Education- Senate and House

We're gonna go ahead and get started one thirty AM welcoming everybody here to the Education Committee meeting it was nice to have a little bit of a break and but we're back at it appreciate the numbers that are here working and engaging in and that. On this very important work and with that we'll just keep going down the agenda and don't really have any other comments other than just glad you're here So we'll have a consideration to approve the minutes. The motion and second those of favour say aye and oppose ayes have it the minutes are approved all right I am D.. Mister Rogers and Mr Casey. There you go thank you co chair representative Cozart. Johnny keep part of education. Greg Rogers from education all right. So what we're presenting today is tying up loose ends from the fiscal session as you all know and this act one eleven changed many of the things regarding insurance one of those that that we need this Committee tacked on the days you have the authority to set the rate or set the. Rates that districts will be paying in and as of January one that is going to be three hundred dollars uh per participating member and you have already established the budget so you have funded that to the schools now we just need the committee to for the record and and to amend the adequacy report from last year to set that as the rate going forward and then you have the authority to review that for every adequacy study to determine based on information from EVD if that amount needs to change going forward and so that's what we were talking to your co chair about to you called on us we would just ask for a good vote on the motion he will be presenting. Some members just to just to summarize here during the fiscal session we passed legislation at that the axe that at sixty key is referring to you and not legislation was driven by the consultants that we hired that did a lot of the work the Siegel group on the teacher retirement I mean a lot to teach retirement teacher teacher employed public school employees health benefits plan and the state employee's benefit a health benefit plan and so from all of that work that we did through the Arkansas Legislative Council executive subcommittee we generated policy from that working group and one of the big issues was how the public school employees health benefit plan is funded and making sure that there's adequate funding to keep up with the demands on that plan and so that's what Secretary key is bringing forward and so we as a committee have to revise the current adequacy study that was voted on and passed we need to revise that today and include that amount and we have already passed this policy it's already in the budget that schools will have it we just need to direct the schools then to pass up that funding mechanism for those and public school employees in their health benefits back to the states so that we can fully operate that plan. so are there any questions from the members of the committee regarding this. At representative love. Hold on I don't know why this is sixty. Okay so this is thank you for your. And I'm just gonna just have no idea what's wrong with the war did that turn you on no. Okay there you go okay there is thank you ma'am sure now. I'm. Correct me if I'm wrong you said we have to pass the money. I thought this is we're we're we're gonna be paying the money directly in. But you said passed money where so that they can pay it back. I can help with that I'm sure secretary there were two point two components so that one was the line item that you all combined that we paid directly to EVD there is also the lawyer contribution the school district contracts and that's what we're talking about here and it's reflected also in the additional funding that shall provided that to the foundation funding goes up to seventy four seventy four thirteen per ATM that's money that is paid on behalf of school employees from the district's. Okay I think. Several years ago the issue before was that the schools weren't putting that money in that and that the school district or open that money in is that not correct the the language that shall pass provides mechanism that they will be sitting there they'll be paying it in at the appropriate rate and that's the three hundred dollars per yes okay number that's the rate to to y'all be setting today okay all right thank you yes your. Are there any other questions. All right I'm gonna recognized representative because are for the motion. The insurer I have a motion I moved that the House and Senate Education Committee approved the recommendations of the Department of Education Division of elementary and secondary education which purposes an increase of sixty four dollars to the poor per pupil foundation funding for the amount of. For the two thousand twenty two twenty three school year resulting in each school district contributing a total of three hundred per month per participating employee of the public school district health insurance beginning January one two thousand and twenty three and this request amount be adopted into addendum of the two thousand twenty adequacy study to be set to the Speaker of the house and president pro tem of the Senate in order to accomplish work is continuing adequacy evaluation required by the Arkansas Code ten days three days twenty one oh four in accordance with Act of one eleven a two thousand twenty two all right that's the motion the second all those in favor say aye. And oppose ayes have it The motion passes thank you. All rights moving on to item eight we have miss Holt miss back miss Bonham and miss ray if you'll come to the table and introduce yourselves for the record and then we'll start our work thank you. Thank you senator Ervin and and representative Cozart committee for the good to see everyone again. And we're ready to get going with adequacy I did want to draw your attention we have put in your finders are on your desk a tracking sheet that just let's see see what that act was the statute is that calls were the and items that are to be included in each five year review and you'll see the the highlighted portion that after tomorrow will be a long way three and adequacy study we have done pretty much all of the funding spending in resource allocation today will hit on those reports that have to do with disabilities and tomorrow they'll be several reports to do teachers. And M. and the last time I won't we've worked really hard to make these concise the presentations are even more concise than reports but there lot of details in the records that if you want to read more about a certain subject please feel free to do so we put that in the also feel free to ask this question. So. Last time we stops near the end of spending study for report and we had stopped right at the end of where we walked through every item that's in the matrix and you remember those items are the things that this committee over the years is decided are we are needed to provide an adequate education and it's also where the spending associated with those items are. So this wide well as basically the summary slide about that and the Orange Line just to remind you is set at a hundred percent of each of those spending levels. And then the Collins behind that. Reflect the spending by districts and charter systems are combined. So the red part of the columns so what's being spent out of foundation funding alone and then the blue is those extra monies that are also being spent on the same items in that can be federal funds can be categorical fence sorry. It can also the M. other state local plans so this we're presenting this not to say this is how these items should be funded but just so you have an accurate picture of what's being spent on them. So from now on in this presentation we will talk about things that are a lot of foundation money is being spent on that's not matrix items and we will also talk about the special populations of kids so that categorical pending with that spending is meant for and then we'll touch on you have some of those other streams like isolated and growth in the climbing those are not restricted largely so as to what that's being spent on and that will be the end of this report. So I will turn it over to Johnson. So there are several items I'm not include specifically in the matrix that schools and use foundation funding and and other funding streams and that they purchase a you did they purchase these resources and these monitors items include a variety of expenditures for resources that have not been assigned to a specific matrix items in the analysis and so we're gonna go over some of. So here and. I can hear the pie chart. Seven hundred and sixty six million dollars in foundation funding were spent on non matrix items and this accounts for approximately five percent of total foundation funding I'm in most of the non major expenditures come from other state you can see seventy four percent come from other state or local funding but there is about ten percent of foundation funds being spent on these non major side. And again though foundation funding is unrestricted and districts are free to use that how however best fits their needs and just it's on the chart here but this equates to about three thousand six hundred twenty three dollars per people for non matrix expenditures. I'm so sorry. Sorry if that's your memory I have and it should be should be page forty nine of the power point for the spending presentation which is only one of every eight and we started with slide one forty five. That's my mistake I'm sorry. Okay so and your tablets February seventh twenty twenty two and page forty peppery eight I'm sorry February eight sorry. Okay. Should be it's probably forty nine by now. Yeah. Survey found that. Okay. Okay great so here is a breakdown of the hundred and sixty six million dollars that we just touched on and these are these the specific expense or items that that makes you can see that the highest on the matrix expenditure was for instructional aides which accounts for about forty four percent of the non matrix and Turrell expenditures. And on this next slide you'll see that in fact school spent over a hundred and ninety eight million dollars on instructional aides from this is from all funds sources and and with the exception of first degree first through twelfth grade classroom teachers school spent more on instructional aides over all they did any other staffing line in the matrix. In here we think a little bit of the history is helpful in understanding I in two thousand three the General Assembly hired the consultants I'm in high case for the first means. Yes sorry okay at the General Assembly hired I need hiking as the consultants I've and I guess I for the first name and in the years two thousand three report they'd discussed instructional aides he did not recommend any funding for instructional aides and they provided their rationale and they said according to their research at that time instructional aides do not add value in adding value means add positive gains in student achievement so they didn't recommend any finding and the General Assembly did not provide any funding for instructional aides at the high gas the Jews from a high news item pages again in two thousand fourteen and they say the same thing they say instructional aides at G. nine ads email hold on I'm so so sorry and members I'm not sure if you all founded in your books are not. This. Thank you one. We'll we don't have a. Yes all right sorry go ahead okay in the United States Canada and is your for it in two thousand fourteen a say again instructional aides don't add value except in one very particular circumstance and they say they at crazy research if instructional aides are chained in specific reading programs in use as tutors that can provide gains in students reading scores and so they suggested that districts may want to use instructional aide as tutors in reading programs and that for that specific purpose and this is something that we heard in one of our successful schools stands and one of our alimentary school is at the teachers told us that all of the air instructional aides were injured in the same finance instruction that their teachers received and the teachers told us that was quite helpful for them at if they knew that any of those instructional aides could work with any of their seasons and they were reinforcing the same lessons that their teachers that teachers are teaching at status item I guess recommended that districts might wanna use the instructional aides for that specific purpose at that we narrow at the magic still does not provide funding for instructional aides. Is on the six side and we've provided instructional and we've shown you the per pupil spending patterns for instructional aides you may recall and when we met back in February February. February and we provided these perfect people spending patterns on all the other items in the matrix and so we wanted to replicate that form for this specific non matrix expenditure so you can see the district spent more than charters. Jim. Districts more than charters role school spent more than urban and spending tended to increase with free and reduced lunch student populations and spending increase for the highest and lowest minority populations and just as a reminder these categories the definitions for all those can be found behind tab five of your binders if you need a little reminder on this definitions. And they're also funded though at different levels right districts and charters are funded at different levels or is that just matrix but this is different. This is not their trended differently they but they all did foundation funds per student and I get categorical funds that I've I think the main difference is that districts have tax bases in making raise millage right and the first twenty five males go toward foundation