The General Assembly is inching toward its scheduled Saturday adjournment, with long floor sessions being held in both the House and Senate to dispose of bills. Budget negotiators have reached a compromise on important education funding items. Many education bills have met their fate in the legislative process. The 12 senior lawmakers crafting amendments to the state budget reached an accord late Tuesday night, keeping the Assembly on track for approving a revised spending plan prior to Saturday's adjournment.
Funds are to be matched by the local appropriating body based on the composite index.
To receive the funds, local appropriating bodies must appropriate the funds solely for educational purposes and shall not use the funds to reduce total local operating expenditures for public education below the amount expended during 1996-97 . Half of the funding is targeted for any local education priority, while the remaining half must be used for school construction, additions, infrastructure, site acquisition, renovations, technology and other expenditures related to modernizing classroom equipment, or debt service on school projects completed in the past 10 years. Funds also are included to assist with GED testing and preparatory programs in secondary schools and for hiring Comprehensive Services Act coordinators. As expected, the Senate approved HB 2265 by a 24-16 vote on Wednesday. This is an attempt to chip away at the state's statutory prohibition on collective bargaining, which was placed in the Code following overwhelming votes by the legislature in the early 1990's.