Education Bills to Be Heard by the Senate Education and Career Development Committee Tomorrow, 2/15/17

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.