• On Monday, they wanted to fund religious institutions (i.e., private corporations)
• On Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, they wanted to fund more private corporations, Virtual Charter Schools AND wanted to tamper with and make more political Missouri’s Non-Partisan Court Plan
• On Wednesday, Curtman offers HCR41 to oppose Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from Missouri

NEA Legislative Update  
Week 7, No. 2, February 14, 2012
By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director

SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES OMNIBUS BILL RE UNACCREDITED DISTRICTS

The Senate General Laws Committee approved SCS/SB 451 (Jane Cunningham) on February 14.  The original bill pertained only to additional authority regarding shared educational services, but the SCS incorporates the provisions of SB 706 (Jane Cunningham) relating to unaccredited districts.

SCS/SB 451 includes numerous provisions regarding unaccredited districts, including a tax-credit style voucher for students of unaccredited districts to attend private schools and authority for other districts or district cooperatives to operate charter schools in unaccredited districts.

The bill allows the State Board of Education to hold a hearing and act to revise the governance of a  school district when it becomes unaccredited, rather than automatically lapsing the district after two years.  The bill requires unaccredited districts to forward their local school funds to the state and allows the state to allocate those funds to transportation costs for transferring students if needed. The bill also includes standards by which receiving districts may determine available capacity for receiving transfers from unaccredited districts.

The bill also includes provisions that would apply to Kansas City, but specifically not to St. Louis City or St. Louis County.  Those provisions would require surrounding districts to divide up and annex a district that becomes unaccredited and draw up new attendance boundaries without action by the State Board.  The bill also allows districts to appoint a hearing officer to conduct termination hearings, revises requirements regarding reduction in force and mandates that student academic growth must be a factor in educator evaluations.

The Association opposes several provisions in the bill, including those relating to tax credit vouchers, charter school expansion and transfer of local funds to the state.  The Association supports some of the provisions relating to standards for transfers from unaccredited districts and the provisions allowing the State Board to revise unaccredited district governance while removing the mandate to lapse a district after two years.

BUDGET COMMITTEES

The House Appropriations-Education Committee completed executive action on the K-12 (HB 2002) and higher education (HB 2003) budget bills in a brief executive session on February 14.  The committee made only a few changes from the original proposed budget bills.  First, the committee removed all of the “E” lines for estimated expenditures, and will require the agencies to get further legislative approval for transfers and changes previously granted under that kind of budget flexibility.  Second, the committee moved scholarship funding into a single line, so that funds appropriated for unused scholarships can be used for other scholarship programs to meet additional demand.  Finally, the committee approved a separate letter to the Budget Committee, requesting that $1 million in extra lottery proceeds be appropriated for Regional Professional Development Centers ($300K), early grades literacy ($100K), vocational rehabilitation grants ($284K) and MORENet ($316K).

TEACHING EVALUATION SYSTEMS

The Senate Education Committee will meet on February 15 to hear SB 654 (Brad Lager).  The bill would require every school district to establish a high-quality teacher evaluation system and commit resources to implement high-quality evaluations.  The bill also requires districts to establish standards for professional improvement plans.  The Association strongly supports this approach to enact a state policy that will support local efforts to improve instruction.

STATE BOARD INTERVENTION IN UNACCREDITED DISTRICTS

The Senate Education Committee will also meet on February 15 to hear SB 677 (David Pearce).  The bill revises the timelines and options for State Board intervention when it classifies a district as unaccredited.  The bill allows the State Board to consider possible changes in governance when classifying a district as unaccredited, rather than waiting two years and automatically lapsing the district.  The committee is expected to ultimately consider a proposed SCS version of the bill that incorporates language from HCS/HB 1174 (Mike Lair) to require that the State Board hold a hearing in the unaccredited district to help bring community resources and stakeholders together in support of a district improvement plan.  The SCS will also clarify that the State Board is not automatically mandated to lapse an unaccredited district on a date certain and retains options to maintain or revise district governance without lapsing the district.  The Association supports the proposed SCS version of the bill.

VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOLS

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will meet on February 15 to hear HB 1629 (Jay Barnes).  The bill allows nonresident students to attend a school district or a charter school to access virtual courses on programs.  The state will pay 72.5% of the statewide average per pupil spending the previous year to the virtual charter school.  The Association is concerned that the bill will fragment the enrollment and guidance process for students and may compensate virtual schools in excess of their actual cost of instruction and opposes the bill for those reasons.

STUDENT PROGRESSION MANDATES

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will also meet on February 15 to hear HB 1425 (Cole McNary).  The bill requires each district to establish a program for student academic progression.  The Association believes the bill is overly prescriptive and will limit local district options to meet unique student needs and develop new effective programs.  The Association also recognizes that mandatory retention in grade has generally not been found to improve student success.

EDUCATION OF STUDENTS IN FOSTER CARE

The House Children and Families Committee will hear HB 1577 (Scott Largent) on February 15.  The bill would strengthen the law to ensure foster students remain on track for on time graduation.  The bill requires receiving schools to waive course requirements if similar course work has been completed in another school or provide another means of meeting requirements for graduation on time.  Districts must accept sending district or alternative testing or ensure the student receives a diploma from the sending school, if the student meets the graduation requirements of the sending school.  The Association believes that state law should promote educational stability and success for foster and homeless students and supports the bill.

PROTECTING MISSOURI’S FAIR AND IMPARTIAL COURTS

The House Special Standing Committee on Judiciary Reform heard HJR 44 (Stanley Cox) and HJR 77 (Doug Funderburk) on February 14.  The HJRs would revise Missouri’s Non-Partisan Court Plan.  HJR 44 would increase the Appellate Judicial Commission and Circuit Judicial Commission by adding more gubernatorial appointees. HJR 44 would also remove a justice of the Missouri Supreme Court from serving on the Appellate Judicial Commission and remove the chief judge of the court of appeals district from each of the circuit judicial commissions. HJR 77 would reduce Supreme Court justice terms from twelve to eight years and require the justices to run for public election.  Both of these provisions will make the judicial selection process more political and less based upon high standards of judicial practice.

The Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan is essential for the state to select qualified judges in a way that limits partisan politics in the selection process. This non-partisan plan is so effective that a majority of states have adopted some version of the “Missouri Plan.”  Fair and impartial courts are vital to democracy and the preservation of our rights, including the fundamental right of access to a great public school.  The Association opposes both of the Joint Resolutions and urges the General Assembly to refrain from any changes in the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan.

 

from Missouri NEA Legislative Update   Week 7, No. 3, February 15, 2012

By Otto Fajen   MNEA Legislative Director

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The Senate Education Committee voted to approved three previously heard bills on February 15:

1) SB 483 (Scott Rupp) to create the Early High School Graduation Scholarship Program for public high school students who graduate from high school early.

2) SCS/SB 562 (Bob Dixon) to allow four-year public higher education institutions to lease property without further authorization by the legislature.

3) SCS/SB 563 (Bob Dixon) to modify the term lengths of the board of governors of Missouri State University so that no more than three members’ terms expire in any given year.

My own additions of February 15, 2012 actions:

House

HCR41 Curtman, Paul   Smith, Jason   HCR 41 Offered (H)

5818L.02I – Declares the General Assembly’s strong opposition to the newest regulation under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which is contrary to the laws of Missouri

HCR40 McNeil, Margo Oxford, Jeanette Mott HCR 40 Read Second Time (H)

4686L.01I – Establishes Missouri’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution

Senate

SB 717 – Stouffer – Creates the traffic offense of distracted driving

2/15/2012 — Hearing Conducted S Transportation Committee

HB 1075 – Sater – Prohibits any requirement that pharmacies carry a specific drug or device

2/15/2012 — S First Read–HB 1075-Sater