Joint Finance Committee Signs Off on Governor's Proposal To Eliminate TEACH Training Grants

The Joint Finance Committee voted 11-3 along party-lines on Tuesday to approve many of the Governor's proposed state budget recommendations related to the TEACH program. This includes:

Extending the TEACH IT Infrastructure Grants through June 30, 2021 but reducing the funding to $3 million per year.

Eliminating the TEACH Education Technology Training Grants, which currently provide $1.5 million in funding per year to rural schools.

Deleting the Curriculum Grant Program, which provides funding to schools for technology-enhanced curriculum.

Democrats on the Committee offered their own motion, which failed on a party-line vote of 3-11, which also proposed eliminating the TEACH Education Technology Grant and Curriculum Grant programs but would have modified the application process for the TEACH infrastructure grants.

The budget must be approved by the full legislature and signed into law by the Governor before these changes can take effect.