Moving like a runaway train, here are the bill that the Senate Education and Career Development committee with hear tomorrow, 2/15/17 at 1:30pm
These are just the bill digests in one convenient spot. Please note that ICPE is most concerned about SB 534 and SB 276. SB 534 Special education scholarship account program. Establishes the Indiana special education scholarship account program (program). Requires the treasurer of state to administer the program. Establishes: (1) the special education scholarship account fund (fund); and (2) requirements and conditions for the program. Requires the department of education (department) to, on or before May 1 and January 1 of each year, provide the treasurer of state a list of the names of students with disabilities who require special education and for whom an individualized education program has been developed. Provides that any grant amount distributed to a taxpayer's Indiana special education scholarship account and used for qualified expenses under the program is not included in adjusted gross income for state income tax purposes. Provides that money transferred from a student's Indiana special education scholarship account to the student's college choice 529 education savings plan is not included as a contribution for purposes of a credit against a taxpayer's adjusted gross income tax. Requires the treasurer of state to: (1) annually request a parent of an eligible student or an emancipated eligible student who is participating in the program to complete a written survey; and (2) annually provide a summary of the survey to the governor and the legislative council. Continuously appropriates money from the fund and the accounts established within the fund for the purposes of the program. ICPE does not support this bill. It is a direct attack on public education. It pushes forward a radical new private school voucher plan. It would be the biggest voucher expansion since Governor Pence's voucher expansion was enacted in 2013. Read more here and here. SB 276 Early education grant pilot program. Expands the prekindergarten pilot program (pilot program) to include five additional counties. Expands the requirement that the office of the secretary of family and social services carry out a longitudinal study of students who participate in the pilot program to include the students in the five additional counties. Establishes the prekindergarten pilot program fund. Makes an appropriation to the prekindergarten pilot program fund in an amount of $20,000,000 from the state general fund for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017, and for the state fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018. ICPE supports this bill as long as it does not include an language about vouchers. You can read more here. SB 108 Education matters. Provides that when a school corporation authorizes an absence to permit a student to attend any educationally related nonclassroom activity, the student may not be recorded as being absent on any date for which the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school. Provides that an initial school improvement plan must be established and approved by the governing body not later than August 1 of the school year in which the plan is to be implemented. Eliminates the requirement that the department of education (department) must publish a model compensation plan. Eliminates a requirement that each school corporation shall submit its local compensation plan to the department. Eliminates a requirement that the department must publish the local compensation plans on the department's Internet web site. Removes requirements that the: (1) department shall report any noncompliance of a school that fails to submit its compensation plan; and (2) state board of education (state board) shall take appropriate action to ensure compliance. Makes changes to the time frame, from four to six years, in which the state board may take over a failing school. Provides that a principal or superintendent, or the principal's or superintendent's designee, may recommend an individual to participate in the Indiana high school equivalency diploma program. By the title alone, you can see that SB108 is a mixed bag bill. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. SB224 Prekindergarten status report. Requires the department of education, in consultation with the family and social services administration, to conduct a survey to determine the number of children who are four years of age and were enrolled in a prekindergarten program during the 2015-2016 school year. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. But it is a worthwhile study. Early childhood education is incredibly important. SB248 Consolidation of school administrative functions. Provides that the governing body of two or more school corporations situated in the same county may consolidate administrative functions while continuing the historical legacy of their respective school corporations. Provides that each school corporation is considered a subunit of the consolidated school corporation. Provides that school corporations in a particular county may consolidate: (1) if the governing bodies meet and adopt a joint resolution declaring their intention to consolidate school corporations; or (2) whenever 20% of the legal voters residing in the district of any school corporation, jointly with 20% of the legal voters in each other school corporation situated in a particular county, prepare a resolution and petition the governing body of their respective school corporations to consolidate the school corporations. Provides that a petitioner who wishes to consolidate school corporations in an election shall submit certified copies of the resolution and petition to the governing bodies of each school corporation contained in the proposed consolidation. Provides that each governing body named in the resolution shall hold a public meeting within 60 days after the date the proposed resolution and petition are submitted to the governing body to discuss the proposed consolidation. Provides that, if after 30 days after the date of the public meeting the petitioner does not withdraw the petition, each governing body petitioned shall call the school election provided for in each school