02/27/2012 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

         HB 242-PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING: DIGITAL LEARNING                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:34:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DICK  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  242, "An  Act  relating to  funding for  digital                                                               
learning as a component of public school funding."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:34:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRUITT  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HB   242,  labeled  27-LS0845\B,  Mischel,                                                               
2/22/12, as the working draft.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:35:19 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE P.  WILSON explained  the CS, paraphrasing  from a                                                               
prepared statement,  which read as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Two  changes  were  made  to  the  bill  based  on  the                                                                    
     comments heard  from the Committee last  week when this                                                                    
     bill was heard.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     1.  Issue:  No  reporting or accountability for the new                                                                    
     funds                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
          a.  Page 2, line 17, We have added a reporting                                                                        
     requirement  to provide  insight  into  how the  school                                                                    
     districts are using their digital learning funds.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     2.     Issue:     Using  the  funds   for  professional                                                                    
     development                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
          a.  Page 3, line 14, e explicitly called out                                                                          
     professional development  of teachers as a  use for the                                                                    
     funding.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:36:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON removed his  objection, and without further                                                               
objection Version B was before the committee.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON requested  that the required accountability                                                               
report include  information noting whether technical  devices are                                                               
retained at  the schools  for use at  specified time  periods, or                                                               
checked  out to  the students  for continuous  access.   Research                                                               
conducted   in  Canby,   Oregon,  has   reported  that   dramatic                                                               
scholastic improvement has been  achieved when students have full                                                               
accessibility  to  the  devices.    Practice  time  is  increased                                                               
through the  availability the student  experiences by  having the                                                               
device checked out to them, similar to a schoolbook, he said.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:39:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRUITT   moved  to   report  CSHB   242,  Version                                                               
LS0845\B,  Mischel, 2/22/12,  out  of  committee with  individual                                                               
recommendations  and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.    Without                                                               
objection  CSHB  242(EDC)  was moved  from  the  House  Education                                                               
Standing Committee.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease at 8:39 a.m.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:39:42 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  P.  WILSON  commented  that  the  legislation  is                                                               
important to facilitate change in  the classroom, and thanked the                                                               
committee for the input and swift movement of the bill.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DICK  said there  is a creative  and inspiration  aspect to                                                               
technological  devices, and  he said  curriculum development  may                                                               
well be improved by their use.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said the cost  of curriculum is reported to                                                               
be  reduced  through  the  use of  technological  devices.    The                                                               
teaching standards remain the same,  but learning styles for each                                                               
child can  now be tailored  in a  way that heretofore  would have                                                               
been costly to create and maintain.   He stressed that the use of                                                               
technical  devices  provides a  cost  efficient  means to  create                                                               
individualized, targeted, accessible curriculum.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DICK  noted that development  and engineering of  games and                                                               
applications for computer  devices is among the  ten most desired                                                               
college careers.