S_ED_2017A 04/20/2017 Committee Summary

01:34 PM -- Confirmation of Charter School Institute Board



Senator Hill, chair, called the meeting to order. He invited Terry Croy Lewis, Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) to come to the table to introduce the appointees to the CSI board: Thomas Brinegar, Yee-Ann Cho, and Antonio Pares. Copies of the Governor's appointment letters and the appointees' applications and resumes were distributed to the committee (Attachment A). Ms. Croy Lewis provided background information about CSI and the board. Ms. Cho spoke about her personal, educational, and professional background, and her passion for school choice. Mr. Brinegar introduced himself to the committee and spoke about his background, and about why he would like to be appointed to the board. Mr. Pares spoke about his background in education and about why he would like to join the CSI board. The appointees answered questions from the committee.



17SenateEd0420AttachA.pdf

01:53 PM -- Confirmation of Charter School Institute Board Presentation by Pikes Peak Community College



Senator Hill invited the presenters from Pikes Peak Community College (Pikes Peak) to come to the table to begin their presentation. Lance Bolton, President of Pikes Peak, came to the table and introduced two students: Tracey Asher and Amity Rose. Ms. Asher spoke about her experience at Pikes Peak as a disabled army veteran. She spoke about her military service and the difficulty when credits earned during military service do not transfer to a higher education program. Ms. Asher answered questions from the committee. Ms. Rose spoke about her military service, and about why she enrolled at Pikes Peak, and the resources provided to veterans by the school. She spoke about issues transferring credits from military institutions to civilian education institutions. President Bolton answered questions about the school's counseling program for students who are veterans. President Bolton provided background information about Pikes Peak, and spoke about the school's vision statement, retention rates, student degree completion rates, and successful transfers to four-year institutions. Committee discussion ensued.













































02:21 PM -- HB17-1004



Senator Priola took over as committee chair. Senators Hill and Garcia, co-sponsors, presented House Bill 17-1004 which concerns a statewide policy for awarding college credit for military education and training. A handout was distributed to the committee (Attachment B), as well as amendment L.004 (Attachment C).



17SenateEd0420AttachB.pdf 17SenateEd0420AttachC.pdf



The following people testified on the bill:



02:25 PM -- Lance Bolton, President of Pikes Peak Community College and also representing the Colorado Community College System, spoke in support of the bill.



02:30 PM -- Danielle Forrest, representing Metropolitan State University of Denver, spoke in support of the bill.



02:33 PM -- Kristen Schuchman, representing the University of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill and amendment L.004 (Attachment C).



02:36 PM -- Alan Morse, representing himself as a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, spoke in support of the bill.



02:39 PM -- Matthew Oelrich, representing himself as a recently discharged veteran, spoke in support of the bill.



02:42 PM -- Karthik Venkatraj, representing the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.



02:48 PM -- David Ortiz, representing the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.



02:52 PM -- Bitsy Cohen, representing the United Veterans Committee of Colorado, spoke in support of the bill.





02:56 PM



The preceding three witnesses answered questions from the committee.































03:01 PM



There were no more witnesses and Senator Priola closed public testimony. Senator Hill explained amendment L.004 (Attachment C). The co-sponsors gave closing comments to the bill.

03:07 PM -- SB17-291



Senator Martinez Humenik, sponsor, presented Senate Bill 17-291 which concerns the continuation of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center Advisory Board. She explained the bill and distributed amendment L.002 (Attachment D), and explained the amendment.



17SenateEd0420AttachD.pdf

03:14 PM



The following people testified on the bill:



03:13 PM -- Christine Harms, Director of the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC), spoke in support of the bill.



03:15 PM -- Chris Wilderman, representing the CSSRC, spoke in support of the bill.





































03:26 PM



The two witnesses answered questions from the committee. There were no more witnesses and Senator Priola closed public testimony. Senator Martinez Humenik gave closing comments to the bill.

03:29 PM -- HB17-1211



Senator Hill resumed chairing the committee. Senator Priola, sponsor, presented House Bill 17-1211 which concerns professional development for educators regarding disciplinary strategies for young students. He answered questions from the committee. Committee discussion ensued.





03:49 PM



Senator Priola distributed amendments L.001 (Attachment E) and L.002 (Attachment F) and explained the amendments. He answered questions from the committee and decided not to move the amendments.



17SenateEd0420AttachE.pdf 17SenateEd0420AttachF.pdf



03:51 PM -- Jack Teter, representing Democrats for Education Reform, came to the table to answer questions from the committee.

03:54 PM



The committee took a brief recess.





04:08 PM



The committee came back to order. Committee discussion ensued.





04:10 PM



The committee adjourned.