February 2010 Daily In-Session Updates

►February 25, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today, the House had four Committee of the Whole (COW) calendars; however, only one bill related to K-12 education. HB 2386 (school district override elections), which makes a number of changes and clarifications on school district overrides, passed COW and now heads to House Third Read.

Also, we forgot to mention that HB 2298 (teacher certification; preparation providers) passed House Third Read on a 36-22 vote yesterday and now heads to the Senate. This bill requires the State Board of Education to allow a variety of teacher preparation program providers to offer a variety of preparation models and courses of study for alternative certification.  ASBA supports alternative certification models approved by the SBE. ASBA supports.

ASBA submitted its ballot argument in favor of Prop. 100, the temporary sales tax measure that will appear on the May 18th ballot. You can access it at www.azsba.org.

Expect next week to be very busy as budget proposals are unveiled, discussed, and possible action taken. As you have probably read, this year's budget effort will likely contain two budgets – one with the successful passage of the sales tax measure and one if it is not successful. Both budgets will include cuts to K-12 education; however, those cuts will be devastating without the sales tax passage.

►February 24, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

This afternoon, the Senate Committee on Education Accountability and Reform considered 8 bills - but held 4, including SCR 1032 (schools; classroom instruction expenditures) which would have required school districts to spend a minimum of 65% of their operating budget on classroom instruction expenditures.  ASBA opposed.  SB 1097 (Schools; data; non-citizen students) requires ADE to collect data on students enrolled in Arizona school districts who cannot demonstrate proof of legal U.S. residence.  The bill passed 4-2 with one member absent; ASBA opposed.  SB 1121 passed with a strike-everything amendment addressing impact aid.  ASBA was neutral.  The amendment requires school districts to establish an Impact Aid Fund to separately account for monies received from the federal Impact Aid Program.  SB 1160 also had a strike-everything amendment requiring student scores on any required English language proficiency assessment be entered into the SAIS system and be available to school districts and charter schools and allows for alternative models of English Language Learner programs.  ASBA supported and the bill passed 4-2.

In House Appropriations, HB 2385 (schools; ADM calculation) deletes the definition and statutory references of average daily attendance and modifies the definition of average daily membership as the total enrollment of the fractional students and full-time students who are enrolled on the 30th, 60th, 90th  and 120th days in session, divided by four.  ASBA supports and the bill passed 10-0.

►February 23, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today the Senate announced that it would suspend standing committees next week to focus on the budget. At the same time, efforts will be underway to caucus, committee of the whole, and third read Senate bills to move them to the House.

The House Third Read HB 2127 (NOW: JTED; centralized campus; funding), which would require that the sum of daily attendance and the sum of the fractional student enrollment for a student enrolled in both a member school district and JTED courses provided at a community college or facility owned and/or operated by a JTED that is not located on a site of a member district cannot exceed 1.75.The bill includes an emergency clause. ASBA supports and it passed on a 49-8 vote.

In the Senate Appropriations Committee, SB 1264 (comprehensive reporting of governmental information) passed on a 6-3 vote, which would require all political subdivisions, including school districts, by December 31, 2011, to establish and maintain an official agency website that includes a comprehensive public Internet database of receipts and expenditures of all monies.

The House Government Committee just finished their work after 9:30 p.m. evening. There were two bills and two referendums that were considered affecting K-12 education. HB 2382 (schools; student data collection) passed on a 6-2 vote. This bill would require school districts to submit data to the AZ Department of Education regarding students who are attending school and undocumented. Further, the bill requires ADE to submit a report each year with a variety of items, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to withhold all state aid for noncompliance and the salary of any employee who fails to comply. ASBA opposes. HB 2395 (schools; payroll deductions; union dues) passed on a 6-1 vote. This bill prohibits a school district governing board from authorizing an automatic payroll deduction for dues to a recognized certificated teacher and administrator association. ASBA opposes.

