BILLS TO WATCH

Keep an eye on this page to keep updated on the current legislative session.  We will post proposed bills in both the senate and house, share information about the bills, and offer suggestions on how YOU might act in order to support or oppose them.

Click the picuture to see ALL bills in the Senate and House -

HOOSIER VOICES SUPPORTS THESE BILLS
Contact your legislators and/or the authors to express your support of these bills and ask that they be given passage for the benefit of our PUBLIC schools and Indiana's children.

SB416: Authors: Charbonneau, Yoder
School Evaluations; Reading Plans. Voids the administrative rule that establishes the A through F designations of school performance. Requires the state board of education (state board) to establish new designations of school improvement that: (1) are based on the measurement of student growth as compared against established standard criteria; and (2) are not based on the measurement of student growth compared against peers. Provides that before the state board may begin the rulemaking process to establish new categories or designations of school performance, the state board shall report to the general assembly the proposed new categories or designations. Provides that until new rules are adopted, the designations that were in effect on December 31, 2011, are in effect. Provides that a school's reading plan must include an emphasis on a growth measure at each grade level to determine and provide remedial acceleration for a student. Requires that a school's reading plan: (1) must include two or more assessments throughout the school year as well as a student's achievement or growth when determining appropriate remedial action; and (2) must emphasize a home and school reading initiative. Repeals a provision requiring a charter school's reading plan to include only a method for making determinant evaluations of reading skills by grade 3 and retention as a last resort for students who read below grade level. Provides that a charter school may request a waiver from reading plan requirements in the same manner that a school corporation may request a waiver.


SB469: Authors: Rogers, Tallian
Mandatory full-day kindergarten. Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, requires a student to enroll in a full-day kindergarten program if the student is at least five years of age on August 1. Provides that a kindergarten pupil is counted as one pupil (rather than one-half pupil) for purposes of ADM and school funding.




HOOSIER VOICES OPPOSES THESE BILLS
Contact your legislators and/or the authors of these bills to express opposition to the negative impact these bills have on PUBLIC eduation and the will of 1.3 million voters.

HB 1309: Authors: BehningRequires the state board of education to elect a member to serve as vice chairperson, who: (1) presides over meetings in the absence of the state superintendent of public instruction; and (2) may call meetings, set and amend agendas, arrange for witnesses, and carry out other administrative functions related to the meetings of the state board. Provides that the commissioner for higher education serves as a third cochairperson of the education roundtable. (Under current law, the governor and state superintendent of public instruction serve as cochairpersons.) Provides that a majority of the cochairpersons acting together carry out the administrative functions related to the meetings of the roundtable. Adds the commission for higher education to the persons who receive the recommendations of the roundtable.
HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
This bill is the bill that will create an "Education Czar" and strip power from newly elected Superintendent of PUBLIC Instruction, Glenda Ritz.  We must do all we can to call, write, and email representatives to STOP this bill and put an end to the madness they are utilizing to destroy our public education system.

HB 1337: Authors: Behning
School Accountability and Turnaround Academies Provides that academic growth is the primary measure of assessing school performance. Requires the state board of education (state board) to set specific goals for a turnaround academy, and allows the turnaround academy to be operated by a special management team. Provides that a turnaround academy that meets the goals set for it becomes an independent school. Sets forth provisions concerning the operation of a turnaround academy and an independent school. Requires the state board to have performed an annual analysis showing how school corporation spending correlates to student progress, and requires the department of education to include a copy of the annual analysis on the department's Internet web site. Sets forth consequences for schools and school corporations that are in the two lowest categories or designations of school performance, including placing a school corporation into academic receivership. Creates a designation of "high performing school corporation", and provides that certain statutes and rules may be waived for a high performing school corporation. Provides that a waiver of the requirements for graduation for a student must be approved by the state board. Repeals provisions concerning: (1) graduation standards in effect before July 1, 2010; (2) a parent's request to exempt a student from Core 40 requirement; (3) a student not passing at least three Core 40 courses; (4) a student scoring within the twenty-fifth percentile or lower on a graduation examination; and (5) a student whose parent does not attend a meeting with the student and a counselor. Makes conforming amendments. 
HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
This bill is another attempt to take public tax dollars and utilize them for private gain by using flawed measurement systems to rate schools, then make them turnaround academies and hand them over to be operated by special management teams.  Again, taking public school tax dollars and distributing them to private corpoarate management companies.

SB184: Authors: Eckerty, Walker, Yoder, Banks, Kruse, Schneider

Choice scholarship eligibility. Provides that a sibling of a student who is receiving a choice scholarship is eligible to receive a choice scholarship without first attending two semesters in a public school or receiving a scholarship from a scholarship granting organization.
HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
According to Vic Smith:
According to the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency fiscal note on SB 184, the first year of the voucher program moved $15.6 million from public school tuition to private school tuition and the second year diverted $35.9 million. Most of that taxpay...
er money was going to pay for religious educations. Only 6 of the 289 private schools accepting vouchers are non-religious, non-sectarian schools.

