Bills to Watch in the

Bills to Watch in the Current Session

The following education-related bills and proposed constitutional amendments gained momentum in 2013 and are sure to garner debate in the 2014 Georgia legislative session, which began in January.

parent trigger

House Bill 123, sponsored by Rep. Ed Lindsey (R-Atlanta), is commonly referred to as the “Parent Trigger Act,” although in early drafts it was officially titled the “Parent and Educator Empowerment Act.” In its original form, the legislation allowed parents and teachers to petition their local boards of education to convert traditional public schools to charter status. The current version of the legislation allows parents (but not teachers) to petition local boards to convert traditional public schools to charter status. The legislation moved quickly through the House but stalled in the Senate after the bill was renamed the

PG 1 | November | 2013 States with a stronger commitment to funding public education are better able to attract high-wage employers, which give well-educated workers the chance to earn a better income and enjoy a higher quality of life. More than half of economic development professionals say improving public education should be Georgia’s eckless income tax cuts would inflict even more damage to Georgia schools already squeezed by years of underfunding. The result will be a state with diminished ability to add good jobs, attract new businesses and provide graduates with the opportunities they need in today’s igher poverty rates in Georgia’s rural counties mean rural communities will be disproportionately left out of new “Parent Empowerment Act” and teachers were stripped of the power to petition for charter status. uSe of School equipMent Rep. Mark Hamilton (R-Cumming) introduced House Bill 228, which bars public employees, including educators, from using publicly owned computers, email accounts, printers or phones to oppose or promote the passage of legislation. One version of the legislation directs that educators or others found in violation of this rule be

23 | www.gbpi.org system. In addition, Georgia is ramping up its expectations of student performance in In higher education, the state wants to significantly increase the number of students who earn a diploma, a certificate or a degree as outlined in the Complete College Georgia initiative. It is also shifting to a system that funds colleges and universities based on the number of students who finish their programs of study. This new institutions will receive additional funding when they meet graduation goals, not when Helping students learn more and complete their studies at all levels is essential. Sixty percent of all jobs in the state will require postsecondary study by 2020 and Georgia is a long way from offering a workforce that can meet this demand. That requires adequate funding, something few educators have today after years of budget cuts. Seventy-one percent of districts responding to the survey have cut the school calendar to fewer than the standard Eighty percent of districts will furlough teachers this year. The majority are slashing funding for professional development. About 42 percent of districts are reducing or eliminating art or music programs and 62 percent are eliminating rtation now than in 2009. Thirty-eight districts raised local tax rates in the past year to offset the combined financial pressure of increased expenses and deep ive individual attention to students. The lost opportunity likely hurt chances for students to succeed in higher education and in the workforce. For Georgia, the consequence may be a workforce that does not attract high-growth, Cutting expenses to compensate for dwindling state funding is shaping districts’ decisions and is a distraction from a This report traces the consequences of the cuts in state funding. It is a companion piece to “The Schoolhouse Squeeze,” a September 2013 GBPI report that assesses the combined strain of recent cuts in state funding with the charged criminally. Another provision of the bill mandates that parent and student email addresses be used only for schoolrelated functions and not for the purposes of promoting or opposing legislation. retiree health BenefitS House Bill 263, sponsored by Rep. Chuck Martin (R-Alpharetta), quickly generated a great deal of discussion and communication among educators in 2013. The bill would force retiring educators and other state employees to pick up the entire cost of their state health insurance. When the legislation was heard in committee, Martin clarified his intention that the legislation only apply to educators hired after July 2013. Still, the concept was unattractive to House Retirement Committee members, who declined to move the bill forward last session. January/February 2014 flexiBility froM eDucation lawS

Rep. Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth), chair of the House Education Committee, sponsored House Bill 327, frequently called the “Flexibility & Accountability Bill.” The legislation seeks to give local school systems, in correlation with systems’ scores on Georgia’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index, the ability to waive many Georgia education laws. Some of the provisions up for waiver include spending mandates, class size caps, teacher certification requirements and the state salary scale. Due to a deadline in existing law, some version of HB 327 or similar legislation must pass in 2014 in order to meet the looming 2015 date by which all Georgia school districts must declare themselves as status quo, charter systems, or IE2 systems.

freeDoM week

Senate Bill 68, the “Celebrate Freedom Week Bill,” sponsored by Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick), mandates that K–12 schools use the week of Sept. 17 to educate students about the “sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of this country and the values, principles and philosophies on which this country was founded,” and provide approximately three hours of related instruction. This instruction must include an age-appropriate study of the intent, meaning and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights in their historical context and background on the Colonial era along with instruction about the Founding Fathers. SB 68 dictates that the religious references in the writings of the Founding Fathers shall not be censored and directs schools to suggest related reading for students in grades 3–12. Those students will be encouraged to recite from the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights or the 14th or 19th Amendments.

firearMS

Senate Bill 101 by Sen. Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville); House Bill 35 by Rep.

