This twenty-eighth day of the 2009 session of the Georgia General Assembly was also GSBA/GSSA Day at the Capitol, and approximately 200 local school officials were present for a day of learning, leaning, and lobbying. The day started with those present hearing Senator Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) make his pitch for SB 90, his much-ballyhooed, but quite controversial, bill calling for universal vouchers. Senator Johnson, as expected, was passionate in his defense of this proposal, which he claims will cause the free market system to work and create a competition that will improve public education. He responded to a number of questions from attendees before departing for another day of legislative work under the Gold Dome.
The luncheon that was part of the day was poorly attended by legislators. The Senate Education and Youth Committee had scheduled a noon meeting on this day, and the House of Representatives was still in session until almost 1:30 p.m., preventing their members from attending. House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) did make a late appearance to address those still present, and he spoke briefly and answered questions from board members and superintendents.
Both the House and the Senate passed legislation of interest to educators on this day, the House approving the BRIDGE bill (HB 400) as part of their 13-bill calendar. The Senate passed four education bills: SB 114 (deals with the transfer into a local school system by students who are military dependents); SR 153 (urges the Governor to appoint a working group to consider the establishment of Governor's Academies); SR 153 (a proposed constitutional amendment seeking the creation of Education Improvement Districts); and, SR 173 (urges the Board of Regents to establish teacher education programs at each of their universities offering four-year degree programs).
The K-12 Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee met on this afternoon to hear explanation of and testimony on the FY2010 budget. During a presentation on the budget by Deputy State School Superintendent Scott Austensen, pointed questions were asked about whether the federal stimulus funds were available for use in the FY2009 year; Mr. Austensen's answer was an unqualified "yes." [Editor's note: Both the House and the Senate have agreed to place $145 million of those ARRA funds into the mid-year budget, and this is apparently in conflict with the Governor's wishes.] A review of the FY2010 budget served as a reminder that the cuts to be dealt with are deep, and the Governor's recent lowering of the revenue estimate digs that hole even deeper (though the effect may be somewhat mitigated by use of ARRA funds). Testifying before the committee were those representing the school nurses, RESA's, teacher groups, and others. This work is just beginning ....
Even at this late stage of this, the first of the two-year session of the General Assembly, legislation continues to be introduced. Of interest to education-watchers are the following (click on the bill number to read GSSA's summary of the legislation and/or to read the entire bill):
HB 634 - seeks to raise the dropout age to 17
HB 649 - no vouchers unless QBE is "fully funded" first
HB 650 - speech-language pathologists would be included under the "retirees return to work legislation
HB 668 - local school systems could reassign bullies more quickly that in current law
SB 231 - a "PROMISE III" scholarship proposal
SB 239 - revised mandatory attendance provisions
SB 240 - revises procedures to appeal the assessed value of property
SB 250 - deals with intentionally disruptive behavior on school buses
SR 406 - provides opportunities for schools/systems in danger of losing accreditation additional chances to present documentation
SR 427 - homestead exemptions for public servants
HB 680 - requires DOE to develop a performing arts program curriculum
HB 698 - prohibits genetically modified foods in schools
HB 704 - would require that all public school students wear uniforms (unless the board decides against this policy by a 2/3 vote)
SR 464 - urges the Board of Regents to produce more teachers
SR 465 - encourages partnerships between LBOE's and post-secondary institutions
SR 466 - seeks the establishment of a performance-based principal certificate renewal design team
The General Assembly will gather for their twenty-ninth day of the session on Tuesday, March 10, as they head toward "crossover day" on Thursday. |