Now with SB 184, a whole new element is proposed: Giving vouchers to students who have never been in public schools, ending the “vouchers save dollars” policy and adding a new fiscal cost to taxpayers. Some students would become eligible for a voucher who have been in private schools for years. It is one more step on the road to a universal voucher, the ultimate goal of voucher proponents, a goal that would eventually undermine and marginalize the non-partisan, non-sectarian public schools that for over a hundred years have brought people from all walks of life together in our communities and have undergirded our democracy with citizenship education and our economy with college and career readiness.



SB464: Authors: Kruse
Education funding for children in residential care. Provides that if a student is placed in a state licensed residential mental health facility under written orders of a licensed physician, the student receives educational services provided by the facility, and certain other conditions are satisfied, the school corporation of legal settlement that includes the student in its average daily membership shall pay the facility a per diem for the educational services provided by the facility to the student during the student's admission in the facility. Specifies that the amount such a school corporation shall pay to a facility is the amount, prorated according to the number of instructional days for which the student receives the educational services, equal to the student's proportionate share of state distributions paid to the school corporation. Specifies the minimum level educational services that must be provided to a student while the student is admitted to such a facility. Requires that the educational services at a facility must be provided by licensed teachers. Specifies that the amounts paid by a school corporation to a facility are in addition to any funds that are allocated or used under federal law to provide services to students receiving educational services at the facility.

HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
This bill is yet another effort to siphon off public dollars to private for profit entities.  SB 464 is an attempt to MANDATE public schools to give private for profit facilities the money they receive from federal and state funds and they will then "educate" students without necessarily having to have the same mandates of a public school (ISTEP testing, meeting all IEP services, providing instruction in all subject areas for the same amount of instructional time) all while saying this is a "medical" -- not educational placement.  Reading the vague language of this bill is confusing, but it does lead to this - for profit entities will get public school dollars to provide the instruction that IT deems appropriate.  It appears this is an attempt to make up for financial shortfalls caused by DCS not paying as much for placing kids into private for profit facilities.  We must ask ourselves, who is funding the push for this legislation? What for-profit agencies look to gain by siphoning money from public school children?

HB 1251: Authors: Huston

Removes the requirement that at least four members of the state board of education (board) be actively employed in schools in Indiana and hold a teaching license, and that not more than six members of the board may be members of the same political party. Provides that, beginning in 2017, the terms of members of the board appointed by the governor begin March 1. (Current law provides that the terms begin July 1.) Provides that the terms of appointed members of the board who hold office on January 1, 2014, expire February 28, 2014. Requires the governor to appoint members to the board for terms beginning March 1, 2014, and ending February 28, 2017.



HB 1338: Authors: Behning

Makes numerous changes to Indiana’s charter school laws, including requiring the state budget agency (under the governor’s administration) to carry out the program to identify all federal funds available for charter schools, requires the budget agency to pursue any matching federal funds for charter schools, provides that the state board of education must approve the department’s report to the budget committee pertaining to virtual charter schools, requires the budget agency to administer new charter school start up grants, and requires the budget agency to administer the charter school facilities assistance program. These functions now assigned to the budget agency and state board of education have been, to date, accomplished by the DOE.
February 5, 2013 - HB1338 passes House Ed Cmte 9-3. Bill gives Mayor Ballard broader powers and adds more charter accountability.

HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
This bill provides that “teachers” in a charter don’t even have to have a degree in the content area in which they are “teaching.” Was scheduled to be heard 1-31-13 but moved to 2-5-13.

HB 1342: Authours: Behning

Creates an entirely new Office of Accountability and Innovation under the Governor’s administrative scope. The bill authorizes this new office to be staffed and overseen by a board. The board of the OAI would consist of the state superintendent (state-wide elected official), the “executive director” of the commission for higher education (NOTE: There is no executive director of the Commission for Higher Education. There is a Commissioner who is a governor’s appointee) and the Commissioner of Workforce Development (Governor’s appointee). The governor would select the chairman of this new Board. This entirely new layer of government would take over much of what the DOE had been responsible for relative to data gathering and, coincidentally, relative to the administration and oversight of the state’s private school voucher program.