HCR 2039 (temporary suspension; voter-protected funding) would put on the November 2010 General Election ballot a temporary suspension of voter-protected funds. From Fiscal Years 2011 through 2014, up to 50% of voter-protected funding can be diverted to similar purposes as those authorized by the ballot measures (i.e. Prop. 301 monies would be diverted for education purposes). ASBA opposes. HCR 2041 (funding ballot measures; reauthorization.) would put on the November 2010 General Election ballot the stipulation that every ballot measure is good for only eight years, at which time; it must be put back to the voters for reauthorization. This measure would apply retroactively. ASBA opposes. Both referendums passed on a 6-2 vote. 

►February 22, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today was a busy day! First, Senator Jonathan Paton (R-30) resigned from the State Senate to run against Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Congressional District 8.

The House Education Committee saw the following action on bills:

HB 2521 (NOW: schools; superintendent contracts; performance pay) passed on an 8-0 vote. A strike-everything amendment was adopted to require 20% of a superintendent's salary and benefits be tied to a locally-determined performance pay. ASBA supports. HB 2722 (NOW: schools; funding; nonresidents) passed on a 9-0 vote. A strike-everything amendment was adopted that would prohibit school districts and charter schools from including nonresident pupils in student counts and obtaining state funding from nonresident pupils. HB 2725 (education; omnibus), this year's Administrative Reduction bill, passed on an 8-2 vote. ASBA supports.

HB 2732 (schools; third grade retention) passed on a 9-1 vote. This bill establishes the Task Force on Reading Assessment (Task Force) to report by January 15th, 2011; requires that a student not be promoted from the 3rd grade if the student obtains a score on the reading portion of the AIMS test, or a successor test, that demonstrates that the student is reading far below the 3rd grade level; requires the State Board  of Education (SBE) to  develop intervention and remedial strategies; and requires school districts to offer at least three of the intervention and remedial strategies developed by the SBE chosen by the parent or guardian of a student who is not promoted from the 3rd grade. ASBA is neutral, supporting the concept with concerns on the unfunded intervention mandates. It was discussed in committee that this would affect approximately 5,000 students.

HB 2733 (department of education; data collection) passed on a 9-0 vote. This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into a third-party contract to administer all the data collection for the Arizona Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the State Board for Charter Schools, the School Facilities Board, the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, the Arizona Board of Regents, and community college districts in Arizona. ASBA is neutral. HB 2760 (SFB; preventative maintenance guidelines) passed on a 9-0 vote. This bill requires a school district's routine preventative maintenance guidelines include plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, special equipment, and roofing systems. ASBA supports.

HCR 2050 (first things first) failed on a 4-4 vote. It would have put on the 2010 General Election ballot a change to First Things First scope of work to include grades K-3 children and their families and would have changed the responsibilities and composition of the Regional Partnership Council. Both HB 2413 (digital curriculum institute), in which a striker was posted on "teacher evaluations" and HB 2556 (schools; ADE; reduction; reform) were held.

In House Ways and Means, there were three bills of note. First, HB 2061 (teacher performance pay; special assessment) would allow a school district governing board to vote to increase its primary property tax up to 5.5% for statewide teacher pay, repeals the current Career Ladder and Optional Performance Pay statutes. An amendment was adopted to phase-out the primary property tax Career Ladder funding over three years. ASBA is neutral on the bill and opposes with the amendment. This bill passed on a 7-1 vote. Second, HCR 2061 (property tax valuation limits) would put on the 2010 General Election ballot would repeal the secondary value for property tax purposes, decrease the constitutional limit on the annual growth of the primary property value from 10% to 5%, and include levies for bond indebtedness, budget overrides, and special districts under the constitutional limits for total property tax collections and the growth in the annual tax levy. ASBA opposes. This bill passed on a 5-2 vote. HB 2613 (tax credit; schools; classroom materials) was held.

On the House Third Read calendar, there was one bill that affects education. HB 2227 (schools; teacher contracts; acceptance) would require a teacher to return his/her contract within 15 business days upon receipt rather than the current 30 days and includes the changes to 15-539 and 15-541 included in HB 2011 passed in the 2009 3rd Special Session to defend against any litigation that would overturn these provisions. ASBA supports. This bill passed House Third Read on a 55-2 vote.

►February 18, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Both the Senate and House had four Committee of the Whole calendars as both houses work to move bills out of their house of origin. We are now embarking on the time where your actions become absolutely critical to stop harmful, and promote favorable, legislation.