funding but they can raise more males than that so there's an districts that have more money in the foundation to provide amend charter schools that are not right they don't have a tax base so they can't raise any additional funds and all their foundation committee it comes from the state right okay thank you. It is a continuation on the side spending patterns and spending tended to decrease with size and successful school spent more than others. And I probably out as jump in here because I know the successful schools is a new definition and this is something that eight I can select a lake in associates did for your twenty twenty they didn't fight successful schools or regression model I think you're meeting with the university Arkansas they talked about the same thing we try to isolate the characteristics that students are bringing into a school they can see what the school is doing and specifically do that for a regression model and you can predict scores based on that student population so we took those predicted scores and compare them to what the actual scores at schools were and we did a five the schools that were scoring a lot better than you would predict on their students alone and so that we just incorporated them into one of our categories of school we had looked at the data so we're kind of going through it like you are in seeing these data patterns emerge. Okay so that brings us into our categorical funds and as a reminder these are typically restricted in for certain populations or certain uses. And we have four of those so we have English language learner finding funding for alternative learning environments enhance student achievement and professional development and I'll add a reminder here while these are restricted in use they can't be transferred amongst each other so we'll see that reflected in some of the spending numbers coming up and as a reminder this is just going over the spending will go over the details of these programs and upcoming reports that this is just that that money side of it essentially. So we'll start with English language learners so and twenty twenty one. Provide the state provided three hundred and fifty two dollars per English language learner student so specifically for that population only. Districts spent four hundred of that of those funds so reflecting that other fines like ESA funds are being transferred in. As a of total looking at all funding sources expenditures came to five hundred and seventy dollars for the students so we're pulling and other funding sources to cover expenses for English language English language learner students. So this is which is reflected on the next chart here so we can see that and additional at eight million dollars are coming in to cover that cost primarily coming from foundation funds with some federal funds coming in as well so again so twenty two million dollars was spent in total on each bill is an English language learner students or E. allows will commonly referred to them out over there fourteen million roughly they received in a categorical funds. So the next category is for alternate learning environment and twenty twenty one you can see that the funding was forty seven hundred dollars per student day categorical expenditures of these expenditures are strictly from the alley categorical funds on any other funding was seven thousand seventy nine dollars per student and the total A-League's finishers comes out to be the nine thousand one hundred and seventy seven dollars per anally students. And here on this next slide you'll see that school spent about thirty four percent from Haley categorical fines and they received and again this is due to those transfers that Adrian was was just referring to total spending from all funds sources was almost fifty percent more than was received from for a day funding and as a reminder we will go more in depth on day program in may. The next categorical we'll talk about is enhanced in achievement I'm presenting this little bit differently because you remember the funding is per student who is eligible for the free and reduced lunch program but the funding level depends on the concentration of those students within a school district so it ranges from about five hundred dollars to fifteen hundred dollars but in total offending for twenty twenty one was two hundred thirty six point five any can see here they spent less and we've been talking about the transfers and that's because a lot of the times you do see those transfers coming out of this pot of money and going in and to the alternative learning environments the professional development or the English language learners pots of committee but when you add in the other funds by almost spent exactly what was intended and in that categorical funding any can say that reflected here in the chart we're most of the that's dollars to come from the ESA funding. some of the top levels of spending and we'll talk a lot more about this in may they're about thirty six allowable uses these were the five more most common and spending codes that schools used and there's a lot of staffing in there and school improvement plans and professional development specifically for literacy math and science and then other activities approved by the Department member talk about ESAS erring enhance student achievement kids there's also the matching grant program that's a the finding that you said in that supplemental funding of five point three million dollars in twenty twenty one school spent three point four million dollars of that and that's money that sent to the schools based on a reimbursement method. specifically looking at if they'd spent on either tutoring before and after school or pre K. and you can see when they spend that money it pretty much goes right back into those same uses. Servings a star final categorical phone which is professional development I am so as a reminder as we talked about back in February of these funds are distributed out of three different ways to go in the destruction Carter's test solution tree for the professional learning communities program in a ETN for the Arkansas ideas program and this is going to look at the destruction charter spending so in twenty twenty one these districts received Destry thirty six dollars per student though and statute that can go up to forty dollars and eighty cents that final announcmenet determined by what's going to solution tree an ATM at about thirty six dollars per student district spent thirty dollars so there moving some of those around other categorical though from all funding sources for the purposes of providing professional development or spending seventy eight dollars per student what you can see reflected here a big chunk of that is coming from federal funding sources no no here that twelve percent of those federal funds came from the one time S. R. funds. And then looking at the top expenditures so primarily these are being spent on purchase services so that your consulting speakers training registration fees sometimes and travel expenses can be quoted in that as well so that's the primary source followed by salaries and benefits. And then kind of the rap of that piece again I want to bring all of the funding and spending numbers again to one chart here and so as a reminder distant parts receive seventeen million dollars roughly and categorical funds so they spent double that and thirty six million dollars again coming from primarily for federal funding sources as well as a few others in solution tree received twelve point five million in twenty twenty one in eighteen and received two point seven million dollars in at twenty twenty one and I'm gonna go over those two programs in more detail tomorrow in the Senate allotment reports. So that brings us to isolated student growth and declining enrollment funding. And these are geared towards addressing any kinda needs and enrollment for no geographic issues being isolated along those lines well I'm so sorry absent members if you have questions write him down in your book and I'll get to the very end of this presentation okay right thank you. So we'll start with isolated and special needs isolated funding and this is private funding provided to districts if they sentence or somebody's are to small enrollment sizes some of these are smaller isolated that is a little bit of a mixture here they receive just under eleven million dollars and twenty twenty one and spent just over nine million of that in that same year. And there are some restrictions on how these funds can be used as he can see here typically the relatively broad at regards to the operation and maintenance of the particular isolated school area in which they are receiving those funds with summers with some exceptions they're so small district funding there are no restrictions and then obviously the transportation funds those are specifically are to be allowed at first for transportation cost for those particular areas. And then for how those funds are being spent the primary use is transportation at thirty eight percent of those And followed by regular instruction the pop wait uses of those funds that brings us to. Okay we'll move on to state okay funding at this is one of the topics that the committees are required to review and Atticus statute and this is an initiated finding you can see the twenty twenty one funding and spending and mounts at districts actions been added fund balances from seeking grant funding from previous years so that's how we see as twenty twenty one spending amount that is greater than or funding announcmenet. And at this table is having you at the top expenditures from student growth for twenty twenty one at is it the same categories aging used to look at isolated funding and bill are his use these categories at to look at these types of expenditures back to the twenty sixteen adequacy sack are. And then finally we have at the cleaning enrollment again this is one of ours actually statutorily required topics and you can see R. twenty twenty one funding and spending amounts. And that this is sharing you address have expenditures from declining enrollment pending again and this the same categories that we use like an isolated incident. So now we're going to look at them a couple of a few other and spending categories we were specifically asked to look at APA recommendations from their their twenty twenty report as well as career and technical education and gifted and talented education And so if we did include those in the funding presentation report you may recall and so we're instance foundation funding is used on some of these are all of these items rather and we wanted to include include them here as well. So for mental behavioral health services you can see here that school spent a little over thirty million dollars which equates to the sixty four dollars per people and that's that's the divisor is all peoples it's not it's not just people that received the service. And and you see the eleven million the over eleven million was you came from foundation dollars. And for school safety which includes yours as school resource officers school spent almost thirty seven million dollars which equates to the seventy seven dollars per people and a little over eighteen million of that came from foundation funding. We have career technical education the matrix is not provide a specific dollar amount for current technical education however the General Assembly has included the curriculum and career and technical frameworks as part of the definition of adequacy and here you see the school spent almost a hundred and twenty four million dollars on career and technical education and that equates to two hundred and sixty dollars per people again this is not specifically CTE concentrators it's all it's that the people out is for all and students and again this is a minor we will go more in depth into career technical education and I'm and may in the committee meeting. And for gifted and talented education again the matrix is not specify a dollar amount for each ETC paid pursuant to state law districts are required to expand state and local revenues on GT programs in the amount equal to fifteen percent the foundation funding of the foundation funding amount multiplied by five percent of the school districts prior three quarter eighty am in here an eighty eight percent of total gifts and talented Education expenditures were from foundation fines and that equates to seventy eight dollars per people when when dividing by all students but we are able to identify how many gives in town that education decisions there weren't twenty one it was a little over forty thousand students and that's where you get the nine hundred and sixty six dollars per per actual gifted and talented education people. So we'll end up just looking again kind of at the big picture total spending for schools and twenty twenty one was almost five point eight billion dollars and that's not counting the pre K. standalone pre K. schools because because not considered part of adequacy and it's also we removed all of those one time S. R. funds from the federal government for COVID purposes so I have that spending you can see three point three billion abit was from Foundation fence and M. also wanted I don't know it's been a long time but in January Elizabeth introduced you to the pie concept so coming back to that if you think of spending impending as as a hi that M. seventy percent of that is and what you make decisions on sixty two percent of the pending in twenty twenty one was from foundation funding which of course is that part state part local from the twenty five U. R. T. committee and five percent comes from those categorical funds for enhance student achievement in yeah well in professional development and alternative learning and then there's the other T. representative and it's just those supplemental plans like