Several education bills have moved to the House Rules Committee. The full House is expected to vote on this legislation early next week:

• HB 905 pertains to the capital outlay program which funds school construction. The legislation pushes back the program’s current sunset provision, allowing for continuance of the program until 2015.

• HB 906 re-extends the date by which school systems must give contracts to educators from April 15 until May 15 through the 2012-2013 school year. 

• HB 907 allows local systems to continue to receive state funding if such systems reorganize middle grades. The legislation also eliminates the requirement for five hours of remedial academic instruction.

• HB 923 modifies the new law regarding education leadership and extends the date by which educators must complete their degrees in order to be paid for their leadership degrees (unless such educators work in administration). Under this proposal, the deadline is extended from 2010 to 2013.

PAGE lobbyists Tom Wommack and Margaret Ciccarelli met with representatives of Governor Perdue’s office to discuss the Governor’s pay for performance proposal. The legislation has not been formally introduced, but it is forthcoming. Stay tuned to the PAGE listserv for a special report on the merit pay proposal.

At this afternoon’s Senate Education Committee meeting, the committee took no action but discussed the following bills which will not move forward at this time:

• SB 298 requires the State Board of Education to include basic first aid in health education courses.

• SB 320 merges SB 307 and SB 320. The combined legislation is a Teacher’s Bill of Rights. The legislation mandates that administrators adhere to classroom teachers’ discretion is regard to the removal of disruptive students. The bill would allow a tenured teacher to file a grievance in regard to an evaluation. SB 320 mandates that teachers of the year be selected by secret ballot. Also, the legislation would allow a teacher to bring an advocate to disciplinary meetings or conferences.     

• SB 132 is entitled the Dropout Deterrent Act. It requires that students attend school until their seventeenth (instead of sixteenth, which is the current compulsory-attendance law) birthdays.

• SB 60 also modifies the current compulsory-attendance law and requires that students attend school until their sixteenth, seventeenth, or eighteenth birthdays, as determined by each local school system. Parents or guardians may sign waivers opting their children out of traditional public school settings between the age of 16 and the maximum age set by the local board of education so long as the child enrolls in and attends a community college or technical school.

Mark your calendars now to attend 2010 PAGE Day on Capitol Hill on February 23. Please join us at the capitol to speak with your legislators about the state budget and other important education issues. RSVP to this free event to Tamme Bell as tbell@pageinc.org or at (770) 216-8555.

Professional Association of Georgia Educators

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