The following bills passed Senate Committee of the Whole and are now ready for Third Read:

SB 1184 (union high schools; additional grades) would allow a union high school district to offer grades seven and eight if a variety of stipulated items are met; however, the district would not be eligible for additional School Facilities Board (SFB) monies. ASBA is neutral.

SB 1185 (common school districts; grade nine) would allow an elementary school district to offer grade nine if a variety of stipulated items are met; however, the district  would not be eligible for additional SFB monies. ASBA is neutral.

SB 1187 (school facilities board; vacant land)  would, prospectively, allow the SFB to require a school district to sell land that was previously purchased fully by the SFB for a new school and that school  is no longer needed within the next 10 years. Further, the bill states that a district is prohibited from using land that is purchased fully or partially with SFB monies for anything other than a new school facility. ASBA supports as amended.

SB 1284 (school finance revisions) requires ADE to apply any change to state law that occurs after the effective date and modifies or impacts the school finance formula so it applies to the entire fiscal year the change became effective. ASBA opposes.

SB 1286 (schools; achievement profiles; letter grades) would include school districts into the current AZ Learns labeling system and change the current labels from excelling to failing to meet academic standards to A through F. Further, the bill states that 50% of the school and district classification must be on academic performance measurements and 50% must be on all student academic gain and 50% on the measurement of the lowest 25% of students making academic gain. ASBA opposes the change of labels, as there is now some consistency in these labels with 50% of elementary schools changing their student report cards to coincide with the school labels. There is also concern of administrative costs associated with any changes. ASBA supports district accountability, exploring multiple measures, and a focus on academic gains rather than straight test scores. Rep. Linda Lopez offered a floor amendment to make this bill conditional upon AZ funding our students at Florida's level; however, it failed.

SB 1308 (high school instruction; dating violence) was significantly amended by the bill's sponsor, Sen. Linda Gray on the floor. Now, this bill would allow the voluntary adoption of dating abuse policy and curriculum  and requires district governing boards to review and consider its adoption at a public meeting by June 30, 2011 and requires a domestic violence organization to be notified at  least two weeks prior to  the meeting. ASBA appreciates the sponsor's change from a mandatory to a voluntary policy; however, is still concerned about the required public hearing.

The following bills passed House Committee of the Whole and are now ready for Third Read:

HB 2127 (NOW: JTED; centralized campus; funding) states that the sum of daily attendance and the sum of the fractional student enrollment for a student enrolled in both a member school district and JTED courses provided at a community college or facility owned and/or operated by a JTED that is not located on a site of a member district cannot exceed 1.75. ASBA supports.

HB 2227 (schools; teacher contracts; acceptance) would require a teacher to return his/her contract within 15 business days upon receipt (rather than the current 30 days) and adds the changes to 15-539 and 15-541 included in HB 2011 passed in the 2009 3rd Special Session to defend against any litigation that would overturn these provisions. ASBA supports.

HB 2298 (teacher certification; preparation providers) would require the State Board of Education to allow a variety of teacher preparation program providers to offer a variety of preparation models and courses of study for alternative certification.  ASBA supports.

HB 2489 (bonding; net premiums) increases the cap for premium bonds. ASBA supports.

HCR 2007 (state trust lands; veterans' cemeteries) referendum would  put on the November 2010 General Election ballot the allowance for trust lands to be disposed for veterans' cemeteries, undercutting the current highest and best use Constitutional requirements. There is a companion statutory bill, HB 2188. ASBA opposes.

Last, a Joint Senate and House Appropriations Committee meeting was held to compare the Executive Budget Proposal to the "Five-Year Plan for Budget Stability" Budget Proposal. Look for more information on this in this week's Legislative Brief.

►February 17, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

This morning, SB 1309 (Parents; rights) was heard in the Senate Committee on Public Safety and Human Services.  This bill outlines extensive parental rights related to healthcare, education, recordings, scans, genetic testing and the upbringing of a minor child.  In addition, the bill prescribes additional procedures a school district governing board must develop related to parental involvement.  ASBA opposed based on the additional burdens placed on school districts; however, the bill passed 4-2 with one member absent.

