rise by 3 percent under legislation that cleared its first hurdle Wednesday.

The same measure would also help finance pay raises of $1,019 for public school teachers, which is supposed to keep pay at the Southern average.

Both provisions are part of House Concurrent Resolution 207, which won approval in the House Education Committee after a three-hour discussion.

The resolution could be debated on the House floor as early as Friday. It next has to be reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee, possibly today.

Lawmakers can only accept or reject the resolution but cannot change it. The session ends June 23.

The proposal would increase basic state aid to public schools by $90 million, which is three percent over current spending.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education initially sought a $109 million hike. But the board, under pressure from lawmakers, trimmed that request to $90 million during a special meeting on Friday.

State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said that, if lawmakers reject the proposal, the increase in state aid would fall back to $55 million.

“What’s really at stake is a $55 million cost or a $90 million cost,” Pastorek said.

The only hint of controversy focused on how the state would finance the pay raise for teachers, which would cost $70 million per year.

That total would include $56 million in a separate appropriation and $14 million in the school aid package from funds that otherwise would supplement pay raises for teachers in certain school districts. Some lawmakers complained that they were under the impression that all of the $70 million would be funded separately from the school aid package.

The pay raise would apply to about 57,000 teachers and other school personnel.

Of the $90 million increase, $55 million would boost state spending per student to $3,855 from $3,752.