LMS and Children who love to read
won!!
Submitted by Lasa Joiner
In the House Committee substitute of HB 1190, the expenditure
test for media costs and media materials remain at the system
level but regretfully not at the site where earned. I have mild
concerns about the actual language but have been assured by the
"budget gurus" that the wording does not allow latitude
to spend materials grants on anything other than materials at
the system level.
The committee Substitute (not available on the web) has the following
provision:
Section 2 (a) for the purposes of the 2003-2004
and 2004-2005 school years only, the following changes to code
Section 20-2-167 shall apply:
Section 2 (3) "Each local school system
shall spend 100 percent of the funds designated for media center
costs for such costs at the system level, and 100 percent of the
funds designated for media materials at the system level;"
My assumption is that the writers thought the "for media
materials for media materials" was redundant and struck the
second phrase. I would like for it to read "funds designated
for media materials for such materials at the system level "
The intent is clear and I think materials funds are safe... for
at least one more year. However if the bill does not pass we will
revert to the provisions of HB 1187 passed in 2002 which requires
that 100% be spent at the site where earned.
Stay tuned because this bill has miles to go. It has not passed
the House yet and still must go to the Senate.
Below is a brief synopsis of HB 1190 from the GSBA web site.
GSBA Capitol Watch OnLine http://www.ciclt.com/gsba/http://www.ciclt.com/gsba/
Bill Granting Systems Flexibility Passes House Education
Committee
The House
Education Committee Friday passed HB 1190, the Governor's
flexibility bill. School board members had repeatedly expressed
to legislators that many local school systems are having great
difficulty coping with repeated cuts in state funding, and that
failing to grant the requested flexibility would only make bad
matters worse.
A complete analysis of the bill will be available online shortly.
In the meantime, the following is a sampling of provisions contained
in the bill for which school board members had lobbied:
• Length of time in the EIP program will no longer be one
of the determinants of performing and non-performing schools.
• The expenditure test for direct instruction will be at
the system level, not at the site where earned.
• The expenditure test for staff development is to expend
90 percent for staff development, also at the system level.
• Maximum class size requirements remain as they are for
one year only. (NOTE: Comments made by Committee members gave
a strong indication that they only approved this one year extension
because data was not available for the current year)
• Removed the original bill's provision of a blanket exemption
from Title 20 for charter schools. It was replaced in the bill
with authorization for the State
Board of Education to waive - upon request from a local school
board and to improve student performance - state rules, regulations,
policies and procedures. These provisions are the same as those
in HB 1535 sponsored by Representative
Kathy Ashe.
• Authorizes the State
Board of Education to adopt rules regarding accommodations
and the participation of limited-English-proficient students in
required assessments.
• Provides for a single state-wide accountability system
that incorporates federal law, rules, and regulations relating
to accountability.
• Deletes the requirement to grade schools with letter grades;
instead, the Office of Student Achievement is empowered to develop
ratings.
• Directs the State
Board of Education to offer local boards of education having
schools with an unacceptable rating for two years the opportunity
to show cause why the SBOE should not impose more strict sanctions
or impose school choice. After the opportunity described above,
the SBOE in its discretion could impose additional sanctions or
interventions.
HB 1190 now moves to the Rules
Committee where it awaits placement on the House Rules Calendar,
which is likely to be done very quickly. Because many school systems
badly need the class size and expenditure flexibilities contained
in this bill, supporters may wish to urge House members to support
the bill when it comes up for a vote.