In the House Appropriations Committee, HB 2385 (Schools; ADM calculation) was held.  This bill previously passed Education Committee and deletes the definition and statutory references of average daily attendance and modifies the definition of average daily membership as the total enrollment of the fractional students and full-time students who are enrolled on the 30th, 60th, 90th and 120th days in session, divided by four. HB 2587 (School districts; unification assistance) passed 12-0.  This bill allows a new unified school district to increase the revenue control limit and the district support level over a three year period.

This afternoon, the Senate Committee on Education Accountability and Reform met to appoint Dean Gray and Gary Marks to the School Facilities Board and consider several bills.  SB 1310 (JTEDs; omnibus) passed 6-0 with one member absent.  ASBA supported this bill which made numerous changes to statutes relating to courses offered by JTEDs.  SB 1323 (Schools; ADM) redefines ADM as the average, total enrollment of students who are enrolled on the 20th, 40th, 80th, 100th, 120th, 140th and 160th days.  ASBA was neutral and the bill passed 4-1 with 2 members not voting.  SB 1335 (Student count; fortieth day; removal), SB 1271 (Teachers; liability insurance) and SB 1281 (Charter schools; interscholastic activities) were all held.

►February 16, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard SCR 1032 (schools; classroom instruction expenses), which as amended, would put on the 2010 General Election ballot a change to the Arizona Constitution to require school districts to spend 65% of their operating budget on "dollars in the classroom" as defined by the Auditor General. ASBA opposed. This bill passed on a 6-3 vote.

Also, the House had a Third Read calendar that included HB 2188 (state trust lands; veterans' cemeteries) which passed on a 53-5 vote. This bill would allow trust lands to be disposed for veterans' cemeteries. There is a companion ballot referral, HCR 2007, which would undercut the current highest and best use Constitutional requirements. ASBA opposed.

►February 15, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

While the House had a Committee of the Whole calendar, most action was in committees on this President's Day.

The House Education Committee ended just after 7 p.m. this evening after considering eight bills and two bills being held. Of particular note, HB 2283 (schools; expenditures; classroom instruction) failed on a 1-8 vote. This bill would have required 70% (as introduced) and 60% as amended of school district  monies be spent in the classroom. Legislatures agreed that while more monies in the classroom is laudable goal, there is no correlation to the real issue – student achievement.

HB 2787 (school districts; financial receivership) passed on a 7-0 vote and is one of ASBA's bills this session. This bill implements "lessons learned" from our first financial receivership district that has now come out of receivership to allow substantial compliance with the district's uniform system of financial records to suffice initial dismissal so as not to pay twice for a receiver and the district when major issues are addressed and to allow a receiver or the AZ Department of Education to request a district be removed from receivership (currently, only the receiver can request this).

A strike-everything amendment was adopted to HB 2281 (schools; prohibited courses; discipline) and passed on an 8-0 vote. This bill prohibits a school district or charter school from including courses or classes that either promote the overthrow of the United States government or promote resentment toward a race or class of people. ASBA opposed. A strike-everything amendment was also adopted on the same subject to HB 2721 (recovery school district), which passed on an 8-0 vote. This bill establishes the Recovery School District for academically unacceptable schools. ASBA testified in respectful opposition recognizing the goal of ensuring every student has a quality education in all of our public schools, while outlining concerns about consistency in what Arizona's plan is for  struggling schools (i.e. efforts for Race to the Top, AZ Learns, etc.) and concerns about language that provide an unfunded mandate. A commitment was made to get stakeholder input as the bill advances in the process.

HB 2731 (high schools; graduation; board examinations) passed on an 8-0 vote. This bill is commonly referred to as the "move on when ready" bill and creates the Grand Canyon Diploma to enable high school students to choose different educational pathways. ASBA supported the concept while acknowledging work still needed to be done on the language in the bill.

In the House Ways and Means Committee, it heard three bills dealing with student tuition organization (STO) tax credits. HB 2496 (school tuition credit; contribution date) allows a taxpayer to take an individual or corporate income tax credit for donations made to an STO until April 15th  to either the previous tax year or the current tax year. A fiscal note was done on this bill with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) estimating this would result in a $3.6 million decline in state revenues and that 670 students would have to switch from public schools to private for it to be a revenue neutral measure. ASBA opposed. This bill passed on a 4-2 vote.