enhance transportation the enhanced salary money and the other other pending is from and state local and federal sources. And with that we'll be glad to take questions. Okay members am I have a quick question when it comes to instructional aides I believe you were talking about the efficiency of them or the effectiveness of instructional aides could you repeat that what you've stated at that point. Sure so as General Assembly first hired I didn't take it since two thousand three and according to their research instructional aides had don't add value many they don't contribute to positive gains in student achievement but when they came back in two thousand fourteen they said the same thing at a sad if they if instructional aides are used for a particular purpose and that is if they are trained in specific reading programs and use as tutors and that that can I can contribute to gains in students reading I am by if instructional aides are years justice general teachers how players that that's not shown and ticket positive gains in signature okay and and that is not so the instructional aides area is not and. Designated non major expending right right okay so and then but how how does instructional aides also like with your ASA funds you have you do have two daughters and literacy coaches so is there a duplication. approved uses for those categorical funds and that goes back to the two thousand three went on and practices consulting three all in the research then said that there were these three uses that really helps students who were and considered to have challenges mainly because they were from families of property were they might not have the resources that other families have into during so additional time either with cedars or and before and after school programs or pre K. was shown to be something that really helps that population of students achieve it levels of others okay well I'm just looking at the spending mechanism of like we've got the ability to have instructional aide aids but then we also have it over here in in a state where you have specialist coaches so I feel like you know. To me you've got a duplication where is it seems like it should be under one roof. You may have different funding that goes to this and that but there should be more of an over arching this is the most effective thing to do with it is a literacy coach which I would agree reading should be where we should focus but that is to be more geared towards what's actually going to work so in some of their more recent research and jasmine's really more familiar with this but when I talk about struggling students as a group in research now more so it's not just that students for free and reduced lunch Mr English language learners so they're still tutor suggested for them but the research also now I believe says across the board tutors are great for students so yeah and structural aids and their uses tutors is probably probably probably more effective certain based on what you're saying okay thank you all right we'll go to questions of represent of love you're recognized. Thank you ma'am shared thank you have the the conversation I want to have on the instructional aid because That that's where I was going. With instructional aides though I heard you are talking about you doing some regression analysis. Are you looking at. For those that spent the money on instructional aides are you looking are you trying to correlate that with after the academic achievement like what what's going on there we've we've not in it done any research like that Elizabeth Arden and picus when they came in as a consultant they created this evidence based model and when you say evidence of talking about what does the research show that works and doesn't and so the research has kind of changed over the years and I and I do think as to how instructional aides are used to they're just and to be to help teachers you know keep kids quiet or or you know whatever they may do but if they had if they're trained and have a specific use then not ask that other researchers have found a correlation between the use of those people and an increase in in reading scores okay because I'm going to the my son was a English he struggled with reading and after the. You too bye instructional aid I mean now his reading scores off the chart so I'm Alan I'm a firm believer or other instructional a model or whatever the so and then my second question was on page fifty three. what it is we looked at the. Hello money to help fund enhance student achievement. And I just want to know. We broke down in millions what was spent but ESA other activities approved by eighty. What what activities fall into that category. And I'm going to turn this over to the department because I don't know what they've approved this year but I know that there's a lot of things that schools find that they think will be really helpful for their students but they're not among their approved uses that are already there and they will come to an eighty and I have to if they're going to spend it on something that's not already in that list and request to spend the money and and IT has that approval authority to do that okay I would just like to know. In and we can they could either answer or I'll be glad to ask them that's not the. Okay and then on what you want and then my last question in you eight this was only the last slide. Looking at the funding I guess Look at the list this time yes. In so we look at sixty two percent and then we are there is some of the local state and federal sources are those just grants outside of the the traditional funding those of grants that either come directly to this are those grants to come directly to the school. There was this summer grants summer federal like title one title for different special education monies that come from the federal government and past three dizzy to the schools there are also at some other state moneys that aren't touched on and in this Committee and then the local fans can come from a variety of sources as well and a lot of times that's it those additional males that they have on top of the twenty five think and foundation. Okay. Okay all right thank you okay. And let's see representative back. Thank you madam chair of. Thank you guys good job again I have a question about early on. Statement calling you said something about that the non matrix expenditures that the funds flow between categories or something of that nature. That's not that's for the categorical funds there are restricted to the uses for which like professional fan development plans are supposed to be spent on professional development but a district can move those funds over in if I have more needs for their English language learners thank you move it over into another categorical fund okay so that brings me to my next. Little dive a little deeper you guys may have this and you can give it to me later if you want to. When that transfers happening between the different categories is tendency for one category to lose funding versus Johnson alerts this one lot of money is being transferred out to tell us that we need to probably shift funding or or do something that you can there's a I think we included it and the Leding report and the presentation but there's a chart that shows where they start and where they and that in is a is a larger pot of money anyway so that most of the fans are coming from ESA that's re see a loss and then the other ones typically have a little bit more than they originally funded after all this transfers okay I'll take a look at that and I then my second question from nine AM to. it's related to the a professional development of. At the. Okay said that have died sixty three percent in that category for use for paying for services and twenty nine percent is salaries I think it's that so agendas from probably rounding out their little bit but but so my question is is that that seems like odd to me a little bit I have a balance. So we're paying for service so help me with the salary aspect of that what what what is what is that what was that sure so I don't have the breakout exactly of the salaries but it's. There's a wide variety of and some of the salaries could be people who might be designated helping with professional development in some capacity I don't have that simply break down but it. Sometimes they are just going to pay a teacher for teacher salaries I can't speak to. More detail than that right now but I can get you a break down of kind of if there is any kind of. Type of teacher I I can get down to like that you know subject or grade level but I can maybe get you know whether they're a regular teacher if they're a substitute teacher but that's why is. We can get with that but I can't resolve to act members and the represent of love had a question that's more specifically at answers probably by the department so I'll have the Department come up after the we're done with questions for you all so if there's something that they need to defer to the department we will have them come up and answer these questions if that's appropriate. So so it's safe to say that it's hours you're talking about is sort of a train the trainer type deal we you've trying somebody to do the program and thank you paying the salary of someone to do that that might be happening but I don't know if that's happening on a large scale I can't say that for sure thank you madam chair thank you. Let's see Senator Chesterfield. Thank you madam chair I'm on page fifty nine which struck me as I. And perhaps One of the reasons were having difficulty for for so many kids as we spend sixty four dollars per pupil on mental health and behavioral services but we spend seventy seven dollars for people on school on school safety. Why is there that huge gap do you know or have you even thought about it because so many of our kids especially these last several years. A suffering more mental health issues than ever before is there any indication that the amount of money per pupil in per pupil spending is going up in our schools. And. Also at the same time the amount of school safety officers that number increasing is that why that is there what did you find. I'm as far as the mental health and behavioral health services I can say I don't have those numbers in for me but I do know that this amount per people has been increasing over the last three adequacy studies as far as school safety resource officers I do not know how many how how many actual school resource officers have increased over time but I would be happy to look into that and follow up with you and get you that information thank you one of the things that struck me as odd over the years is there are schools that have a significant number of children who are in poverty. And yet they return monies that could have been used to mitigate the situation. As far as learning is concerned is there a consistent number of districts that return that do not use all of their free and reduced lunch moneys. Is there a pattern there. I would I haven't looked at that and at the district level so I could take a look at that for you I certainly appreciated because so many times we have people that could be using that money. and it goes back into a general look at it what is the money goes the same used it goes back to general well and and that chart that we showed says that they're generally spending what is being funded for ESA some of its coming from other funds actually all that they are transferring some of those it thank you all they now call are called enhance student achievement funds but there for those free and reduced lunch kids that's can be transferred in and other categorical so they can't be just spent on anything willing military are they are restricted. What are they being spent on I guess is what I'd like to know and an out of I can get back to that chart that shows the top there's additional staffing that they're using their those other uses and again the department should speak I can say anecdotally from when we visited school districts some of the things that weren't in the allowable uses that they were using them for bird to provide feed back packs for kids one school had built a shower to because their kids didn't have water at home and if they would have placed gives our so I think there may be some of those expenses but again that's making some sense that okay in my final question at this time and I'll get back in the queue later. Would you please research for me the number of solution tree schools that are deemed successful schools. When you say successful schools are you referring to Iran's support the once again the motion I have that number I can get that I don't have it right off but I did get that all right those those schools that have PLC her solution tree how many of them have been labeled successful schools by the definition that allows them to get more money. Yeah we can definitely get that for you will be talking about the first so you maybe speak that's different from ours what we're calling successful schools are you talking about the ward schools yet at the end of the year okay the end of the year we can and does that and I live by one more does that exacerbate the differential because we were talking about equitable funding and sometimes people funding but the schools that do the best get the most money those that do the lease get the league get no money and usually is those that get the leak that get no money of those that need the money the most. Are we exacerbating the differences between the haves and the have nots because generally they have schools that get the have money. In the schools they don't have anything don't get anything. Am I right in that assessment or can you tell me that to your research. I appreciate what you can do that you can give it to rent and when I did that count I haven't looked at it this year but I did they