corporation. Provides that the election must be held on the same day in each school corporation proposed to be consolidated at a general or primary election in which voters of each school corporation will vote. Provides that the governing body shall meet to organize not later than 15 days after the commencement date of the members' terms of office. Provides that debts or obligations paid by a debt service levy incurred by a school corporation before the new consolidated school corporation comes into existence may be levied only on the taxpayers of the subunit that initially incurred the debt or obligation before consolidation. Provides that the resolution consolidating the school corporations must contain an itemized listing of the administrative functions to be consolidated in the proposed new school corporation. Provides that the name or attendance area of each school within a subunit may not be changed for at least 10 years after the date the consolidation comes into existence. Provides that 20% of the legal voters residing in the district of any school corporation may petition the governing body of the school corporation for an election to determine whether the majority of the voters residing in the district in which the school corporation is located is in favor of consolidation. Requires the department of local government finance (department) to set new maximum levies, which must equal the sum of the existing maximum levies adjusted for assessed value growth. Requires the department to establish a maximum capital projects levy rate. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. SB407 Education matters. Requires, before April 1, 2018, the department of education to develop, and the state board of education to approve, a method for measuring individualized student growth throughout the school year using a benchmark assessment to be used to evaluate a certificated employee as part of the school corporation's staff performance evaluation plan. Requires that a school corporation's staff performance evaluation plan must be based upon, in part, student growth during the school year. Provides that a school employer shall submit a copy of the affidavit submitted by the exclusive representative indicating the number of teachers who are members of the exclusive representative to the Indiana education employment relations board (board). Requires the board to post a copy of the affidavit on the board's Internet web site. Requires the board to post on its Internet web site training modules, videos, or other instructional material informing school employees of their rights to select an exclusive representative. Provides that each school year in which school employee participation in a school employee organization currently serving as the exclusive representative of the bargaining unit does not represent a majority of the school employees within the unit, the board shall notify the school employees of the bargaining unit of their right to: (1) representation; and (2) the ability to change their exclusive representative. Urges the legislative council to establish the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) education innovation interim study committee. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. SB498 Teacher compensation. Provides that certain factors may account for not more than 33.33% (instead of 33%) of the calculation used to determine a teacher's increase or increment in salary. Amends the factor concerning additional content area degrees and credit hours in determining a teacher's increase or increment in salary. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. SB504 Programs and services for charter schools. Requires that educational service centers provide services to a participating charter school upon the request of the charter school. (This is in addition to current law that requires educational service centers to provide services to a participating school corporation upon request of the school corporation.) Allows charter schools individually, in collaboration with other school corporations, charter schools, or both school corporations and charter schools, and through the educational services centers, to undertake action to reduce noninstructional expenditures and allocate the resulting savings to student instruction and learning. Makes conforming changes to include charter schools in the actions that may be undertaken. ICPE does not have a position on this bill. More details on these bills can be found here. Dear Friends,
Yet another attack on public education is coming at you. This is in addition to (1) ending the power of voters to select the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and (2) using the pre-K program as a cover to vastly expand K-12 vouchers. This new bill would start the process to end public education itself. The Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 15th) on SB 534 which puts in place Milton Friedman's blueprint to end public education by giving public money directly to parents on a debit card. This bill was first filed last year using the deceiving name "Educational Savings Accounts." This year SB 534 is using the name "Special Education Scholarship Accounts". It would fund a huge expansion of private school vouchers Indiana for special education and Section 504 students. It would advance the privatization of our educational system in line with the plans of voucher-inventor Milton Friedman, who supported the abolishment of public education. It is a direct attack on public education. It pushes forward a radical new private school voucher plan. It would be the biggest voucher expansion since Governor Pence's voucher expansion was enacted in 2013. In the fiscal note on SB 534, the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency has concluded that "the estimated increase in expenditures based on the current formula will be between $144 million and $206 million annually." This bill and this concept should be denounced by all public school advocates to any and all legislators, most immediately to the members of the Senate Education Committee before their meeting on Wednesday at 1:30pm in the Senate Chamber. If you are offended enough by this bill to come speak against the bill yourself, please do so! The members