HB 2663 (STOs; corporate tax credit requirements) makes a number of changes to the STOs that accept corporate income tax credits based on the recommendation from the Ad Hoc Committee on Private School Tuition Tax Credit Review. ASBA opposed. This bill passed on a 4-2 vote.

Most egregious was HB 2660 (STO; increased contribution limit), which triples individual STO tax credits from $500 to $1500 for an individual filer and $1000 to $3000 for joint filers. ASBA opposed. This bill passed on a 3-2 vote.

►February 11, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today the House had three Committee of the Whole calendars; however, none were relevant to K-12 education. In the Senate, they had four Committee of the Whole calendars, in which five bills affect public schools.

SB 1119 (task force; K-3 accountability; assessments) was amended by Sen. Huppenthal in Committee of the Whole, which establishes a Task Force to examine and evaluate best practices in accountability and assessment measures for schools providing instruction in grades K-3, as well as conduct trial examinations of students. It is permissive for school districts and charter schools to participate in the measurement of academic gains the Task Force adopts and repeals the Task Force as of June 30, 2016. ASBA supports. SB 1188 (school district monies; annual estimate) adds the Property Tax Oversight Commission to those a county school superintendent reports the estimated amount of monies each school requires for the upcoming year, equalization assistance and levy amounts. ASBA is neutral. SB 1263 (high schools; military recruiting; form) requires the release of student directory information by school districts and charter schools to individuals and entities providing information relating to postsecondary opportunities to take place by October 31 each year and allows individuals wrongfully denied access to directory information to report the violation to the to the U.S. Department of Education. ASBA is neutral. SB 1274 (STOs; contribution date) extends the deadline to April 15^th (currently, it's December 31^st for the taxable year) for individual STO contributions to be claimed. ASBA opposes. SB 1172 (schools; gun safety programs) expands the list of qualified Arizona Gun Safety Program course instructors.  All bills are now ready for Senate Third Read.

Last, both the Senate and House have extended committee hearings for bills to be heard in the house of origin for one additional week, through February 26^th.

►February 10, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today, the House linked the $350 million K-12 rollover bill, the last bill remaining of the Special Session bills, with the passage of HB 2250, the House's Arizona's Job Recovery Act. The Senate moved to adjourn; however, the House wasn't available to conclude the Special Session. So, long story short, the $350 million rollover will not be included in the Special Session package but will likely be in the mix in upcoming budget proposals. Further, due to process timelines, Special Session action must be concluded by Tuesday for the temporary, one-cent sales tax to appear on the May 18th ballot. There truly isn't a dull moment when it comes to the Legislature!
 
In the Senate Committee on Education Accountability and Reform, SB 1310 (JTEDs; omnibus) was held and three other bills were heard that affect K-12 education. Further, the Committee welcomed newly-appointed Senator Dave Braswell to the Committee, replacing Sen. Paton, who stepped down from this committee assignment.
 
SB 1284 (school finance revisions), which requires ADE to apply any change to state law that occurs after the effective date and modifies or impacts the school finance formula so it applies to the entire fiscal year the change became effective passed on a 7-0 vote. ASBA opposed; however, has agreed to work with AASBO and ADE on acceptable language.
 
SB 1286 (schools; achievement profiles; letter grades) passed on a 5-2 vote. This bill, as amended, would include school districts into the current AZ Learns labeling system and change the current labels from excelling to failing to meet academic standards to A through F beginning August 31, 2011. Further, the bill states that 50% of the school and district classification must be on academic performance measurements and 50% must be on all student academic gain and 50% on the measurement of the lowest 25% of students making academic gains. ASBA opposes the change of labels, as there is now some consistency in these labels with 50% of elementary schools changing their student report cards to coincide with the school labels. There is also concern of administrative costs associated with any changes. ASBA supports district accountability, exploring multiple measures, and a focus on academic gains rather than straight test scores.
 
SB 1308 (high school instruction; dating violence) passed on a 4-3 vote. A strike-everything amendment was adopted that would require middle, junior high, and high school students to receive instruction on recognizing and preventing dating abuse by requiring school districts to adopt ADE's model dating abuse policy or one of their own. ASBA opposes this mandate. Sen. Lopez offered an amendment to make this measure permissive rather than a mandate; however, the amendment failed on party lines.

