Volume 35, No. 11
April 24, 2009
Tuesday’s Challenge: Ensure Education Budget Final Passage!!
An education budget supported by the full education community will be considered by the House for final passage on Tuesday, April 28.
Speedy passage is essential because school boards must make staffing decisions at their next school board meeting. School boards are bound by a strict timeline to make critical budget and personnel decisions. School boards must give non-tenured personnel notice of non-renewal by the end of the school year. Otherwise, school boards risk an automatic rehiring of staff without sufficient funds for salaries in 2010. That is simply how the state’s tenure law currently operates.
AASB worked hard to ensure funding for local school board priorities: full funding for state-earned teacher units (divisors) and restoring Other Current Expense or OCE (support personnel and operations). The budget also would increase funding to transportation and school nurses, and fund three critical education programs: the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI), Alabama Math, Science & Technology Initiative (AMSTI) and long distance learning (ACCESS).
As House Education Appropriation Members noted, cuts will be felt. There is no funding for student materials, library enhancement, technology, professional development or common purchases. Supplemental funding for extended administrative contracts (1 percent salary matrix) is not funded. The teacher mentoring program, teacher incentive pay, rewards for schools were among other programs with reduced funding. Expect a spike in cookie sales in your community.
The Education Committee budget would provide school boards flexibility to prioritize dollars. Boards would direct the best use of federal dollars within Title I and special education programs.
School boards must make cuts, no matter the final budget form. Less funding necessitates cuts. Schools will start operating with 5 percent less state funding than when school started last year. Some layoffs will be unavoidable, especially for those school systems with dwindling enrollment or personnel paid with local revenue. The local budget scenario is grim but no longer disastrous as was first feared.
Urge House members to pass the Education Budget (S.570) Tuesday!
Local Solution Found: Lawmakers Direct
Calendar Concerns to School Boards
Several lawmakers have truly embraced the concept of local control: they are directing communications from tourism and summer camp interests to local school boards. The approach is simple, direct and appropriate. The action correctly confirms that local board members are elected or appointed to make local education decisions, including setting the school calendar. They urge board members to consider constituents’ views and to set the local school start date as late as possible. These examples ensure constituent voices are heard at the local level, without a statewide mandate that could compromise local choice and student learning. Well done!
Tourism and summer camp proponents are flooding lawmakers with phone calls and e-mails that purport to speak for parents. However, board members hear often from local school parents and those parents clearly support local choice in determining the school calendar. School board members are community members addressing community concerns to make the best local decision for public education students. Because school board members are the local voice for education, AASB continues to OPPOSE school start legislation. Superintendents join school boards in opposing H.619, by Rep. Craig Ford, and S.544, by Sen. Zeb Little. The bills are pending floor action in their respective chamber.
School Board Training: Act 09-297
The governor Thursday signed S.220, the school board training bill. The law requires school boards to adopt a policy outlining their board member orientation and ongoing training requirements for all board members. The law becomes effective March 1, 2010. The full K-12 community supported the measure focusing on training those elected or appointed to govern public schools. Look to upcoming publications from AASB to include information about policies for school systems to consider.
School Nurse Law: Act 09-280
The governor signed H.47, the update to the school nurse law. The language now will allow local school boards to employ licensed practical nurses under the supervision of registered nurses. The law became effective immediately upon Gov. Riley’s signature.
Home-school Bill Rejected;
Confirms Consequences Follow Choices
S.305, the Tim Tebow Act, failed in the Senate Education Committee Wednesday by a 5-6 vote. The full K-12 education community and Alabama High School Athletic Association were united in opposition to the bill. Committee Chair Sen. Vivian Davis Figures told the committee, after convening two separate meetings of stakeholders, no compromise was found to move forward on the legislation. In fact, the discussion pointed toward a revamp of lax regulation of Alabama’s home-school statutes.
Sen. Quinton Ross clarified that even among public school students, those who choose to attend magnet programs are not able to participate in their system’s extracurricular athletics. The administrative problems presented required the school system to make a choice. Students who elect to attend magnet programs must accept they are ineligible to participate. The same applies to those who decide to home-school.
Sens. Hank Sanders and Myron Penn agreed that to fairly administer and manage such participation invited questions of fairness and liability concerns. Schools would not have the ability to apply the same rules to all students. The argument that home-school families pay taxes didn’t sway the committee. Many taxpayers pay taxes without direct benefit of the services provided.
Voting for the bill: Sens: Hank Erwin, Bobby Denton, Rusty Glover, Tripp Pittman, Jabo Waggoner. Voting with K-12 against the bill: Sens. Vivian Davis Figures, Hank Sanders, Kim Benefield, Quinton Ross, Zeb Little and Myron Penn.
Local Budget Flexibility: Support S.426
S.426 would grant school boards authority to transfer funds between line items. Sponsored by Sen. Hank Sanders, the bill would authorize flexibility in the current fiscal year. Flexibility for 2010 would be allowed if authorized in the ETF budget act. Flexibility would be authorized in any fiscal year when proration is declared at 3 percent or greater.
The bill requires local boards to submit their plan to transfer funds to the state superintendent. The flexibility would not apply to funds appropriated for salaries, fringe benefits or student materials. Similar restrictions apply to Public School Fund monies dedicated to specific capital projects or debt service. S.426 is pending final passage in the House.
Consolidate Bid Laws for Schools: Support H.601/S.418
S.418/H.601 would create a new section in the Alabama code for competitive bid laws governing public education. School systems are seeking the codification changes to ensure they address the unique needs of the education community.
School systems’ application of purchasing laws differ greatly from other local governmental entities. The laws would be placed under Title 16 to clarify they apply only to education and can be addressed solely for education in the future. S.418 is pending final passage in the House.
Raise School Age to 17: Support H.226/S.334
H.226/S.334 would raise the compulsory school age from 16 to 17 years of age. The bill’s process to withdraw from school applies only to public school students and expands options for students who choose to leave school. Sponsored by Rep. Thad McClammy and Sen. Arthur Orr, the legislation would codify school boards’ goal to raise the mandatory school attendance age to 17. S.334 is pending final passage in the House.
School Bank Program Option: Support H.143
H.143 would allow school boards to place certain funds in programs that provide full FDIC coverage for deposits that exceed normal FDIC limits. AASB supports the additional option for school boards to consider in their banking alternatives. H.143, sponsored by Rep. Lesley Vance, is pending final passage in the Senate.
Fix to Education Tax Authority: Support H.253
H.253 would authorize a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would make it easier to renew the existing local 1-mill countywide property tax for education. School boards support the removal of the 3/5 super majority requirement for the 1-mill property tax and urge the change to a simple majority vote requirement. Sponsored by Rep. Richard Lindsey, H.253 is pending final passage in the Senate.
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Local school boards work with legislative leaders to accomplish the public’s highest priority -- educating our children.
7 Days remain in the
Regular Legislative Session
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Alabama Association of School Boards
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