Lovinggood PTSA eNews!    

Special Articulation Session:
"Understanding the Adolescent Brain"

Thursday, February 26

7:00 p.m.
 
Sponsored by Lovinggood Middle School Council
 
For your printable flier, please click the following link:
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Georgia PTA’s weekly update on legislative activity – Feb. 22, 2009
 
The General Assembly has completed 21 of the forty days that it will meet in 2009. As of the 20th day, no new revenue bills may be introduced that can be passed this session.
 
Voucher Legislation! SB 90:
The Senate Education committee held its first hearing last week on SB 90 and GA PTA testified.  We stated that we were in support of the provisions in the bill that allow for public school choice but opposed those provisions that allow taxpayer dollars to be used to fund vouchers to send students to private schools. The arguments we gave included:
  • Private schools choose the student not the other way around
    • Private schools may discriminate based on gender, religion, economic status, family background, intelligence, academic success or behavior. Public schools take everyone; private schools exclude those who they don’t choose to serve.
    • In a US DOE survey of private inner city schools, 68% stated they definitely or probably would not accept vouchered students with learning disabilities, limited English or low academic achievement.
  • Studies show that private schools do not do a better job educating youth than public schools
  • Private school teachers do not have to be certified to teach; public school teachers no only must be certified to teach but must be certified in the subject matter they are teaching
  • No fiscal or academic accountability is attached to the public tax payer dollars spent on private schools
    • Incidents in private schools accepting vouchers with no accountability have shown abuses of those dollars
    • Private schools do not have to demonstrate that students are making academic improvements through measures such as norm referenced tests nor do they have to publish the results of any tests that are given
    • In every other department, program or taxpayer funded service, transparency is being demanded and reported yet we would accept less for our students?
  • Vouchers fail to serve those who need them most, the economically disadvantaged
    • Cost of most private schools exceeds the amount of the voucher so only those who can make up the difference can take advantage of them
    • Transportation is not provided so only those who can get themselves to the private school can go
    • Vouchers drain critical dollars from public education and remove the focus on improving public education
       

Update: Call to Action – Save our School Nurses

At PTA Day at the Capitol we will have a press conference showing our support for school nurses and will ask for the continued funding of school nurses in the 2010 budget.  Many of you have already brought or sent you Popsicle sticks/tongue depressors to your legislators. Thank you! If you haven’t sent them in, bring them with you on Tuesday and deliver them in person to your legislator.

New Legislation to Watch

Every week we will report on new legislation and the status of existing legislation critical to you.  While school nurses and vouchers are a big issue, other legislation passed at the Capitol will have as big of an impact on your child, your school, your community and you. If PTA has an official position it will be shown next to the bill number. Please note if PTA has an established position, a local unit cannot take an opposing position.

HB 193: Permits the required 180 day school year to be defined in hours, thus providing local school boards with flexibility in setting the school calendar. Status: passed out of House Ed.

HB 400: BRIDGE, Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy Act. Department of Education is to develop programs so a student can get courses at the home school, a technical college, a two or four year college, a work site as an apprentice, and other approved settings. Middle grades advisement shall provide counseling, advisement, career awareness, career interest inventories to evaluate each student’s academic skills and career interests. In grade 8, students shall select a preferred focused program and study and develop an individual graduation plan, IGP, with parents. High school students shall have annual reviews of the IGP which are to include academic core subjects and course work in math and science OR humanities, fine arts, and foreign language, OR sequenced career pathway courses; include IEP components if applicable; align educational and broad career goals and the student’s course of study; be based on the student’s selected academic and career focus; include experienced based, career oriented learning experiences such as internships, apprenticeships, mentoring, coops, and service learning; post secondary studies, dual enrollment and joint enrollment as applicable; have sufficient flexibility to change a course of study; be approved by the parent. What this means to you: students will develop a graduation plan that will set goals and courses of study to guide path to graduation.

Update on Legislation to Watch

HR1: OPPOSE Property tax cap that limits the amount property assessment will be increased to no more than 3% annually or the rate of another economic index (like the Consumer Price Index) with a 9% cap over three years.  Status: Voted to be Reconsidered at some future date.

HB 233, OPPOSE Two year freeze on any appreciation on the value of a property, even if it changes hands. Status: Passed House, will be considered in Senate committee this week

HB 143: This guarantees that the Homestead Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) will be funded this year and establishes a formula to determine whether the state will pay for it in any given year. Status:Passed and signed by Governor. Means school portion of property taxes will be paid. Taxpayers won’t have to pay a second bill this year.

HB 229: Student Health and Physical Education Act. Students in grades 4-12 enrolled in physical education in 2011-12 must have an annual fitness assessment approved by the state board of education during the PE class time. The aggregate results shall be reported to the state board yearly. PTA was successful in adding a requirement that the results of any assessment be reported to parents. Status: Will be voted on in the House this week.

HB 149: Move on When Ready: Students in 11th and 12th grades may enroll in Georgia public colleges and take Department of Education approved courses that will meet both high school graduation requirements and earn them college credit.  Hours earned will not count against HOPE.What this means to you: If a student is ready to attend college and only has a few high school credits remaining to fulfill the high school diploma requirements, (s)he can earn those credits while attending college. Status: Passed the House Education Committee and will go to Rules to be put on the House calendar.

SB 5: SUPPORT Requires seatbelts be worn in all pickup trucks with an exception for those over 18 who are doing agricultural work.. Status Passed the Senate. SB 23 also requires seatbelt use in pickup trucks

SB 90: OPPOSE Universal Voucher bill. See above. Heard in committee, no vote taken

HB 251: SUPPORT Provides for school choice in public schools.  Passed the House and now goes to Senate.

SB 83: Increase the homestead exemption from $2000 to $4000.  What this means to you: You will pay less property taxes but the schools will have less money to use to fund education. Passed the Senate.

Key: HR- House Resolution,   HB – House Bill, SR – Senate Resolution, SB– Senate Bill

Daily Reports with additional details on all the bills being tracked by GA PTA can be found on the Capitol Watch website under News:  http://www.ciclt.net/sn/new/n_main.aspx?ClientCode=gapta

Karen Hallacy

GA PTA
Legislative Chair

Your Legislators:
State Senate - John Wiles (R-37)
State House - Terry Johnson (D-037)

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