►February 9, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

►February 8, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors announced the appointment of Dave Braswell to fill the State Senate District 6 seat vacated by Sen. Pamela Gorman. Sen. Braswell has served on the Washington Elementary and Glendale Union school boards.

It was a busy day for education legislation. In the House Education Committee, HB 2128 (NOW: omnibus, JTEDs) was amended with a strike-everything amendment that makes a number of changes to JTED statues, including financial provisions and program v. course definitions. ASBA supported and it passed on an 8-2 vote. HB 2129 (NOW: Arizona online instruction; reform) was amended with a strike-everything amendment which clarifies the definitions of full-time and part-time students. ASBA supported and it passed on an 8-0 vote.HB 2200 (school finance; average daily attendance) would have eliminated average daily membership (ADM) and move to current year funding. ASBA opposed and the bill FAILED on a 1-9 vote.

Also in the House Education Committee, HB 2227 (schools; teacher contracts; acceptance) passed on a 9-0 vote. This bill, as amended, would require a teacher to return his/her contract within 15 business days upon receipt rather than the current 30 days. Further, changes to 15-539 and 15-541 included in HB 2011 passed in the 2009 3^rd Special Session to defend against any litigation that would overturn these provisions were included. ASBA supported.HB 2235 (school personnel; employment information; investigations) passed on a 6-4 vote. This bill requires ADE to maintain a confidential database of information on certificated persons who are under investigation for alleged immoral or unprofessional conduct to be made available to schools and school districts. The bill also requires schools and districts to check the database at least once a year and before making an employment offer. ASBA was neutral in committee and will support after reaching a compromise in this morning's stakeholder's meeting. HB 2587 (school districts; unification assistance) would allow a new unified school district to budget for transitional costs the first year of unification and increase its RCL by 3% for the 2^nd and 3^rd years, which can only be used to equalize teacher salaries. ASBA supported and the bill passed on a 9-0 vote. HB 2613 (tax credit; schools; classroom materials) would allow the public school tax credit monies, through taxable year 2013, to be used for textbooks, classroom technology, orinstruction materials and removes the requirement that in-state and out-of-state trips must solely be for competitive events. ASBA supported and the bill passed on an 8-1-1 vote.

The House Ways and Means Committee met at the same time to discuss three STO bills. HB 2664 (STOs; tax credit requirements) passed on a 4-3 vote. This bill modifies the requirements for the STOs that accept individual income tax credits and increases the credit from $500 to $750 per individual filer and $1000 to $1500 per joint filer. ASBA opposed. Both HB 2496 (school tuition credit; contribution date), which would allow a taxpayer to take an individual or corporate income tax credit for donations made to an STO until April 15^th to either the previous tax year or the current tax year; and HB 2663 (STOs; corporate tax credit requirements), which would make a number of changes to the STOs that accept corporate income tax credits based on the recommendation from the Ad Hoc Committee on Private School Tuition Tax Credit Review were held. ASBA opposes both measures.

Last, school board members and community leaders in Prescott are participating in one of our advocacy trainings to better advocate for our public school children! Whether it is creating a coalition, bolstering a current community coalition, or creating your own personal advocacy plan – you make the difference!!

►February 4, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

Today, the House met in Special Session to consider the budget package passed by the Senate on Monday. SCR 1001 (temporary sales tax; repeal) passed on a 34-25, bipartisan vote. It will put a three-year, temporary one-cent sales tax on a May 18th, 2010 special election ballot. While no monies would help with the current FY10 budget shortfall; JLBC estimates that, if approved, the sales tax increase would provide $943 million in additional revenues to help with the Fiscal Year 2011 estimated $2.6 billion deficit. The Housedid not take action on the lottery securitization, proration of out-of-state income tax filers, or K-12 education rollover bills.