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Paul Battles (R-Cartersville); and House Bill 512 by Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) were rolled into one omnibus gun bill with a provision impacting K–12 schools. The legislation would give local boards of education authority to designate trained school employees to carry firearms at school. Employees could not be forced to carry firearms, and a hold harmless provision is intended to protect school systems from liability for adopting or declining to adopt such a policy.

Other controversial portions of the omnibus bill allowed firearms to be carried in bars, churches and some government buildings. The point of contention that ultimately stalled the bill in 2013 was a provision allowing firearms on college campuses.

coMMon core

Senate Bill 167 and Senate Bill 203, both sponsored by Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick), represent significant skepticism about Georgia’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards. SB 167 would allow Georgia to opt out of the Common Core, and SB 203 would convene the Curriculum Content Standards Advisory Council.

electeD SuperintenDentS

Rep. Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) in 2013 sponsored a constitutional amendment that continues to attract the attention of many Georgia educators, particularly school superintendents. House Resolution 550 would allow local school systems to return to the method of electing their school superintendents.

aDDitional School SySteMS

Another proposed state constitutional amendment, House Resolution 486, sponsored by Rep. Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody), seeks to allow for the creation of additional local school systems.

The following bills have been prefiled by legislators since mid-November 2013 in anticipation of the 2014 session. In January, when the Georgia General Assembly convened, the legislation was assigned to committee.

parental School viSitation

House Bill 698 by Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) directs local boards of education to establish procedures regarding the ban of a parent or guardian from a school premises when the parent has violated state law or school policy. The legislation would allow such a parent to request a hearing before a panel, which will include an independent person not employed by the school.

traDitional winter celeBrationS

Sen. Mike Dugan (R-Carrollton) has proposed Senate Bill 283, which allows school districts to educate students about the history of traditional winter celebrations and allows school staff to offer traditional greetings regarding those celebrations such as “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukah” and “Happy Holidays.” SB 283 also enables schools to display scenes or symbols associated with traditional winter holiday celebrations, such as menorahs, nativity scenes, Christmas trees or other Christmas images, so long as the display includes a symbol of more than one religion or one religion and at least one secular scene or symbol. The bill states that any such display will not include a message encouraging adherence to a particular religious belief. n

Foundation News SPAGE: Teaching Candidates Learn FirstYear Survival Techniques

The 2013 SPAGE Fall Conference, entitled “Teaching, Learning, Collaborating: First Year Survival,” provided teaching candidates with the tools to sustain them in their first year of teaching, and it even offered advice for landing that first job. The conference was held in November at Middle Georgia State College in Macon.

In his morning keynote, Dr. Richard Rogers, principal of Matt Arthur Novice teacher panel moderator Dr. Richard Rogers (far left) is joined by Elementary in Houston County, cov- panelists (left to right) Robin Wood, Christina Hanselman, Christopher ered “What Principals Seek in Teacher Henderson, Tyler Hudlin, Michael Register and Doretha Calhoun. Candidates.” In addition to passion and good character, he said that principals seek candidates who are Mixed-Ability Students? willing to think outside the box, who are knowledgeable about • Using Technology to Steer Clear of Stress During Your current issues and who are lifelong learners. They must also be Rookie Year committed to making every child successful … and be willing • Creating Powerful Parental Partnerships. to smile, he noted.

The lunch keynote featured the new national director of the Additionally, a panel of novice teachers offered advice and Future Educators Association, Dan Brown, who shared his answered questions posed by SPAGE members. The panel, experiences as a first-year teacher at a Bronx elementary school moderated by Rogers, was comprised of Chris Henderson, (see FEA article, page 20). Tyler Hudlin, Michael Register, Christina Hanselman, Doretha

The day’s workshops, presented by the MGSC College of Calhoun and Robin Wood. Several veteran teachers commented Education, included: on how valuable such a panel discussion would have been to • Networking and Interviewing: The Secrets to Earning Your them prior to their first year of teaching. First Teaching Job! The annual SPAGE conference was host• Designing Engaging Instruction for Middle and High ed by the PAGE Foundation and the MGSC School Students College School of Education. A video report • Engaging Students with Technology Bring Your Own of the conference can be found on the Device (BYOD) SPAGE Spotlight channel on PAGE TV at • Why Am I Here? www.pagefoundation.org or by scanning the • How Do I Differentiate My Earth Science Lesson for My QR code. n

Dr. Richard Rogers: Principals seek ‘lifelong learners’.

Conference planners , from left, Nancy Greene and Dr. Elise Langan joined state SPAGE officers Suzi Hancock, Maxine Dalton, Amy Walls, Erika Wyatt, Jackie Anderson and SPAGE Director Mary Ruth Ray.