of the Senate Education Committee to contact are: Chair, Senate Education and Workforce Development Commitee: Sen. Dennis Kruse Republicans: Sen. Jeff Raatz Sen. Eric Bassler Sen. John Crane Sen. Aaron Freeman Sen. Luke Kenley Sen. Jean Leising Sen. Andy Zay Democrats: Sen. Eddie Melton Sen. Frank Mrvan Sen. Mark Stoops If you want to email them all, you can copy this and paste it in the "to" field of your email: s1@in.gov;s3@in.gov;s14@in.gov;s17@in.gov;s20@in.gov; s24@in.gov;s27@in.gov;s32@in.gov;s39@in.gov;s40@in.gov; s42@in.gov SB 534 is a Voucher Experiment for Special Education Students SB 534 is a radical experiment to give public money directly to parents as Milton Friedman wanted. Using the same concept, HB 1591 has been filed in the House as an experiment for all students and all parents, carrying a fiscal price tag of $344 million to $366 million according to LSA. These new experiments with our school children would undermine funding and support for the public schools of Indiana, which after five years of school choice have still been chosen by 92.5% of all students and need the support of legislators, not another attack. Similar damaging bills have been passed in some form in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Mississippi and Tennessee, all states that perform below Indiana on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the respected national measure known as "the nation's report card." Senate Bill 534 and House Bill 1591 are right out of Milton Friedman's plan to take public schools out of our society and leave education to a marketplace of private schools, all funded by the taxpayers but without government oversight. Both bills give money directly to parents in the amount that the average child gets in their school district. Parents can then pay for private schools or "approved educational services providers" including tutors or other private vendors. The program is to be run by the Indiana Treasurer, not the Indiana Department of Education. SB 534 even provides for the Treasurer to outsource the program to be run by a bank. Unbelievably, this means they want to privatize management of the privatized voucher program! It's simply unacceptable and demoralizing to our hard-working public school teachers and administrators. Not all Republicans in Indiana agree with the Republican leaders bringing these radical bills forward to further privatize our schools. These bills should not advance. Only grassroots citizens talking to their legislators can stop these bills and the death spiral for public education. It is time to speak up! The loss of funding and instability this would bring to public schools would obviously disrupt their ability to provide long-term quality programs for over one million Hoosier students. SB 534 is sponsored by Senator Raatz, a first-term Senator who formerly served as the principal of a Christian school. Students can already get vouchers to go to Christian schools. This bill would hurt enrollment at public schools and voucher schools alike by allowing the entire amount of public money for a special education student or a Section 504 student to be spent for "an approved educational services provider" which includes "a nonpublic school and a private tutor" with no standards stated for receiving IDOE approval and weak standards for provider fraud. The bill specifies that approved providers will not be regulated. Thus, the bill wants to give out government money to private providers with absolutely no government control. The bill would also:
Troubling Questions The fact that SB 534 is being given consideration by Republican leaders in the General Assembly raises troubling questions which you should ask your legislators: 1) Does this mean that those advancing SB 534 no longer support public education? 2) Does this new way of giving out vouchers mean they have given up on the current voucher program? 3) With Indiana schools in a crisis over ISTEP testing and assessment, do we really need to stop everything and take time for a battle over more vouchers with less accountability? Let them know that plunging Indiana into another all-out battle over privatizing our public schools would be damaging to all schools, including the private voucher schools that could well lose students to "providers" in the radical remake of our system envisioned by SB 534 and HB 1591. SB 534 and HB 1591 should disappear from consideration while all efforts are focused on solving the complexities of Indiana's assessment problems and the teacher shortage. Milton Friedman, the inventor of private school vouchers, in a speech to state lawmakers at the American Legislative Exchange Council in 2006 answered his own question of "How do we get from where we are to where we want to be?" by saying "the ideal way would be to abolish the public school system and eliminate all the taxes that pay for it." SB 534 would help his plan to abolish public schools. I urge you to contact Senators listed above on the Senate Education Committee by Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 15th) to tell them you strongly oppose Senate Bill 534. Thanks for speaking up about this radical bill, and thanks for your advocacy for public education! Best wishes, Vic Smith vic790@aol.com Call to Action: Oppose SB 534 to keep special education alive and funded in Indiana's public schools2/13/2017
There is a potentially devastating bill that will be heard by the Senate Education Committee at the Indiana statehouse this Wednesday, February 15, at 1:30. SB 534 (SESAP) provides a path to "Education Savings Accounts" for all special education students, no matter their families' incomes. ESAs are somewhat like vouchers, but differ in that the funds would be overseen by the state treasurer rather than the IDOE. They would be 100% of the public school's cost as opposed to the 90% amount represented by vouchers. They would go directly to parents’ accounts to be transferred to (approved) education service providers. While this could appeal to parents—almost like waving cash under people’s noses—ESAs could cause great harm to the quality and funding of the special education programs in our public schools. Funding would follow the kids out of public schools toward unregulated and unaccountable private entities.
