In session, ASBA is three for five so far Bills passed would give more time to cure training hours, replace board vacancy after death
After a month and a half of this year’s legislative session, ASBA had sent three of its five bills to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk, while another failed by one vote on the Senate floor but could be reconsidered later. The fifth was still in the early stages of the legislative process. Act 182 by Rep. Brian Evans, RCabot, makes school safety and student discipline part of a board member’s initial nine professional development hours. It also allows school board members to cure a deficient number of annual training hours from January 1 through 30 days following the January board meeting. Previously, the window to cure the deficiency opened only after the January meeting. Evans is a member of the Cabot School Board whose term expires in 2021. Two other bills in ASBA’s legislative package have been signed into law by the governor. Act 261 by Rep. Les Warren, R-Hot Springs, a former Hot Springs Lakeside School Board member, would increase from 30 days to 60 days the time a school board has to fill a vacancy caused by the death of a member. Warren is also the main sponsor of Act 262, which would allow the com-
missioner of elementary and secondary education to round the threshold at which school districts must make bid purchases up to the nearest $100 based on the consumer price index for all urban consumers. The current threshold is based exactly on the index, which is not an easily remembered round number. A fifth bill, House Bill 1540 by Rep. Bruce Cozart, R-Hot Springs, had yet to be heard in committee as of early March. That bill would clarify the deadline to create or adjust zones for school districts with 10 percent or more minority populations. The bill’s purpose is to give candidates more time in response to delays in redistricting caused by the later than expected release of U.S. census numbers. Cozart is a former Lake Hamilton School Board member. One bill in ASBA’s legislative package passed the House but failed in the Senate by one vote, 17-12. The vote was expunged, allowing it to be reconsidered. House Bill 1101 by Evans would have set the number of patron signatures that can force a school board to meet at the greater of 50 signatures or 1% of the district’s qualified electors, with a maximum of 200. The current amount is 50. This bill would have provided a more proportional amount of signatures according to district size. Although not part of its package, ASBA also is supporting House Bill
1464 by Cozart, which requires school districts to develop policies allowing parents to challenge educational materials, with school board members making the final determination. The bill is a response to earlier legislative efforts that would have limited material that could be taught in schools, including the New York Times’ 1619 Project. ASBA opposed those earlier bills. ASBA is also supporting Senate Bill 101 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, which gives school districts greater flexibility in how they spend Enhanced Student Achievement Funds based on a three-year plan the districts submit to the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. Among the other bills ASBA is watching is House Bill 1371 by Rep. Ken Bragg, R-Sheridan, which would create the Arkansas Child Academic Scholarship and Grant Act. The bill would provide a 100% tax credit to Arkansans who donate to organizations that provide scholarships to students to attend private schools or that provide grants to public schools. In its current form, the bill would provide $4 million to private schools and $6 million to public schools. ASBA has traditionally opposed legislation that would divert otherwise public funds to private schools. Bobby G. Lester Elementary School werarch.com
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