Urge state leaders
to include the following in 2005-07 state budget:
• Cost-out: $100,000
The Task Force recommends a ”cost-out” study
to define what staff, classes, facilities and materials are
needed for a sound, basic education and how much these will
cost. The State Superintendent did not include this proposal
in her budget.
• Aid for small, rural school districts: $42 million
+
Especially to help rural school districts where transportation
is a major cost, the State Superintendent recommends additional
categorical aid for busing children. In addition, she has
recommended a $300 per-pupil program based on sparsity. The
Task Force recommended $60 million.
• Aid for students with disabilities: $84 million
The State Superintendent recommends $74 million in increases
to the special education categorical aid and a new $10 million
categorical aid program for children whose disabilities are
high-cost but low-incidence. The Task Force recommended
$56 million.
• Aid for early education and students in poverty:
$59.2 million
The State Superintendent has proposed an extra $55 million
for those schools already in the SAGE program and $1.2 million
for new districts to enter the program in 2006-07. Additionally,
she has recommended $3 million as an incentive to districts
to implement four-year-old kindergarten programs. The
Task Force recommended $41 million.
• Aid for English-language learners: $42 million
Because the state’s immigrant population has grown
rapidly, the State Superintendent recommends more state aid
to cover the cost of educating all students with limited English,
including increasing the present categorical aid and adding
a new aid package to help those students not now covered.
The Task Force recommended $24 million.
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