Committee chairmen are coming before JFAC today to give their recommendations for state budgets in their subject areas. First up this morning was Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Goedde told the budget writers that his committee has three top funding priorities: Teacher pay, a longitudinal data system to track student information, and funding for concurrent enrollment, in which a student earns both high school and college credit at once.

On teacher pay, Goedde called for “a percentage increase that is economically realistic and consistent with the approach to CEC.” CEC is the abbreviation for “change in employee compensation,” and is legislative shorthand for the percentage figure set for funding state employee raises. He also said the Education Committee wants to review any proposed changes in teacher pay policies.

Incidentally, JFAC Co-Chair Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, just announced that JFAC won’t meet tomorrow morning – instead, the joint legislative CEC committee will meet to try to come up with a decision on which budget writers can base their budgets, which they’ll start setting next week.

The data system that Senate Education backed already is funded in Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed budget for the state superintendent of public instruction, at $3.5 million. However, Otter recommended no funding for concurrent enrollment, for which Superintendent Tom Luna requested $3.5 million. Most of the questions that JFAC members had for Goedde were about concurrent enrollment, with several members expressing support for the concept. “I was very pleased,” Goedde said afterward. “I think there is an interest.”

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