Here is the digest of the bill. Here is the legislative study from IU's Center for Evaluation of Education Policy, on which I have based my understanding of the issues. By the way, the House has a version of ESAs for everyone...ESAs on steroids. It hasn't been scheduled for a hearing yet. What can you do? Let your friends who have children with special needs know that if ESAs are authorized in Indiana, the quality of special education services in our public schools will be in jeopardy. Call the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee today or tomorrow to convey your indignation. Ask the chair of the committee, Senator Dennis Kruse, not to hear the bill. Ask all the committee members to oppose it. They can all be reached through the Indiana Senate number, (317) 232-9400. Consider testifying at the hearing to be held in the Senate Chamber this Wednesday, February 15, at 1:30. Chair, Senate Education and Workforce Development Commitee: Sen. Dennis Kruse Republicans: Sen. Jeff Raatz Sen. Eric Bassler Sen. John Crane Sen. Aaron Freeman Sen. Luke Kenley Sen. Jean Leising Sen. Andy Zay Democrats: Sen. Eddie Melton Sen. Frank Mrvan Sen. Mark Stoops --Jenny Robinson No one can deny that our state government keeps very busy when it comes to education.
Here are five bills to be heard on Tuesday, 2/14/17 at 8:30am by the House Education Committee. HB1005 Abolishes the office of the state superintendent of public instruction on January 10, 2021. Provides that, after January 10, 2021, the governor shall appoint a secretary of education.Repeals a provision that a candidate for the office of state superintendent of public instruction must have resided in Indiana for at least two years. Makes conforming and technical amendments. ICPE does not support this bill. Read more here. HB1007 Education course access program. Allows the department of education (department) to authorize course providers to offer course access program courses that provide for the delivery of instruction through any method, including online technologies, in the course access program (program). Requires the department to: (1) oversee the program; (2) approve courses offered in the program; and (3) maintain a course access program catalog. Requires the department to negotiate a tuition fee for each offered course. Requires the school corporation in which an eligible student is enrolled to transfer the tuition fee for a course to the authorized course provider. Allows the state board of education to adopt emergency and nonemergency rules. Eric Weddle summarizes it well with this tweet: "Debate on HB 1007 interesting - basically opens up for-profit companies, public colleges, etc to offer classes for cost to pub schools" Here is one parent testifying against HB1007. Basically her argument is that she does not want to see more funds leave her school district and go into the pockets of for profit companies. The conversation after she is finished gives a good read on the temperature of the committee. HB1130 Protections for student journalists. Provides freedom of speech and freedom of press protections for kindergarten through grade 12 and state educational institution student journalists. Requires school corporations and state educational institutions to adopt policies concerning student journalist protections. Provides that a public school, school corporation, or state educational institution may not suppress school sponsored media unless the content is libelous or slanderous. At the moment ICPE does not have a position on this bill. HB1383 Elementary school teachers. Requires the state board of education to adopt rules to require an elementary school teacher who initially receives a license under this chapter after June 30, 2021, to specialize in a specific content area. Provides that the department of education may not issue a general education elementary school teaching license to an individual who initially applies for a license after June 30, 2021. One should ask, why would a general elementary education teacher need to specialize in a single subject? What is the benefit? HB1449 Teacher induction pilot program. Makes changes to who may submit a plan to participate in the career pathways and mentorship program. Establishes the Indiana new educator induction program (program) to give new teachers, principals, and administrators mentoring support. Provides that grants for the program may be made from the system for teacher and student advancement grant fund. Provides that, not later than July 1, 2018, and each July thereafter, the state board of education shall submit a report to the governor and the general assembly regarding the status of the program. Provides that the program expires July 1, 2027. Urges the legislative council to assign to an appropriate study committee for study during the 2017 legislative interim the topic of whether it is appropriate to require teachers to participate in a new educator induction program before being eligible to receive a practitioner license. At the moment ICPE does not have a position on this bill. More details on these bills can be found here. |
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