►February 3, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

This afternoon, the Senate Committee on Education Accountability and Reform met to consider bills.  SB 1263 (high schools; military recruiting; form) requires the release of student directory information by school districts and charter schools to individuals and entities providing information relating to postsecondary opportunities to take place by October 31 each year and allows individuals wrongfully denied access to directory information to report the violation to the to the U.S. Department of Education.  The bill passed 5-2; ASBA was neutral.  SB 1274 (STOs; contribution date) extends the deadline for STO contributions by individuals, corporations and insurers in order to be eligible for existing income tax credits.  ASBA opposed and the bill passed 4-3.  SB 1188 (school district monies; annual estimate) adds the Property Tax Oversight Commission to those a county school superintendent reports the estimated amount of monies each school requires for the upcoming year, equalization assistance and levy amounts.  The bill passed 5-2 with ASBA neutral. 

Tomorrow will likely see the House's consideration of the Special Session legislation passed in the Senate on Tuesday.

►February 2, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

The Senate was busy today in Special Session and Regular Session.  First, the Senate passed the Special Session Budget Legislation through Committee, Committee of the Whole and Third Read this afternoon.  As we mentioned yesterday, the 6 budget bills do the following: 1) Adjustments to address the fiscal year 2009-2010 state budget, including additional education rollover payments and sale-leaseback of state assets; 2) A referendum to the voters to impose a temporary 1 cent sales tax; 3) Proration of income tax deductions for out of state filers; Securitization of the state lottery program.   At this point, the House has not moved on the Special Session legislation, so stay tuned!

In the Senate Appropriations Committee, SCR 1033 (repeal 1998 proposition 105) passed 6-2.  This would refer to the ballot the repeal of Proposition 105 - which provides important protection to voter-approved initiatives, including Proposition 300.  ASBA opposed.  Also in Senate Appropriations, SCR 1015 contained a strike-everything amendment that would limit state appropriations in FY 2011 and beyond.  Specifically, upon voter approval, the bill prohibits the Legislature through FY 2011 from appropriating state revenues in excess of seven percent of the total personal income and prohibits the Legislature, beginning in FY 2012, from appropriating state revenues in excess of 6.4 percent of the total personal income.  Lastly, in years where state revenues exceed the maximum allowable appropriations, the remainder would be refunded to persons who filed individual income tax returns in that fiscal year. The bill passed 6-3 and  ASBA opposed.

►February 1, 2010
Daily In-Session Update

The Legislature started the month of February off with a bang!  First, Governor Brewer called the Legislature into Special Session this afternoon to address 4 items regarding the budget: 1) Adjustments to address the fiscal year 2009-2010 state budget, including additional education rollover payments and sale-leaseback of state assets; 2) A referendum to the voters to impose a temporary 1 cent sales tax; 3)Proration of income tax deductions for out of state filers; Securitization of the state lottery program.   Stay tuned for updates regarding the Sixth Special Session!

Also this afternoon, the House Education Committee met to hear bills.  HB 2537 (Schools; ELL models; exemption) allows schools and charter schools to be exempt from the requirements of the English Language Learners Task Force approved models for structured English immersion if the school demonstrates to the Arizona Department of Education that its English Language Learners are meeting or exceeding measurable achievement objectives.  ASBA supported this increase in flexibility for districts regarding ELL instruction and the bill passed 9-0 with 1 member absent.  HB 2298 (teacher certification; preparation providers) was amended with a strike-everything amendment of the same subject and requires the State Board of Education to allow a variety of teacher preparation program providers to offer a variety of preparation models and courses of study for alternative certification.  ASBA supports alternative certification models approved by the SBE and the bill passed 7-1 with 2 members absent.  HB 2385 (schools; ADM calculation) modifies the definition of average daily membership as the total enrollment of the fractional students and full-time students who are enrolled on the 30^th, 60^th, and 90^th days in session, divided by three.  This approach has been used with success in New Mexico and the bill passed 8-0 with 2 members absent with ASBA in support.  Last, HB 2386 (school district override elections) makes changes to current school district budget override statutes to complement the changes made during the 2009 Special Session.  ASBA supports and the bill passed 7-1 with 2 absent.

In House Ways and Means Committee, HB 2489 (bonding; net premiums) increases the cap for premium bonds.  The bill passed 5-3 with ASBA in support.

Finally, this week, selected dedicated school board members are braving the chilly conditions in Washington D.C. to meet with Arizona's Congressmen and Congresswomen on behalf of Arizona's school boards and public school children.