count ability report. Last in two years ago that was one of the now sees a looked at and and that award committee did got ten to go to schools that were already rich. Yeah thank you. But we can do it again. I think to. Senator Chesterfield's question you have defined successful schools for us and I'm in a way that I want to make sure that we're consistent so we need to we need to define successful schools as per your study and then if there is another list of what we consider successful schools that received awards and things like that through other legislative policy and directives then we need to have that as well so there's to do to me let's keep things like in their lanes does that make sense because I don't want us to blur what those to look like because you've created a definition here successful schools based on what you've developed in the study does that make sense so the other component of that is I would like to go and look at our reading proficiency scores with those successful schools and with the the other list you may want to call those high achievement or achievement schools let's say achievement schools achievement schools will be the ones that are receiving the awards at the end of the year and you know for the matter of what I would call and Chief meniscal would be somebody who is receiving an a or a B.. No not a D. or an F. S. C. would not be an achievement school but you know there's different levels there so I think we need to make sure we're kind of clear in the way that we're referring to those schools but the reading proficiency schools at grade level and I think it's an important math that I want to lay over what are successful schools are and and what those reading proficiency scores are or what they look like and I will be glad to do that and okay and and there are those schools are defined differently and that's going to look a little different yeah but I mean just for purpose of looking at it and what we're defining the think it's just important to have those two lanes. President okay a representative Garner you're recognized. Thank you madam chair I'm AT and these these questions may overlap with you guys in the gym and the Department but one of them is that yes a matching grant how are those grants requested is that something that the that the Department gets in the schools. Are all can all our Denters attended schools find and then ask for that money at the Department actually looks at the coding for expenditures for USA purposes and and substitute in a fight so schools don't have to put in an application for anything and it's in the pending report of a it's pro rated because they're more expenditures on those items in there are is the in the five point three million so that's pro rated to the schools after all those calculations but the department does that and is there is there a list of the schools that have received matching grants in the and the amount of those funds somewhere I'm I'm sure there is I I don't have the full list that I could I can request is that apartment for you guys or the Department I'll be glad to request that okay I'd look down the number of the pro rated amount that I haven't gotten the full list let us see what that is and then the other question was on the mental health behavioral sciences part of it do you have a list of of what those are used for. As social workers yes I do it I can get your list of that I'd like to see which are used for as well thank you very much. Representative Vaught thank you madam chair I would also like that list of That represented Garner is asking for also an and I. I would like to know if. Thank you backing off of somebody else's question minute ago could the school safety resource officers be higher up per pupil because of counties and cities actually putting in moneys like in my area I know my CD pays for so much of my resource officer that goes to the school in my county does for one or two other ones so does that not add to the per pupil funding. There isn't there isn't a per people funding amount for school resource officers out just at seventy seven dollars right so so that would. That's that is strictly the schools it is the school spending so it's not a cloud of it correct concerning accounted for and there are most definitely schools in our partnering with their local community but that's not part of what current annual is that's great so it could be that could be and it that amount could be much could be higher okay and the reason I'm asking is because it looks like it is because it tells you what the total spending is and beside that it says seventy seven dollars per pupil and at the bottom it gives you the different places in which they receive the funding and that's page fifty nine sorry. That's what I'm asking is that moneys actually calculated into that because if you look you say total spending across the top which would be all of the funding together but not. Whether it there is no funding and that's why there's no color to that line there's not cut funding dedicated that means they're using these different school funds but those county and city fans are not would not be reflected in this. Estimate why that doesn't have color now because I didn't understand why there was no color on it to begin with so and can I ask a couple more madam chair yep go head thank you if I can piggy back off of what representative back to ask a minute ago about the transferring of money from one to another to another and he said that maybe we should look at those categories and see if we should reduce the moneys and put something somewhere else in your research that you do do different schools spend different amounts in each one of those different categories so you really you can't say just because five or six school spend less in this category that you can take monies away from those categories because there may be other schools that use more money in those categories and my correct. And that I think that's very fair to say they certainly have different populations of students so they receive different funds and but then made their for her have to switch it around thank you and then I would like to ask about the instructional aides also do you have a number of how many schools use instructional aides and how many are use per school. I don't have that might be but I can certainly get that can you please get that to me I'd like to know how many of our schools actually use those and can you tell me in that can you tell me if they're if they do if they are certified in the reading or if it's just like someone in the classroom is there a way for us to know that I will look I don't think there's any kind of code in the data so that would be I don't I don't know that there's a way that we can know that for every school but you see what I'm asking for I don't minute ago she said something about not really seeing any significance have another instructional aide in the classroom representative love said that he saw his kid or his child go from a low score in reading to a high score in reading is that someone who certified that did that or is it someone who's noncertified that did that does that make sense I'm asking the question I think that's what's important we know. What type of instructional aides that you're calculating in in your data here yeah and our date is calculating anyone who is going to coded as an instructional aide but we didn't as Elizabeth said we do know from the interviews we did with some of our successful schools that the teachers were really grateful when there were the school district had taken time to see trainer instructional aid so that they can say you know Johnny here's having problems with deciphering these words can you take amount tutor and and they're on the same page with how they're they're doing that teaching so yeah we know that it is helpful in and we can I just I just don't know that we can tell we may have to and I don't know the department would know if they might they might have a better idea that okay and then one final I agree with senator Irvin I think that I have a different definition of successful schools that might calendar defined in a successful school last I think I've sure that was with the chairs I shared it with representative Wardlaw shared it with miss Marty I I want this to be a true definition of a successful school because I don't think we can just **** nilly decide what a successful school as I think that there should be criteria is in which should be met before we can say that a school is successful and that's just my opinion thank you madam chair. Thank you represent Vaught at think on the instructional aides clearly to me that needs to be tightened up so would do okay if you're in a and the Department consignment on this that's fine but if you're an instructional aid that's just a helper in the classroom that may be an instructional aide but you know and there may be some classrooms where you that that's needed but if it's not contributing to you know we're not getting results out of that were spent a lot of money in that and you've got a literacy coach and a math coach in the science coach and tutors that are so specialist in that that are making a significant impact in the student's achievements then that needs to be funded in and recognized and consolidated or there needs to be a code specifying that this person is actually a certified literacy coach and we need to you know put our money where it's going to be most effective and I think that you're hearing a lot of that from a lot of us up here that we want to make sure we're spending our money as if in the most effective way possible. Representive eleven you're recognized. You madam chair. Julie is aye aye all things seem to be an education is not cookie cutter. a lot of times things are very fluid and I think when you look at the comparison of expenditures on mental health as far as expenditures on it on say for instance security. I don't think we need to forget the fact that these numbers are passed. This is a number that is in the past has been spent on these particular categories. what we spend what we need to spend it will eventually span are also not apples to apples and I think it's worth noting that that when when you look at mental health where that number is based on what has been spent. I think when when this committee is looking at this next year and two years from now whatever. I believe that number's going to escalate on what needs to be spent and what is spent. Thank when you look at security in SROs. We are very reactive when it comes to school safety I thank you for you have the data in front of you and you go back and look at what was spent on safety security and SROs prior to sandy hook and parkland is is no work compared to what has been spent I know in my district back home. The amount of money that was spent post sandy hook and post parkland that is driven that number up if you had a chart of what schools of spent I know how that those two events because the spending to go up in that category and if that if if we don't have those offense I believe the prioritization of student safety and spending changes secondly I manager was some leniency as I I think we to be very careful as we look and and making comparisons as to what is a wealthy school or what is not. When it comes to spending I think your data supports that if you look on page. for instance on page forty six. And we look at per pupil expenditure patterns again this is This is spent money this is not what we're budgeting to do going forward is what we've spent previously and you look at central office expenditures. where money is being spent there's more money being spent in the lower delta and in the southwest in other parts of the state you look at central office expenditures saying you look at operations and maintenance we're spending more per people in the lower delta and southwest we are the are the state we tend as a body to recognize those schools as being more challenged when it comes to students to fall below the poverty line but yet we are still spending more in those districts and we are in districts that might come from more affluent areas of the state so I think we need to be very careful how we categorize what will the school is what well the school is not it's not just based upon the bank is flowing because obviously there's different spending patterns based upon different parts of the state thank you. Thank you representative I'm sorry senator Hammer you're recognized for a question the committee chair just quick question when you survey when used to work survey in your survey the schools do you who in the survey who in the school is actually survey ages that the administration of the teachers is that a combination of all of them are how do you do that are you speaking of the bill are surveys a twelve any survey the Blake B. L. R. survey or I'm thinking about the learning tree solution I think or her survey mentioned while ago who do you actually survey in the schools when you do one. Well it I mean is there is for the B. R. surveys the survey also for intendants and we work so we have a hundred percent response rate from them we survey all principles and we work together the work try for a hundred percent response rate I think we got about seventy six response rate for them last year and then we survey as sample and teachers and got a I think it's fifty five percent response rate for over a thousand teachers in that survey for the solutions free we've not done a survey for the at those schools and Adrian did some interviews with some schools that shall talk about in when she's presenting that report tomorrow okay I would just say this is that when it comes to areas like solution treat that we make sure that the teachers are included because are on the frontline you and I I just wanna make sure moving forward that the teachers are surveyed in