Representative Sonia Galaviz (District 16) asked the committee to print RS 32,458, a cleanup bill that would remove a provision added in 2016 that gradually reduced districts’ previously allowed staff‑allowance flexibility.

Galaviz said the 2016 change imposed a permanent one‑way reduction of flexibility — nicknamed “use it or lose it” — that penalizes some districts, particularly smaller ones, by narrowing how they may allocate positions. She told the committee the proposal would restore the flexibility districts had before the 2016 change and that divisors and methods used to compute statewide average class sizes would not be altered by the bill.

Committee members asked technical questions about the effect of striking a reporting requirement on page 2, lines 47–50 and about whether the change would permit districts to reallocate funds without additional statutory reporting. Galaviz replied that the state Department of Education would still have reporting on staff allowances and hiring, and that the removed language related only to the reduction mechanism rather than the allocation process itself.

Representative Clow moved to introduce RS 32,458. Several members who had served on school boards praised the change; Representative Garner said as a former board member he had “always hated these use it or lose it funds” because they encouraged waste. The motion to introduce passed on a voice vote.

Galaviz said she would clean up the bill’s statement of purpose before a full hearing and provide spreadsheets showing the divisors used for different district sizes. There was no fiscal note attached to the RS during the committee meeting.

Next steps: The committee voted to introduce RS 32,458; the sponsor indicated she would provide additional technical materials and revise the statement of purpose ahead of a public hearing.