Proposed 2016 Legislative Priorities Work Session

Transcription

1 Work Session September 16, 2015 Keith Imon, Associate Superintendent for Communications and Technology Services 1

2 1. That the state provide full-funding for implementing the Standards of Quality, including for support personnel. Continued Priority 2

3 2. That the state provide funding for annual teacher salary increases and reinstate full-funding for the Cost-Of-Competing Allocation (COCA) for Region 4 school divisions for both teachers and support staff. Continued Priority 3

4 3. That the state provide targeted funding for the staffing and classroom infrastructure investments required to significantly reduce class-size. New Priority 4

5 4. That the state eliminate the local school division budgetary match currently required to receive Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) funding to allow school divisions to expand preschool opportunities without negatively impacting funding for other programs and services. Previously a Statement of Support 5

6 5. That the state provide targeted funding for educational technology infrastructure and increased bandwidth. New Priority 6

7 6. That the state allow school divisions to use/substitute a WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) test score of on the Tier C test for English Language Learner students as an alternative for fulfilling Virginia s requirement for a verified credit in the English Reading End of Course Standards of Learning test. Note: PWCS also supports asking the SOL Innovation Committee to make such recommendation to the General Assembly. Previously a Statement of Support 7

8 Buses/Buildings/Safety Support and advocate for all bills that would move the June election date to the last Tuesday in June so school is out and students are not in the buildings to address safety concerns. Support and advocate for all bills that strengthen the requirement on school divisions across the Commonwealth to provide concussion education awareness, training, and implementation of a management plan, consistent with practices in PWCS. Statements of Continued Support 8

9 Conduct and Discipline Oppose all bills that would mandate additional statewide disciplinary procedures that would inhibit school administrators in circumstances where immediate disciplinary intervention is required. Statement of Continued Opposition 9

10 Finance/Purchasing/Food Service Support and advocate for all bills that increase funding for part-day Governor s Schools (The Governor s Innovation Park) in proportion to the funding provided to fullday Governor s Schools. Support and advocate for all bills that make the state nutritional guidelines for competitive foods sold in Virginia public schools match the federal USDA regulations/legislation. Support and advocate for all bills that create a fee schedule for medical costs for self-insured employers rather than the current prevailing community reimbursement rates. Statements of Continued Support 10

11 Finance/Purchasing/Food Service Support and advocate for all bills that eliminate unnecessary mandates and fully fund any new mandates placed upon school divisions. Statement of Continued Support Support and advocate for all bills that would prohibit the use of lottery funds to supplant general funding for Virginia school divisions. Statement of Continued Support Oppose all bills that usurp the authority of local school boards to properly allocate funding between instructional and support expenditures. Statement of Opposition 11

12 Finance/Purchasing/Food Service Support and advocate for all bills that allow school divisions to have the option to manage a self-supporting School Age Child Care program as a function/program of the school division rather than having to contract with a qualified vendor for materials, equipment, and labor. New Statement of Support Oppose all bills that would require funding to follow the student in situations in which the home school division offers a complete virtual school program but the student elects to enroll in one offered by another school division. Statement of Continued Opposition 12

13 Instruction and Standards of Learning Support and advocate for all bills directing the state to define comparable verified units for students transferring to Virginia school divisions from other states for graduation purposes. Statement of Continued Support Oppose all bills that would require additional time per week for physical education due to the financial impact and the effect it would have on the length of the school day. Statement of Continued Opposition 13

14 Instructional Technology Support and advocate for all bills that provide continued, annual funding to PWCS to coordinate the statewide implementation of VA STAR, which provides free, refurbished computers to students and schools in need of technology. Previously a Legislative Priority 14

15 Retirement and Insurance Support and advocate for all bills that have the state carry at least half of the Virginia Retirement System net pension liability on its books rather than requiring local school divisions to cover all of it as part of GASB 68. Support and advocate for all bills directing the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission to establish fee schedules governing all such services in Virginia. Statements of Continued Support 15

16 School Board Governance Support and advocate for all bills that provide local school boards with the option to count recess as part of the instructional day, as a more accurate accounting of instructional minutes. Previously a Legislative Priority Support and advocate for all bills that provide local school boards with the option of allowing at-home, digital e-learning (or offline assignments when home technology and/or connection to the Internet is not available) to count for required days/minutes of instruction when students are home due to unexpected school closures (e.g., inclement weather, natural disaster, facility problems). New Statement of Support 16

17 School Board Governance Support and advocate for all bills that would give local school divisions more flexibility to implement policies to improve K-12 effectiveness and efficiency, such as repeal of the law that prevents school divisions from opening before Labor Day. Statement of Continued Support Oppose all bills that would divest (limit) local school boards of their authority over the formation and operation of charter schools within their school divisions. Statement of Continued Opposition 17

18 Standards of Quality/Accreditation Support and advocate for all bills that prevent the use of an A-F Grading Scale to rank Virginia s schools. Previously a Legislative Priority Support and advocate for all bills that continue to reexamine Virginia's public school assessments and the system of accountability. Previously a Legislative Priority Support and advocate for all bills that adjust support staff funding within the Standards of Quality (SOQ) to provide school divisions with one nurse for every 750 students, as per the National Association of School Nurses recommendation. Statement of Continued Support 18

19 Special Services Support and advocate for all bills that would fund the PWCS Teen Safe Driving program statewide. Statement of Continued Support Support and advocate for all bills that provide local Comprehensive Service Act (CSA) programs for residential placement of students with disabilities that ensure that the best services for client families and children are provided and aligned with the underlying principles of the CSA; provide for the stewardship role of local agencies in approving CSA funds; and provide flexibility to the CSA to resolve challenges in implementation. New Statement of Support 19

20 2016 Legislative Priorities Next Steps 1. Using feedback from the work session, modify the priorities/bocs statement and post revisions to BoardDocs 2. Board approval of the priorities and BOCS statement at October 7 Board meeting 20

21 2016 Legislative Priorities Next Steps Continued 3. Share with the Board of County Supervisors 4. Produce our 2016 Legislative Priorities publication 5. Develop sample bills to support our priorities 6. Share with our delegation at the joint breakfast meeting in November/December (TBA) at one-on-one meetings 21

22 Work Session September 16, 2015 Keith Imon, Associate Superintendent for Communications and Technology Services 22