The House sent Senate Bill 193 to the governor this week. The measure allows a school which receives a deficiency in accreditation to retain it until a $50 million funding increase comes from the Legislature. If signed into law, schools won’t lose their accreditation or be hit with financial penalties until the funding level is reached.
SB 193 also requires the State Department of Education to audit current class sizes in the public school system with a report to legislative leaders by 2022. It also includes other oversight measures.
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck presented the legislation on the House floor.
“Senate Bill 193 honors the hard work that was done last session to put money into schools and to create accountability for those dollars,” Hasenbeck said. “When we put $50 million into the formula, schools will begin putting in place the accreditation standards for committees on textbooks, advisory or other areas at the local level. At $100 million, which could happen in a year, schools will need to start meeting accreditation standards for class size mandates for kindergarten and first grade.”
SB 193 won House approval by a margin of 90 to zero.