anything like that so thank you Mr thank you representative McKenzie. Thank you madam chair just a couple questions I'm over here to your left I'm sorry. I'd like to I assume you're probably push all this information requesting France's representative backs questions of these others will we all receive those that information yes they can send it to the chair and I'll send it out okay reshare that does present so a more on that with regard to the question about the the salary breakdown with the professional development first of all is that encompassing the foundation funding professional development or the categorical solution tree or both. That were asked what we're asking for more information I'd like to get on both sure. I thank it's I think it's just strictly categorical finds I don't think I have the ability to and there's a little harder to track down all the twenty fourth is the other one so that was particular senators are strictly just categorical okay so that's the solution trade correct no well the categorical funds this is the funding going to districts and charters funding going solution tree is different their separate pots the solution tree money goes straight to solution tree does not go through the district so we we don't receive any breakdown on how their no not that not that I'm aware of okay so This may be a question for the apartment later on but I know that we're coming up on the contract renewal and I know we're going to going to be discussing a lot of these matters it sounds like in depth tomorrow thanks in the contract not be renewed at this point I'm not sure that's a question for the department okay all right and then then just I think one final question on this the couple but when we've mentioned the consultants several times here and I know we are I try to watch I was a member the committee so could you you'll have information on how many different times and we made the last ten years that we've hired consultants and have we seen. What kind of benefits do we think that we've seen a results in student performance you all have any kind of information on that but the cost for putting forth and and. We're reaping. We I mean if the and the last ten years the committees had Aden and picus who were the original consultants come back in twenty fourteen and I did what was called a desktop and Alice's and determined that the matrix was I thought worked pretty well and they were looking you know pretty much at the high level of funding so not down at the school district level as much but and then in twenty twenty you have and APA come back for the committee's had a PA come back and they provided some recommendations and that were voted on in December of twenty twenty. That we've we've. That I don't know that any those recommendations of actually been and when that's what we tried to cover those and we come to them because we've been asked to you know pre press you your mind on what APA recommended and can I just take one I do wanna say oh we are presenting is what is being spent and what's being funded and what the research says and none of this reflects any kind of the thing is because the policy does come from y'all and not from us and so I really I just wanna make sure everyone understands we're not showing their spending this much and we think you should find that because that's not at all what we're saying we're just trying to provide the pieces of evidence that we supplied every year since I think we started adequacy which is looking at funding looking at spending looking at research and then you guys get to put it all together to do whatever you think is best and I appreciate that and and thank you for that clarification I understand that that one final question the information that you provided about that I requested on the solution tree scores did that go out to everybody. It hasn't yet but it's going to be covered in the presentation tomorrow okay. Would be able to go in and push that out to people so they can review it in advance I know was helpful to me because I checked on some of it for myself but not that's helpful to push out everybody else. I think that should be we can definitely do that was that the check thank you so much what we can do to the chairs may wanna get a bill about that I am yes represent Cozart will discuss that and we'll let you all know about that okay all right let's just move on I've got three more in the normally we're gonna move on to the next presentation represent Lowery I'm sorry person making the written correct okay thank you. Thank you madam chair I I missed it a while ago so wanted to ask you to repeat it the S. the slide that talked about percentages of spending categories it reference C. R. T. what stand for classroom teachers pardon classroom teachers classroom teachers okay well that's a very dangerous right now I I know I said to you so. But I'd appreciate clarification because I knew I would be asked about it okay thank you. All right thank you Senator Beckham. Thank you madam chair the representative Paul VOL searches for building Senator Irvin related to this earlier but didn't get quite clarification those asking for or what I would be asking for. We're we're presenting a funding model not a spending model. And different schools spend in different categories we've looked at all this that all these slides today. Can you show us the top five percent lower five percent. How they spend versus how we recommend or how we fund. Is this is overall for everyone demand this successful schools top five or in terms of our dentist okay so the successful schools in our definition. Of how are. The Bill are successful schools because. Are you talking about in terms of spending. What's what's deemed a successful school what gives the visual funding so that the how are these how to the spend compared to our funding model compared the lower five percent how they spend is if we're if we're suggesting that they spend A. B. C. D. and the lower five percent are actually spending that and the top five removing money towards most beneficial to them we may need to re look at how we categorize our spending. Our funding I'm sorry how we can was the for the funding from this committee. We have not analyze those schools at the lower end of and those would be the ones who scored less than predicted based on their so that's that's the definition is if if you look at the student body statistically calculated into predictive score then those that are five would be the ones who scored less than predicted and we've not analyze their spending patterns but we can we can try to do something along that line if that would be helpful yes absolutely thank you Sir bye committee if you don't mind just you want to email me or something to that effect and maybe we can all work with the staff and try to figure something out like that. And so that they have more clear so that they can be more defined about what we want to look at and the different things included. So we can be helpful in that process okay we'll do that and last let's see Senator Chesterfield. Thank you madam chair and thank you ladies again for your hard work I couldn't help but notice on page forty six. No I look at the central office and the per people versus the total expenditure to somebody was making a point about something on page fifty two. The Daily categorical funding support at forty seven hundred. And yet the total expenditures is nine. One seven seven what is driving that that differential have you found that through your research. The difference between the funding amount in this spending around. That's about a five thousand as a five thousand dollar difference almost in what we are funding in what schools Assam or spending is that with the nine that's correct is that because we're getting more and more kids being being L. A. Ellie what what is driving that huge increase in that report in the past so at that that's that that's been a pretty steady pattern that we spend nine or ten thousand per day student and when we present that next month will break down those expenditures more it. A. L. E. students is kind of committee there's with their fended on an FTP because I. Elie students aren't necessarily in Ailey all they longer all year long and and they also get foundation funding so it's some of those expenses are are hard to tease out from is that are we spending it this on a because there is just a regular student or because they're in a day student so but that that's that pattern hasn't changed really that much over the last several years I was adverse to huge fan of a Ellie. Because it was supposed to give directed training to those students who were in need of extra help. In now just continues to grow. I need to know if that funding is making a difference because that's what it was supposed to be it was supposed to be extra help extra counseling it was supposed to be extra tutoring whether it be back coaching or or H. we were supposed be putting extra. Resources into this because children. Who were learning differently or who were having mental health issues. Always supposed to be getting extra help. In my observations over the years I've not seen an extra tutor. I'm not seen an extra counselor psychiatrist any of it how of the money's being spent. And I think we need to know that I've asked you about this in the past and we only have one person I think across the state even reviewing. Whether or not a alleys are successful. So I'd like to have just some knowledge of has it made a difference and I we just throwing money down a rabbit hole. And next next month with that report and. It's similar to that in previous years well look at some of that shipment test scores for a day students versus other students and the and then there's some other measures that Like drop out rates and things that we try to look at when we do that report so will be will be presenting that next week I'm next month. All right thank you I'm if the department can come up quickly there's just a quick question that we had on and the professional development salary and what that meant if they can if ya can answer that and then I think that other questions for I don't see representive back. But. Are you there you are you're just hiding from me I think you and represent of love all ask for president of the question. If you can glean a little highlight on those questions or anything else that you heard that was more specific for you to answer. Jon Kate part of education. I'm not sure who's got for I I would the first. Yeah yeah I'm patients fifty five of their report it talks about professional development and twenty nine percent of that expenditure is going to salaries and benefits so I think the question was how who are those people right are the people that are. I'm on staff as professional development coordinators or who are those people will it does differ from district to district and districts of larger size that have multiple schools they could have someone that is is tasked with the responsibility of coordinating and delivering professional development so those salaries could be classified under this category okay we we wouldn't at this point we would have to check job codes impact to the school we finance to see what you know if if you need more detailed information about it in which districts are actually using that type of of of position but we we would have to dig a little deeper okay and then the co ops are funded separately not part of any of this because aren't that aren't they I mean they do a lot of the professional development they do yes a coops have Specialist science literacy math specialists computer science specialists so there's a lot of uh PD that is done in co ops primarily do that in the summer and so they host PT sessions and many of their staff or involved in in doing okay but that's separate from what we have lived that was separate expenditure yeah those are funded through they have a line item costs have a line item in the public school fund but they also receive grants for the specialist positions Department okay all right and there's just a couple quick due to questions of sixty four. Yes representative flowers sorry thank you I I am of a returning member and and interested in and when I say returning of visiting returning member to the Education Committee with great interest and obviously you know Secretary key of the many issues that have affected the public school district which recently acquired the Dollaway school district and. I'm listening to the report on adequacy and I'm I'd like to know and I'll preface it by saying that you know when we look at teacher salaries facilities and adequacy. I'm clear about some of the resources that that have been made available to the public school district which is has been and continues to be undertaken troll but as it relates to the adequacy report. How how is that being used in the case of a district like the palm local school district where we. See some issues as it relates to our proficiency numbers which we met about recently like what how do we apply what we're learning from the research that's being done to not only address schools. that are not meeting Seeing some of the improvements in meeting state standards or averages but especially those schools that are you know under the control of the state and and efforts are being made what had we use that report and and I'm asking so I can know how to report back to the people of my district who are expecting to hear from us soon. So. You know each district S. as has been said today this is a funding model I'm not a spending model it was designed as a school improvement model the evidence based model that Aden picus presented two thousand three so elements of that are a part of what we established as a state of trying to improve still performance statewide as it relates to individual districts like pine bluff we look to see what