Missouri NEA Legislative Update
Week 5, No. 2, January 31, 2012
By Otto Fajen     
MNEA Legislative Director

ACTION ALERT:  HOUSE COMMITTEE TO HEAR TENURE REPEAL BILL

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will hear HB 1526 (Scott Dieckhaus) on February 1.  The bill eliminates the current tenure law for new hires, and places new hires into a system of contracts of up to four years.  The bill also substantially changes the existing tenure law, eliminating seniority as a factor in decisions regarding reduction in force.  The Association strongly opposes the bill.

The bill also includes numerous mandates regarding teacher evaluation systems, such as requiring at least fifty percent of evaluations to be based on student test scores and prohibiting districts and employees from designing evaluation systems within collective bargaining negotiations.

ACTION NEEDED:  Your help is needed!  Please call, write or e-mail to urge your state representative to oppose HB 1526, the Tenure Repeal Bill. The following link will connect you to the MNEA Legislative Action Center Action Alert on HB 1526.

Type in your zip code and the alert will automatically be directed to your state representative.  The Action Alert contains a brief summary and a brief, editable message box to help you send an email to your state representative on the issue.   Your message will have a greater impact if you personalize the message and add your own concerns regarding the bill.

Write Your Representative

ACTION ALERT: VOTE “NO” ON PAYCHECK DECEPTION ATTACK ON WORKERS

The Senate began debate on SCS/SBs 553 and 435 (Dan Brown) on January 31, but did not bring the bill to a first round approval (Perfection) vote.  The bill was placed on the Informal Calendar and is likely to be debated again on February 1, when the Senate is expected to engage in lengthy debate on a series of anti-worker and anti-union bills, including Paycheck Deception, restrictions on prevailing wage requirements and the so-called “Right to Work” limitation.

SCS/SBs 553 and 435 eliminates authorization for public labor union payroll deductions for payment of union dues. The bill also revises authorization for public labor union payroll deductions for political action.

Senator Brown offered a Senate Substitute version that arbitrarily excludes unions representing “first responders” from the provisions of the bill.  Sen. Tim Green offered SA 1 to limit the bill to unions representing state employees only, and the bill was laid over with the amendment and Senate Substitute pending.

The Association strongly opposes the bill.  This attack is just more of the same old politics.  All employees have the constitutional right to an effective union voice in their employment and to work together to support  political campaigns without undue interference from state policies that would undermine those rights.

ACTION NEEDED:  Your help is needed!  IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY DONE SO, please call, write or e-mail to urge your state senator to oppose SCS/SBs 553 and 435, the paycheck deception attacks. The following link will connect you to the MNEA Legislative Action Center Action Alert on SCS/SBs 553 and 435.

Type in your zip code and the alert will automatically be directed to your state senator.  The Action Alert contains a brief summary and a brief, editable message box to help you send an email to your state senator on the issue.   Your message will have a greater impact if you personalize the message and add your own concerns regarding the bill.

http://www.capwiz.com/nea/mo/issues/alert/?alertid=60925676&type=ST

HOUSE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER FORMULA AND STATE INTERVENTION BILLS

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee is also scheduled to meet on February 1 to consider two previously-heard bills in executive session:

1) HB 1174 (Mike Lair) regarding the timelines and options for State Board intervention when it classifies a district as unaccredited, and

2) HB 1043 (Mike Thomson) regarding how the school funding formula will distribute funds to districts in the case where the formula is underfunded.

CHILD VISION SCREENINGS

The House Health Insurance Committee met on January 31 to hear HB 1339 (Don Wells).  The bill would remove the sunset on the state mandate for kindergarten and first grade students to have eye exams by an optometrist before entering school.  The bill would allow the requirement for all students to have vision screenings in school to lapse.  The Association went on record in opposition to HB 1339 and noted its preference for the approach taken in HB 1333 (David Sater).  HB 1333 implements the recommendations of the Children’s Vision Commission and would maintain the requirement for all students to have vision screenings at the beginning of kindergarten, first grade and second grade.  After the hearing, the bill was taken up for consideration and approved by the committee in executive session.

HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The House Higher Education Committee met on January 31 and approved two bills:

1) HB 1041 (Mike Thomson) to authorize the governing board of any state university to convey or transfer real property, except in fee simple, without further authorizing legislation during the next five years.

2) HB 1042 (Mike Thomson) to revise the duties of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, including creating standards for course transfers and awarding of associate’s degrees.

BECOME A MISSOURI NEA EDUCATION ADVOCATE

Missouri NEA will depend upon a grassroots lobbying effort led by MNEA and carried out by our Education Advocates and other members. You can become a Missouri NEA Education Advocate (go to: http://www.mnea.org/Missouri/VolunteerActionCard.aspx.)