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Committee approved funding study Thursday, Aug 31, 2006 By Betsy Turner Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - The House and Senate education committees accepted a draft education funding adequacy study Wednesday, proposing an increase in poverty money but no increase in teacher salaries. Committee members deferred work on a revised transportation forula to the Adademic Facilities Oversight Committee, left other measures unresolved and did not put a price tag on future school funding under the proposal, required as part of education reforms adopted in a 2004 special session. The recommendations also included increases in funding for alternative learning environments and English as a second language programs. The study is due to be submitted to House and Senate leaders by Friday, but lawmakers said revisions are likely in advance of the 2007 regular session. Education consultants who conducted the study recommended additional school funding of more than $340 million, including a more than $100 million increase to help students in poverty. Among other measures, committee members declined to endorse requiring school districts to use instructional coaches, or facilitators, amid questions about the duties of the position and availability of candidates. Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said the Legislature allocated $117 million in funding three years ago for districts to hire instructional facilitators but most districts spent the money on other needs. According to the current funding formula, the state pays for 2.5 full time instructional coaches for every 500 students. Argue said he agreed with the recommendation from Lawrence O. Picus and Associates, education consultants hired by the state, to require school districts to use the money to hire instructional facilitators. "We spent $117 million and we either got assistant coaches, or we got better teacher pay, or we got Astroturf or whatever," Argue said. "But we did not get instructional facilitators in spite of the fact we made a strong recommendation in 2003 to do so." Several committee members argued that the decision to mandate their use should be made after more information is available and the position is clearly defined. The committee accepted the recommendation to continue funding for school districts to fill the positions but approved a motion by Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, to refer the mandate issue back to the committee for future study. Broadway said there were lingering unanswered questions about the facilitators, such as where to house them and when they will work with teachers in a typical school day. "We've got to fully define what we want an instructional facilitator to be," Broadway said. "I think we all understand the importance of them. But exactly what role will they play and is the amount necessary." The committee set a Dec. 15 deadline for the state Department of Education to submit a definition of the instructional facilitator position. In addition, the Department must include a description of a school's plan to use the coaches in the school improvement plan. |