are the individual needs of the one of the needs that we've seen in pine bluff is you don't calendar wait we've had issues with turnover we we had issues with declining enrollment and and that's part of the this adequacy report as well we're trying to balance of the competing issues that that That. Tend to hurt performance such as turnover such as declining enrollment such as of long standing declines and and the facilities such as your safety issues that we've talked about here that that come upon the campus of it's it's hard to pinpoint one specific thing to say this is what we are doing because there are so many things that need to be addressed so that's you know as far as the the the evidence that we look at I mean we are taking the lead from this committee December twenty twenty this committee passed a motion that basically recommended the adoption of professional learning communities process as part of the I've adequacy in pursuing that is one of the things we've been doing in districts like pine bluff districts likely County districts like oral that have been in state to authority previously with the Little Rock that's would be in have been pursuing that because there is strong evidence that shows that that model that those practices that the the those efforts do make a difference when it comes to student achievement. Follow up. At yes I want to keep the questions towards adequacy study and the reports that are on that have been given to us so thank you question towards what was presented in the funding and that you make sure the second question thank you madam chair. and so specific to it I've heard what you said and as it relates to issues like turnover in safety and facilities but specific to when I look at some of the the standards that in the report and go back to my concern about academics. How do we. How do we apply the report. Since you're looking at funding. To address literacy or math proficiency so so you know how to I want to hone in on how we improve academics because I'd get that they're all all these other things that affected but how do we hone in on improving the academics with in the school with the teachers with the instruction how do we do that you you support to teachers and getting better you support the teachers through providing a high quality instructional materials a specific with pine bluff of the last couple of years we have worked with them to adopt materials that are in accordance with a right to read legislation providing professional development on on those materials providing curriculum that to or up to current standards it's we obviously there's still work to do there but working in the trees especially we've I think we have made progress in trying to get that a foundation established and it's going to take time to get teachers comfortable teaching new curriculum new new materials and to get that that really to show evidence in the student outcomes. Thank you I think it's a great question because it's kind of the million dollar question we're all asking because I think we want that across the board you know even if you're reading proficiency score is higher than most in the state it's still not good enough you know for a lot of those schools they want to be you know they want to be at at at an eighty to ninety percent proficiency level at Greg grade level reading so I think it's a great question and I think you know it's it's how do we expand our money and put our money where it's going to be most effective and the way you do that is studying the schools that are very very effective at what they're doing and how they're achieving night and then bringing those schools alongside the other schools which is what the PLC model looks like an is an and help train them and it also builds capacity in in which is very important to build capacity of the principles of it building needs to have strong guidance from an effective principal an effective principal is someone who can support the teachers in that building in in delivering we have all the in Arkansas we have done a lot of work. Ashley on reading and getting systems in place we are you know we are just not a place where our we're getting that embedded with principal development and that's not just in state takeover that's that's across all districts so the more we can do there I mean good quality principles that you know you have that in in the our standards of effective teachers all those things are there high quality instructional materials and curriculum those all have to be embedded working together to get to those achievement results to represent flowers is in we all are desiring C. and and when you look at the way this this curriculum is built in some of these goals they build the curriculum around a set of vocabulary three which is integrated throughout the entire curriculum and so it's repeated and it's learned in such different ways that a student can learn it. in so many different ways versus just reading a word on a page you know that there's the it's presented in all these different ways throughout the curriculum its embedded in everything that they do that's where you really get a full integration in my opinion where a student can improve their reading skills is by Rick and proving their vocabulary and and so that's to me that's what Greenbrier has done Greenbrier as one of your top schools according to your successful school definition but it's incredible the how they have coordinated their curriculum through the entire you know it is very intentional it is very safe it is very Integrated into everything that they do you know and so and it increases of of a calculator Senate set some goals and it's achieving those goals and its building blocks upon blocks and so that's the model that I think you can use and it's not happening in every school but you bring those schools along the side the schools like a dollar way who is very much struggling when it comes to their reading proficiency scores and that's how you I think it chief and improve the schools in the state all right. A representative back at this and represent McKenzie and then we're gonna move on to the next presentation just real quick one question and on on the report as far as the salaries and benefits aspect with the PLC's do just to make sure that there's within that report a clear distinction between those who are actually trying to trainers maybe teaching the program or teaching others the system versus those who are. Serving more of a administrator type function when you give us those numbers I would appreciate that okay so separating the. Now what is that twenty nine percent are actually administrator just okay just administrator's versus those are actually participating and possibly training the other teachers and okay. present McKenzie. Thank you madam chair just a quick question by mentioned earlier have have you all executed that contract relating to after we have this full discussion on the solution tree and it is schedule for the later this month the council thank you a. Is that for approval or I mean if you are you all recommending to be signed yes. Thank. Yes the guesser L. C. it does not come through here there's no function of this this committee has already. I approved it there's no extra step from my understanding that it has to go through this committee it's just through a LC peer review right that's correct okay. Right thank you all right we'll move on thank you. Okay we're gonna get that facilities presentation at. Okay members you can go to your April fourth tab handout is F. one. Okay so. This particular report presentation is with regard to academic facilities funding expenditures and just to give an overview of how the the presentation is structured will have a brief introduction and then we'll briefly go over and some studies as this is actually requested I think back in February regarding impacted facilities on learning. Then we will discuss specifically Arkansas funding for academic facilities which will include funding for the public school districts and then for the open enrollment public charter schools and then we will go over and the questions that were asked on that survey specific to facilities. So I'm just because of the court's opinion in the matter of the Lake View case the General Assembly found it is the duty of the state to provide all public school children with the opportunity for an adequate education and that includes access to academic facilities and equipments and there's actually been forty five other states that have had school facilities finance cases similar to Arkansas thank you case an out of those forty five seventeen state courts have heard school facility inequity arguments and have recognized and them as evidence of the need for change in those states facilities funding models formulas rather. So and now just for a this is a brief overview of the impact of facilities on learning so we I looked over the Education Commission of the states they had put together a summary of of several and research studies regarding and the impact of school facilities on learning and in look and they're included in your report and a list of the studies they showed mixed results while there were and a few studies that did show direct correlation between impact of and. Of facilities and student learning there were also several they show that there was no correlation so does really you're a mix and mix on whether or not facilities impacts student learning however there were AM studies that show facilities have an impact on student health and specifically whenever it comes to ventilation and other research findings have shown that the quality of the school facilities impact student and teacher perceptions of safety. So now we want to provide some state models on funding for academic facilities and this table here you will see that out of the surrounding states out of this sort out of the states that surround us three of the six actually do not provide any state funding for K. twelve facilities and but there are several methods that states use for finding academic facilities including direct reimbursement use of grants and loans and there are there's a list of comparison states in your appendix B. if you're interested in looking at those where we provide and what those different mechanisms are for providing K. twelve academic facilities funding. Here this is from the twenty twenty one set of our schools and America's K. through twelve public school facilities report and it shows a level of state funding and dedicated school facilities capital investments there are thirty four state departments of education and find some level of local district school facilities improvements or debt service and six sites have since skews me six states have separate public authorities amber is responsible for finding public school construction projects however there are eleven departments of education that had neither a separate story nor provided funds for school districts and specifically for school construction or debt service and this is three this is for FY two thousand nine through twenty nineteen. For the same reports and in this report indicated in the United States elementary and secondary school facilities are the second largest infrastructure capital outlay behind highways however I might transportation which has most of its capital cost paid for from federal and state sources local school districts bear the heaviest responsibility for finding and school construction projects and I'm status as support however is highly variable and as indicated on that previous slide there are eleven states that do not pay anything towards and local school district facilities and there's eight states that are paying fifty percent over fifty percent rather of capital cost. There you can see that for FY twenty nineteen have a national average of slightly over eleven thousand dollars for students and long term debt. Senate into Act I could easily spending in Arkansas for districts and open enrollment charters. And Arkansas public school districts and open enrollment public charter schools have access to different funding sources for building and renovating Act and facilities I'm gonna talk about those each separately but for funding every team maintenance both district and charter schools are provided that funding through our foundation funding through the matrix for operations and maintenance and we went over operations and maintenance foundation funding back in February but just as a reminder and operations and maintenance includes a staff and others resources necessary to maintain school facilities. the funding level for utilities and excuse me the open and funding level for utilities and costs and maintenance repair and renovation activities including personnel cost is based on nine percent of each public school districts respective validation funding announcmenet and while public school districts are required to spend at least nine percent of their annual foundation funding on Ellen and needs charter schools do not have that same spending and requirements for the foundation funding they receive. And this again was presented back in February but just as a reminder and so you can see whether or not school districts are meeting that nine percent and twenty twenty one thirteen percent total foundation funding available to districts were spent on hiring and so well above that nine percent requirement and all but one school district spent nine percent or more of their foundation funding and maintenance and operations. And over all districts and charters both and spent almost four hundred thirty million dollars on Ellen and expenditure strictly from foundation finds. So for school districts and academic facilities funding the main program that was the primary programs that I can facilities partnership program which this state which and provides the state assistance