Though the House and Senate have yet to take up any education legislation in general session, the House and Senate Education committees met in joint session this afternoon to hear an address by Dean Alford, Chairman of the Governor�s Education Funding Task Force, also known as Investing in Educational Excellence. www.ie2.org

Alford updated House and Senate members on the progress of the task force, which formed several years ago, but has yet to issue any formal recommendations regarding school funding.  The task force is finalizing an elementary school cost model and is in the beginning stages of work on middle and high school models. Alford stated that he hopes that all models will be completed and that recommendations will be available for the 2008 legislative session.