Before your House members begin building the state education budget, ask lawmakers to make local education needs their priority.

 

 

 

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Time for Education Budget Homework & Classroom Wi-Fi

 

Before your House members begin building the state education budget, ask lawmakers to make local education needs their priority.

For FY17, lawmakers may appropriate a $6.327 billion ETF budget — reflecting the average of two certified state projections.That number would allow an increase of no more than $370 million if lawmakers project state revenues will be sufficient.Even if legislators appropriate the maximum amount, that number reduces to $308 million available after a mandatory $62 million PACT payment comes off the top.

Sharing your local school budget needs can provide insight to help lawmakers prioritize state appropriations. The available increase is subject to a split between higher education and K-12. Lawmakers must determine how to balance needed increases to award a well-deserved salary increase for all education employees, cover rising costs to employee retirement and health benefits, and make meaningful headway to rebuild critical operational funding for schools through the Foundation Program.

What is your state-funded budget forteachers, and is your system able to supplement with locally-funded teachers? Do your schools need more teachers in middle school grades, or high school, or third grade?How the state budget is built will impact your ability to fill those needs.

Demonstrate where dollars for transportation and Other Current Expense (OCE) are spent, including salaries and benefits for critical bus drivers and classified employees to keep schools operating. What are the basic priorities of your local schools, teachers, students and communities? What funding will you need to make that happen?

Your leadership is needed. Lawmakers, your staff and students, and your shared constituents should be armed with accurate information to make choices about the state and local strategy for education funding.

 

Public Schools Await Wi-Fi & Funding

Local school leaders urge lawmakers Tuesday to vote YES on H.41 (Chesteen), the Alabama Ahead Act, and on H.227 (Poole), the supplemental funding to implement that plan. The state plan would provide minimum infrastructure standards and guidelines for every K-12 classroom to have high quality Wi-Fi. Without exception, every school would benefit from the proposed, thoroughly vetted plan. The Senate “Alabama Ahead Act”, S.17 (Dial), is pending Senate action.

To implement the plan, H.227 (Poole) would provide a $12 million supplemental appropriation for the current fiscal year. The timing of the legislation is critical. Local school systems need state dollars to be eligible to draw down millions of federal E-Rate dollars. The years of hard work could soon benefit every public school classroom!

 

Gateway to Vouchers

The House Education Policy Committee conducted a public hearing this week and plans to vote Wednesday on H.84 (Johnson, K). AASB General Counsel Jayne Harrell Williams joined school leaders and special education advocates to testify in opposition to the proposed education savings account. The bill would create a voucher-style program for eligible special education students, children of active military parents and foster children.It provides funding for 1,000 students to draw a grant of 90 percent of a student’s public school funding to pay private tuition/related expenses. Opponents informed lawmakers that the bill would do little to help individual students but would harm the many special education students who remain by reducing programmatic spending by some $4.8 million. The policy itself is misguided and inequitable.

The bill would divert education revenue and syphon much needed resources from public schools. There is no requirement to ensure students are being prepared to be college - and career - ready, to demonstrate student growth nor any consequence for failing to do so. Special need students are not required to have attended public school to qualify.Special need students receiving an ESA would not have to have an individualized learning plan which is federally required in public school.

Every parent wants to provide the best options for their child, and special education needs are most compelling. Members suggested local school systems would benefit financially if these students were removed from public schools. However, the reasoning is faulty because funding doesn’t flow per student. Funding is programmatic to address all student needs in special education. The expensive supports including physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and aides provided in public school far exceed the $4,800 of per student ESA.

Most alarming, special education coordinators fear their special education students will be withdrawn for one or two years, and then will need to return after having lost years of progress.Urgelawmakers to Oppose H.84

 

Education Standards Repeal Effort

A House bill to repeal state education standards was introduced Thursday and assigned to the House Education Policy Committee. H.264 (Fincher)would repeal Alabama’s College & Career Ready Standards. Because opponents to the standards blur standards with curriculum, which are distinctly different, confusion persists.

Alabama’s standards list the skills a student should learn in math and English for each grade.Once a first grader masters basic skills (such as two-digit numbers), they are ready to tackle the next set of skills in second grade (three-digit numbers). The standards are minimum expectations set for each grade level. Curriculum, however, is a local decision. Curriculum is HOW the standards or skills are taught. Teaching strategies, textbook selection and homework assignments are local decisions. Local school leaders urge lawmakers to OPPOSE H.264/ S.60.

 

Limiting Ballots to General/Primary Elections

S.101 (Whatley) would propose a constitutional amendment to require all state and local constitutional amendments and state and local referenda to be placed on the ballot at statewide primary or general elections. The legislation impacts any state or local initiative from being placed before voters at any other time. The cost-savings and grouping of issues appears common-sense at first glance.However, local school leaders should discuss implications about the ability to garner attention to local education issues.

Primary and general elections, particularly in presidential and legislative election years, generate immense campaigns at great expense to vie for voter attention. This would make it challenging to get voters to focus on your local efforts and needs. Local leaders should discuss the potential impact on your community efforts as this bill moves forward. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved S.101 (Whatley), whichnext moves to the full Senate for consideration.

 

Statewide Virtual Enrollment Unsound Policy

Act 2015-89 requires every local school system provide a virtual learning pathway to graduation for eligible high school students.The act was a progressive response to school leaders’ concerns about creating a statewide virtual program. S.229 (Brewbaker)would be a huge step backward by allowing any student to enroll statewide.Currently, students must enroll in their local school to participate in a virtual program approved by local policy. The local route was taken to ensure accountability for student monitoring and supports. The purposeful approach was to guard against Alabama experiencing the demonstrated poor performance of statewide virtual schools in other states. The data clearly shows that without appropriate safeguards, students dropout or fall well behind their peers.

The current law does not restrict what virtual options are offered by local policy, places no limit on the menu of options and promotes local accountability. Nationally, states are struggling with how to pull back from wide-open virtual school policies. Urge lawmakers to reject a pathway to what would be publicly funded statewide virtual charter schools through local school systems.

 

Support Longitudinal Data System

H.125 (Collins/Baker) would enable the state to link information from early education to the workplace while requiring stringent privacy safeguards using de-identified information. The information would provide statewide data to guide policy decisions. K-12 leaders applaud the bill’s requirement for a uniform definition for “remediation” to help prepare students as they enter higher education. The inconsistent standards cost students time and parents tuition needlessly.

 

Legislation of Interest

H.170 (Patterson) — Competitive Bid Law — would increase from 3 to 5 years the maximum length of time that the purchase of personal property or contractual services can be bid. Companion to S.162 (Dial)

S.215 (Holley) — School Bus Safety — would authorize local school boards to initiate and enforce school bus violations using automated technology and the cooperation of law enforcement. Pending Senate floor action.

AASB Agenda

View the Alabama Association of School Boards’ priorities:

Legislative & Policy Agenda

 

Time to Talk School Budgets

Does your lawmaker know your local school plans and budget needs? Soon legislators will set the state’s education budget. Make sure your members are voting to align state budget priorities with your local needs! The next two weeks are the right time to have these important conversations.

 

Advocacy Days

Come to Montgomery for an AASB Advocacy Day and earn 2 training hours as you experience the legislative process. Training Options:

March 1 March 16

April 20 May 3

Register today.

 

Get the App

Search for "Alabama Association of School Boards" in the AppStore or the Google Play Android Market.

 

2016 Legislative Session

23 Days Remain

 

 

Lissa Tucker, AASB Director of Governmental Relations

www.AlabamaSchoolBoards.org