to school districts for improving their school facilities it is a program of financial partnership between the state and the school district so they share the cost at the city's construction and major renovations I'm open enrollment public school church or not eligible to participate in partnership program in the partnership program are there because they do not have a taxing authority so they're not able to raise the millage revenue to provide that local share embed we will discuss the the funding that is provided to open enrollment public school charters here in just a minute. So the academic facilities partnership program as administered by the Division of public school academic facilities and transportation and throughout the rest this presentation I'm gonna refers in the division and and oversight of the Division as provided by the commission for Arkansas public school academic facilities and transportation and that commission includes the secretary of the Arkansas department of education the secretary of the Arkansas department of finance and administration and the president of the Arkansas development finance authority. And so I am back in the twenty seventeen there was a temporary committee created three ACT eight oh one which was the advisory committee on public school academic facilities and this group conducted a comprehensive review and provide a report in twenty eighteen this report included several recommendations for changes to the partnership program including changes to the process rules and criteria used for funding partnership program projects and since that report was and was provided there have been numerous changes I made to the partnership program I'm just for your reference that a full list of all of the recommendations that the advisory committee provided are in your appendix C. of the report but since I'm here are some examples of the changes and the full implementation of most of all of the changes will go into effect in the twenty twenty three twenty five funding cycle the partnership program but here's an example so they had recommended establishment of a state wide needs priority list thank god district level planning. And as use as part of the project project ranking process they also recommended that there be I am rather than three and three types of projects that there be narrowed down to two and then partnership as would be distributed equally between the project types and also we've provided and and thanks to the help of the Division an overview of what the twenty three twenty five funding cycle will look like is that there's a process chart provided in appendix stay in their work. So also part of that advisory committees report and they should they had shown that Arkansas had a five year facilities needs estimate of almost six hundred and five million dollars and that includes the three hundred forty six billion dollars and that they indicate at that time was needed to keep existing facilities and good repair. So now we're gonna get into what funding actually looks like so school district is it what is funny is generally drawn from two main funding resources and that is the general revenue and bonded to assistance and there you can see that beginning in FY twenty sixteen allocation for facilities funding was increased to almost forty two million annually and twenty twenty three it is a site allocation will jump to over seven seventy million annually. And then bond that is bonded bonded debt assistance rather and does the estimates bonded debt assistance for twenty three at four twenty three will be ever nineteen million. So this table shows the funding amount provided to the division to administer the academic facilities partnership program finding between FY nineteen and including the twenty twenty three estimated amounts and since since the inception of the all of the facilities funding programs that General Assembly has provided an average of about eighty eight point four million annually so that's going all the way back from since fiscal year two thousand and five through the estimated amount for twenty three. Another facilities funding program is the catastrophic program and this program authorizes the division you distribute distribute rather catastrophic facilities funding and the purpose of this and this finding is a supplement insurance or other public or private emergency assistance and here you can see between two thousand and eight a fiscal year two thousand eighteen twenty one and we distributed almost three million dollars and that has gone out to sixteen I'm school districts. So here is a table I'm showing expenditures for FY seventeen through twenty one incense FY two thousand five a total of one point three billion has been spent for all academic facilities funding programs that were originally establish an act twenty two oh six and two thousand and five so that's going to include and your immediate repair bond debt assistance and transitional program which those have since been they're no longer existing re referred were down moved strictly to the partnership program and which which makes it a lot easier to provide all of his information to you so we're not having a report on unlike at different programs. Here is this is a reflection of the US census collects data on K. through twelve school district capital expenditures using data collected by the state department of education and this shows Arkansas capital outlay expenditures per student and you can see Arkansas's person expenditures have increased over the years in fact was very close to the national average in twenty nineteen. And this will this one this table or chart rather it shows the capital expenditures you it's it shows the same I'm not use me on the same one there you go is the percentage rather a total expenditures and Arkansas's percentage of total expenditures has exceeded the national average for each of the last five years. Senate into the partnership program projects so every two years schools have the opportunity school district rather have the opportunity to apply for partnership program fund. And after a thorough evaluation and of those applications by the Division and that's that is looking at specific criteria that is all outlined in program rules which includes our of your a review of making sure that the district's master plans includes the projects for which they're applying and their ranks by the division per the power to prioritization method outlined in rules and then the state's financial participation is calculated by the division using standards and cost factors and the district's facility well off and tax and I'll go into the facilities both index and and we're debt you're in just a minute but funding for a poor excuse me based upon the amount of program funding provided by the legislature the commission for academic facilities and transportation approves funding for the projects. Based on the ranking and then funding for the approved projects is not available and so the beginning of the fiscal year of odd numbered years. This chart provides and the total number of projects funded for each of the first the stock fiscal skews me funded the funding cycles and any and for nineteen twenty one you can see a list of all those approved projects and your appendix II if if you want to and then a total of thirty five projects you're going to see on this chart because we wanted to provide strictly full cycles and so for two years worth of cycle information but I'm a total thirty five projects have been approved for the twenty one twenty three funding cycle for the first year the year two projects will go before the commission may so next month. I hear you see the state and district fair I'm for the funding cycle Shyam and the facilities wealth index determines the school district's match percentage of an approved projects qualified cost and this is another area that the that twenty eighteen report from the advisory committee that was established may check made recommendations for changes so they recommended that the facility what annex calculation be adjusted for significant enrollment changes into account for poverty to include the median income. And the Arkansas General Assembly passed act ten eighty of twenty nineteen which a stab list the committee's recommendations and statute so those are formally put into statute and so as a result and the calculation for this facilities wealth index which change however was phased in server twenty one twenty three and they only implemented fifty percent of what the change of the facility wealth index would be in so for any for example concrete example if the old wealth index for particular school district was twenty percent and the new calculation made forty percent then there facility wealth index for twenty one twenty three would have been thirty percent so is only facing a fifty percent so they weren't hit as hard the same thing would happen in the opposite direction meaning if there if there was a decrease that same that same topic calculation now the legislation requires that the full implementation of the facility while index calculation is implemented in twenty twenty three twenty five and so that will go into full effect for that funding cycle. Here you see a map to show the total dollar amount the state has actually paid each school and in each district rather from the inception of the partnership program through the funding cycle of fifteen seventeen and because fund fifteen seventeen was the last full cycle and we're all payments have been made. And I'm just a note that partnership funding awarded to districts that have since been consolidated are counted into the districts in which they were an accent I just wanna make a note of that thank you can't read that there is a larger version of this map in appendix of. This next map shows the total amount of partnership program pending the state has either paid or is committed to pay meaning there's outstanding obligation and the so for the school facilities projects from exists and sections of this also is inclusive your of your twenty nineteen twenty twenty one funding cycle. I'm and once again any districts that have been consolidated are included and districts that they were annexed in a larger version of this map as provided in appendix G.. So that currently operating school districts thirteen have never received any partnership funding excuse me partnership program payments and however six of these districts have never actually applied for for partnership and funding five of these districts received approval for partnership program funding but the projects were rescinded before any funding was distributed and whatever we say rescinded it means the district they they were sent to the project before funding was distributed. And the Division reported that Brinkley and rector and submitted project applications for the twenty twenty three twenty five funding cycle so does having an approved yet the. And that proper haven't gotten there yet. Senate talk about open enrollment public charter schools academic facilities funding. So before and these charters are not L. entitled to participate in the academic facilities partnership program but in twenty fifteen the legislature did create ACT seven thirty nine which provides the open enrollment charter schools facility finding a program and there have been other and facilities appropriations for charter schools but this is the only program that has actually been funded and fully implemented. And does the first distributed faster charter schools for facilities beginning and fiscal year twenty sixteen and has continued to we've continue to distribute money for charters each year. So to be eligible for funding there is an application that has to be completed and then they have to meet these criteria so that cannot be strictly I am virtual providing strictly virtual I'm instruction they must meet all applicable health fire safety codes as reviewed by the Division charter schools cannot be in need of level five intensive support or a fiscal distress and they cannot have received a rating of half in the school rating system are placed in probationary status by the state charter authorizer. And for the funding calculations and this is on a pro rated basis depending on the available funding provided for the charter school facility funding a program and it's done by a person defending our is calculated by dividing the total available funding other prior your three quarter average daily membership and accounts for all ages eligible charter schools and you can see that that differs from the partnership program in that charter schools receive facility funding each year based on that per ATM basis in comparison the partnership program funding which is awarded and to school years on a project basis. So that free charter school is determined by multiplying the pursuit and finding rate by the charters ATM accounts and this table provides the number and percentage of charter schools facilities participating in the final average daily membership funding rate for sixteen through twenty one and you can see the parade AT and funding right for charter schools has ranged from five hundred and sixty dollars per student and to and it was four hundred and fifty five in FY sixteen. And doesn't have an increase in the eighty accounts for eligible charter schools has contributed to the decline of the funding right per student. In this table illustrates the appropriations annual funding and expenditures of I have the funding made available between FY seventeen and twenty two and the estimated amount of funding to be made available and twenty three since the first fund transfer and FY twenty fourteen the state has allocated a total of fifty six point three million dollars for charter charter schools facilities funding. So for the allowable uses and charter schools can be used for the lease