Volume 35, No. 12
May 1, 2009
Final Education Budget
Awaits Governor’s Signature!
The Senate concurred Thursday with the House-approved budget and sent S.570 to Gov. Riley for his signature. The governor has seven days to act on the bill or it becomes law without his signature Thursday.
Local school boards applaud lawmakers’ effort to move the education budget before the end of the school year. A strict timeline was unavoidable for school boards because of the current tenure law. The law requires personnel decisions be made before the last day of school or most employees automatically are rehired. Each school board must soon make local personnel decisions using the 2010 budget figures.
Thanks go to budget chairmen Sen. Hank Sanders and Rep. Richard Lindsey for working hard to ensure that AASB and other K-12 priorities were reflected in the final budget despite significant funding shortfalls. With their leadership and the infusion of federal dollars, the budget fully funds teachers, restores funding for support personnel and operations and sustains key K-12 learning programs.
Under no scenario could cuts to K-12 be avoided; school systems will feel the shortfall. The budget has zero funding for classroom materials, libraries, technology, common purchases (eg. copiers), or professional development. Textbook funding is limited to cover only the consumable textbooks for primary grades. School systems with dwindling enrollment will lose personnel as will school systems with locally funded teachers.
The budget goes far in shielding K-12 students from the worst of the economic downturn. Half of the federal dollars are being used in 2010 with the remaining half available for 2011. The economy must regain footing within that timeframe to keep public education from experiencing drastic cuts.
For budget details and spreadsheets, visit www.alabamaschoolboards.org
Tuesday Determines Fate
of Local School Calendar Start Date
The vote to remove local decision-making for education leaders is scheduled as soon as Tuesday. The Legislature plans to meet three days next week, and the House and Senate each have an agenda to consider a school start date bill. The choice clearly pits local goals to govern for student achievement versus a statewide tourism agenda.
Education leaders govern school systems to advance student achievement. Setting the calendar is a critical component to promote student achievement while balancing staff preferences and community needs. Individual communities highly value their local autonomy in setting their school calendar. School boards and superintendents must contact their law makers and confirm a commitment to vote NO to H.629 and S.544!
Local schools in Talladega were closed last Friday and Monday to accommodate the Talladega races. Education leaders worked with community members to set a school calendar balancing critical local revenue considerations, student safety needs, traffic issues and local tourism needs. Schools for the rest of the state were not affected. The proposed school start date legislation places statewide tourism wishes over the needs of ALL K-12 public schools. Community needs are already being addressed with a process that includes educators, school staff, parents and community members. School boards and superintendents urge lawmakers to OPPOSE H.629, by Rep. Craig Ford, and S.544, by Sen. Zeb Little. Ask your lawmakers to save local voices and protect local choices.
North Carolina & Texas Lessons:
Lawmakers Regret Statewide Calendar
North Carolina, one of the first states to pass legislation for a later school start date in 2004, is seeking to repeal its law. The House has begun moving bills to undo its statewide mandate. Each year, more and more lawmakers have filed legislation to exempt their school systems from the law after local constituents complained about its impact.
NC high school programs are suffering. The change in school calendar law has weakened high school dual enrollment programs. This is best evidenced by the calendars for high schools, community colleges and universities being out of alignment by approximately two weeks. Scheduling problems in many communities caused a significant decline in program enrollment since the calendar change. The issue is most pronounced in the second semester, when college courses begin before high school students complete their final exams in mid-January. As Alabama focuses on offering students opportunities for dual enrollment and additional pathways for graduation, a school start date bill will throw a wrench in effort to align curriculum and provide enhanced course offerings to high school students.
Texas and North Carolina educators are concerned about the impact on students. High
school students on block scheduling must take high stakes end-of-course exams in January after the winter holiday break. Many students and teachers have complained this schedule is not optimal for student learning. In addition, the amount of instructional time students have before taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests has decreased. The stress and pressure factor for students and teachers has increased due to less time to cover the necessary curriculum before testing.
All School Systems Required to Retool
Insurance for Catastrophic Relief Fund
The House Education Appropriation Committee Wednesday approved H.968, a bill introduced Tuesday that would require ALL boards of education to participate in the State Insurance Fund. Currently, only county school boards are required by statute to participate, while city school boards may participate. H.968 removes any other option for city systems.
A subcommittee recommended the bill after identifying an insurance gap that occurs when schools seek to rebuild following a natural disaster. Education budget committees faced calls for monetary help to rebuild schools when their insurance coverage (using materials of “like kind and quality”) was insufficient to replace or rebuild facilities to current construction standards. The bill would provide more realistic (or adequate) insurance coverage for school system building needs by redefining replacement cost to align with modern construction standards.
By participating in the state insurance fund, school systems would be eligible to seek additional funds following catastrophic events. The bill would set up a mechanism to award funds to systems that experience a qualifying event. The current language would allocate funds to systems that have experienced a catastrophic event in the last five years and for future events. The legislation would establish an educational authority to make the determinations for funding.
The bill has the potential to affect property insurance premiums for the more than 120 systems that currently participate in the State Insurance Fund. Only 12 city school systems currently purchase private insurance. It is uncertain whether an increase or decrease in premiums would result from requiring participation in the state fund. AASB is evaluating the fiscal impact of the bill. It is pending full House action.
Local Budget Flexibility Goes to Governor
S.426 would grant school boards authority to transfer funds between line items. Sponsored by Sen. Hank Sanders, the bill would authorize flexibility for 2009, and for 2010 if authorized in the ETF budget act. Flexibility would be authorized in any fiscal year when proration is declared at 3 percent or greater.
School Bank Program Option Gets Final Passage
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 urges the Gov. Riley’s signature.
Background Checks for Teacher Programs
S.270/H.571 would require students applying to enter a teacher education program to first pass a background check. The Alabama Child Protection Act of 1999 provides that Alabama’s 27 senior institutions with state-approved teacher education programs require prospective teachers to undergo a criminal history background check (CHBC) to apply for certification. S.270 and H.571 would require each Alabama two-year and four-year institution of higher education to require a CHBC as part of the initial process of applying for admission to a teacher education program.
Standards adopted by the Alabama State Board of Education (ASBE) require prospective teachers to participate in a variety of field experiences with children in public schools. These experiences begin as early as the freshman year of college and could result in the prospective teacher having unsupervised access to school children, hence the need.
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. 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 old. The bill’s process to withdraw from school would apply only to public school students and expands options for students who choose to leave school. S.334 is pending final passage in the House.
Constitutional Tax Authority: Support H.253
H.253 would authorize a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would remove the super-majority requirement to renew the existing local 1-mill countywide property tax for education. 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.
5 Days remain in the
Regular Legislative Session
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Alabama Association of School Boards
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