Yesterday the Legislature released the details of its 2015-17 operating budget deal and passed the budget bill. As passed, the bill appropriates $38.219 billion (near general fund-state plus opportunity pathways) for the biennium. Maintenance level changes increased spending by $5.360 billion over 2013-15, and policy level changes reduced spending by $934.5 million — for a net increase of $4.425 billion over 2013-15.

As we’ve noted before, the costs of implementing I-1351 (the class size reduction initiative for grades K-12) are included in the maintenance level. None of the legislative proposals this year have funded I-1351, so they all include policy reductions of $2.043 billion (the initiative’s cost for 2015-17). If you remove this item, total policy changes increase spending by $1.108 billion.

Because I-1351 was approved by voters less than two years ago, any changes to it must be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature. Yesterday the House passed HB 2266 (72-26). The bill would delay implementation of I-1351 until the 2019-2021 biennium. The bill notes that it is doing so for “educational reasons.” These include the fact that research has shown that class size reductions in early grades are most effective. (See our brief on the initiative for more on this research.) The Legislature is already funding reductions in K-3.