purchase renovation repair all of those things I won't read them all to you and then if the charter school fails to use the funds in and approved and way or no longer has the need for the finds the Division I'm cancer shall certify and recruit finance. And this is I'm about to show you a table that shows the actual uses of the fines by the charter schools but if the chart would have been huge would have been able to get also this is just basically what I'm about to show you but the full definitions of each of. So here you can see several personnel services that includes salaries employee benefits so just an expanded definition of that first column. And reported total expenditures have increased by forty percent since the first year a finding in FY twenty sixteen total expenditures for rental of land and buildings account for eighty eight percent of the total expenditures and You can say that this you know for the breakdown of all of this. It went down the total expenditures did go down in FY twenty one. So there were a couple of survey questions that we ask for let you facilities and to assess their perceptions regarding the district's ability to address facility needs and most current tenants rated the overall condition of their school facilities as fair or better you can see that there. And then superintendents also responded to a question I'm asking about funding obstacles and the lack of available state funding was cited most frequently as the top obstacle. And then more than half of the state superintendent said they were likely to be able to fully addressed and their facilities and they're just in their district in the upcoming school year the warm safe and dry projects were considered to be the most frequent and Matt need and this is an area where and also while sixty percent superintendents said they do not anticipate having any and Matt Fund facility needs thirty two percent identified warm safe and dry systems projects as the most anticipated and this is an area that I think it out I don't think that we could possibly see a change and not as far as and may need with those recommendations of changes being made from three different types of projects and the fact that funding will be distributed equally between what were and new construction of buildings and these warm safe and dry projects so now funding will be distributed equally between those two project types where as and that in the old way well and I think it's so currently the did the vision would have to speak to it but I believe a new construction still problem be taken priority over warm safe and dry but they'll be separated out in the future. With that I'll take any questions. So I can imagine that one of those changes because of the an adequate spends across the state based on your maps you have clear areas where there's this money has really not been spent and. It's most likely because you have growth in those areas that they had to build new schools in different areas but. That shows eight it's you're spending more money in those areas where there's growth verses in areas that are not growing but still have pretty significant facility issues that they're dealing with so. Yep representive Cozart you're recognized. Talking about facilities on being a builder Think about the schools that are trying to build schools right now and I know this is something we're gonna have to really work with and it's going to be fun figured out the funding announcmenet in the facility. That we're gonna be able to help fund the schools but if you look at the cost rise in last two years of what building. is become. And I've had some superintendents call me and say that Hey we had a. Budgeted X. amount. And now it's going to be this announcmenet or what do and I said you know I don't know you're already in the middle of a project and they have to kind of figure out the best way they can do the the small schools that's a killer just the. From my personal thank you eighty percent increase in softwood so that's the woods we used to build a residential you start framing a house of we have an eighty percent increase and that would in the last year so a lot of love schools are built with blocks and metal in those products and one of the. Everything's at least twenty percent higher you take out a hundred fifty thousand dollar home or school or anything that's another hundred and seventy thousand dollars so some of the small schools that are building a new middle school or something like that or or just something classrooms hundred seventy thousand dollars added to their budget is a killer so we've got something coming up that we've got to really work out and we don't know what the future's going to hold for how much more this is going to go or if it's going to come back down so it's just kind of information for you that are not in the building business but I'm sure you kind of know because if you buy gas you know what gas costs and we also have that to figure out medical see how we go to fund our transportation is going to cost the schools more so those are all big items we have to work on in the future but just want to follow the building part and therefore. A quick question is there any. Funding data on an extra curricular field trips and extracurricular activities like field trips do we have any. Information or data about how schools spend their money when it comes to. Anything like that we incorporate a lot of that when we look at the enhanced transportation spending and we use we look at miles whether they're coated for academic purposes not mathletics purposes so there is some data there that's that I'd really like to look at that and how much is spent on academic forces athletic because I'm getting reports that there are decisions being made that. Field trips. They're not allowing. Students to leave their counties. But we're allowing students to travel across county lines to play basketball and football and baseball and softball so. I'm really not happy about hearing that and if there's any superintendents are listening right here right now on points you better be able to answer for that one. Because that's not. A reasonable way to control your expenditures is by cutting back on academic field trips and enhance learning opportunities that are academic related versus athletic transportation. That will be a recommendation. If on the non matrix expenditure and foundation expenditures in the table where it had instructional aides had the account for the whole hundred and sixty six point five million it shows that there were twenty three point two million dollars spent in twenty twenty one on athletic and that includes a pause and Transportation and that includes activity as well so either activities other than an athletics. Well again I mean it just. I want to know exactly where those decisions are being made and how they are being made and how they're affecting our students. Because that disturbs me that that's a decision that's being made. That I'm hearing about representative that. Thank you madam chair I just have a request for some maybe a little bit more deeper data. Therefore I think four states that you're saying that they did not have There was a state funding for their facilities at. So I'm curious as to how those states are building buildings and keeping their buildings up and on the broader sense are they are they bringing more dollars and from the federal level or or how how's that working form if you could give me that date out appreciated. Sure I'd be happy to do that thank you. represent Springer. You have to hit your button again okay and then some don't touch anything all right thank you madam chair welcomes good afternoon I will let I have a question with respect to your slide presentation on page seven. Of regarding the academic facilities funding and the amounts. A as I look at of the fiscal year twenty twenty three and the total amount being the ninety million dollars. The U. seven nine Page seven. Page seven where you have the there's the breakdown of the amounts for. Each of the past five years the amount that has is that the amount that has been appropriated. It is one nineteen through twenty three yes and yes it I guess my question is is the RSA amount that was recently approved the twenty eight point five million dollars that a part of this ninety million. I'm I'm fairly certain it is but I would want to defer to Katie. Because you you're showing that there's only a nineteen I guess I'm I'm I'm I guess I'm not understanding transferring from savings and specific PS self reliant of nineteen million almost twenty million so I'm not understanding for the rest of the money is. Are you the all is it there are it is a part of that process is gonna Katie come down from a fiscal to help explain now. The state your name for the record you're recognized thank you madam chair Katie Walden bureau of legislative research fiscal division representative Springer the twenty eight and a half million dollars that was a one time transfer of general improvement funding that occurred in the twenty two number so if you look there's forty one point eight million in general revenue and then the forty seven point seven million just to the right of that that is the bonded debt assistance transferred into twenty eight half million GIS combined into one number so for twenty to the total is eighty nine point six million in funding now moving forward you see the seventy million dollars that's the amount committed RSA from here on out. for the immediate future for the partnership programs okay so what the answer to my question is then the twenty eight point five million was in twenty two yes not in twenty nine and twenty three correct that was a one time transposition how do. So work so I'm trying to understand and follow up Madam yes okay so then how is that money distributed thing in if. So do you have some pain other pending applications for that money now that will be distributed to school districts I guess that's my question because why did you transfer the twenty eight point five million if it's not being spent where is that money going I would defer to the department on that question. May I. Yeah. as they're coming up I'm going to leave you on this don't touch anything representative Bragg you can answer your questions real quick thank you madam chair. Over here you're far right Could you explain what the Bonded assistance program is and how that works. I'm going to do for the department on that is. Okay great guards permits case so yeah the bonded assistance was a program that was started when the the facilities program first started I don't remember the years back he'll win but that was the help with paying off any bonded debt assistance that district had when the partnership came into existence so over time that program is being paid off and any additional funds in the public school funds that are left over for the bonded statuses program is transferred to the facilities partnership program thank you okay thank you okay and then representative Springer's question yes. The twenty eight point five million so the twenty eight point five million dollars came from the academic facilities committee meeting with was trying to get the funding up to the recommend amount of ninety million dollars so that's what at one time was in there for that that funding would be included in master plan of appropriation I'm sorry applications that the facilities division would have been reviewing for quality for qualified projects in the last funding cycle so more specifically sold what what list of funding projects that you have how many were there and did you find all those projects that were in that particular cycle in twenty twenty two I guess is what you're saying so you needed the money for twenty twenty two so how many were there and how much did that total did you utilize the entire amount. Addresses number of questions I apologize benefits here representing I'll try to answer questions the twenty million that was appropriated was spent on the next three rank projects which I believe in it I believe it was Love western yell in Springdale in so there were three more additional projects funded with that twenty eight have committed in twenty twenty two this past okay yes ma'am. All right thank you you're welcome representative because I have a quick question are you there. So submitted while ago about the high prices so we've got schools that are started to scream how are we going to help. No prevail. That's a that's a good question and that's something we have been having lots of discussions on internally looking at data. The what we what I would like to do is wait and see what we have our list of projects that the division has give tentative approval on for the twenty three twenty five cycle and then look at the numbers and see what see what our options are there because there are some. Positives and negatives. If we do certain things if we were to say raise the cap that's also going to cost more money per project so then you get into an are you also talking to the ones that are trying to apply and let them know that a study to really figure these higher prices the and and and and who knows what they're actually going to go to because we're getting increases every week so just just I know you're staying on top of it I'm not question your ability I just want to hear that you're doing that saucer and I've had a discussion with the superintendent last week on this very subject it is a real problem thank you thank you. Okay are there any other questions from members of the committee. I don't see any any closing statements you August all right awesome great presentations think we've wrapped up the funding mechanism so we'll move on till tomorrow and then the rest we've got the rest of the summer to get this done and so we look forward to seeing everybody here tomorrow thank you with that we are adjourned.