HB 1427: Authours: Rhoads, Behning

Various education matters. Removes a requirement that a school corporation must publish an annual financial report. Eliminates references to the "buddy system project" in provisions relating to an income tax credit for computer equipment donations. Changes the registration deadline for school bus owners that are not school corporations from July 29 to September 28. Amends the definition of "educational service center". Repeals provisions relating to the establishment and administration of educational service centers by the Indiana state board of education (state board) and provides instead that the state board shall adopt rules regarding administration of educational service centers. Replaces the definition of "textbook" with a definition of "curricular materials". Provides that the Indiana department of education (department) shall determine the process for evaluating the curricular materials' alignment to academic standards and the appropriateness of the reading level of the curricular materials. Requires the department to describe the method used to evaluate curricular materials. Makes changes to the type of curricular subject matter that the department must review to show that the curricular material is aligned to academic standards. Repeals the requirement that a superintendent of a school corporation forward a list of the curricular materials selected by the superintendent. Abolishes the following programs and entities concerning various education matters: (1) Technology apprenticeship grant program. (2) Education consultant for health and physical education. (3) Corporation for educational technology. (4) Principal leadership academy. (5) School grant writing and fund raising assistance program. (6) School intervention and career counseling development program advisory board. (7) Technology Preparation Task Force. (8) Research and development program concerning various studies and evaluations. (9) Department of education review of professional development programs. (10) Readiness testing. (11) Student services programs. (12) Teacher quality and professional improvement program. (13) Projects on Innovative Education. (14) Committee on educational attitudes, motivation, and parental involvement. (15) ISTEP program citizens' review committee. (16) Twenty-first century schools pilot program. (17) Anti-gang counseling pilot program and fund. Requires the state board to provide for reviews to ensure the validity and reliability of the ISTEP program. Replaces the ambassador for education program with provisions that allow a teacher of the year to serve one year of professional leave with the department of education or a postsecondary educational institution. Requires school bus inspectors to attach to the bus a certificate of inspection and document the certification in the school bus inspection data base. Repeals a provision that requires a school corporation to compile class size data for kindergarten through grade 3 and report the data to the department for purposes of maintaining the primetime program. Repeals the innovative testing methods pilot program. Makes conforming changes. Makes technical corrections.

HOOSIER VOICES VIEW
A huge bill that is largely “clean up.” It’s not all clean up, but because it eliminates a position at the DOE for a consultant for health and physical education, there was some misunderstanding that PE and health were being eliminated. Not the case. The position is not filled and has not been for a long time. It does NOT eliminate PE or health from the mandatory curriculum. It does delete Principals Leadership Academy (Supt. Ritz was hoping to get funding to start this again). Also being held for committee vote.
LIST OF ALL BILLS DEALING WITH EDUCATION

INDIANA SENATE

SB 0001 - School Resource Officers
SB 0023 - School Prayer
SB 0030 - Early Childhood Literacy Pilot Program
SB 0102 - Release Time for Public Employee Union Activities
SB 0114 - National Criminal Background Checks for Child Care
SB 0120 - Cursive Writing in School Curriculum
SB 0122 - Law Enforcement Animals in Schools
SB 0129 - Education Roundtable
SB 0135 - Sales of a Public School Building
SB 0147 - Commission on Improving the Status of Children
SB 0153 - Employment of Children
SB 0160 - School Employee Background Checks
SB 0163 - Limits on Tenure and Compensation
SB 0182 - State Educational Institutions; Credit Transfers
SB 0184 - Choice Scholarship Elibility
SB 0189 - Performance-qualified School Districts
SB 0191 - School Calendar and Start Date
SB 0193 - Common Core State Educational Standards
SB 0206 - School Recognition Programs
SB 0207 - Resident Tuition Rate and Other Educational Aid
SB 0228 - Indiana Public Retirement System Administrative Matters
SB 0248 - State Employee Deferred Compensation Contributions
SB 0249 - Pension Plan Reporting
SB 0261 - School Bus Purchase Study Committee
SB 0291 - School Corporation Capital Projects Fund
SB 0312 - School Board Elections; Teacher Union Dues
SB 0320 - Class Basketball Public Question
SB 0324 - State Employee Death Benefit
SB 0332 - Parental Rights
SB 0333 - Physical Education; Vision Screening
SB 0341 - School Reorganization
SB 0345 - Use of Restraints and Seclusion in Schools
SB 0377 - Scholarship Program Eligibility
SB 0380 - State-Assisted Retirement Plan
SB 0395 - Various Education Matters
SB 0402 - Principal Leadership Academy
SB 0406 - Postsecondary Enrollment Opportunities
SB 0409 - Teacher Licensing
SB 0416 - School Evaluations; Reading Plans
SB 0418 - Financial Literacy Instruction
SB 0421 - School Bus Safety Belts
SB 0422 - Family Friendly School Designation
SB 0423 - Charter School Approval Process
SB 0426 - Turnaround Academies
SB 0442 - TRF Retirement Benefit Adjustment
SB 0464 - Education Funding for Children in Residential Care
SB 0469 - Mandatory Full-Day Kindergarten
SB 0476 - Choice Scholarship Eligibility
SB 0481 - School Accreditation
SB 0484 - School Buildings
SB 0491 - Accountability for Certain Schools
SB 0493 - Achievement Test Grant
SB 0502 - Pre-school Education Pilot Program
SB 0525 - PERF and TRF $500 Minimum Monthly Benefit
SB 0569 - Approval and Funding of Charter Schools
SB 0574 - Rescoring of ISTEP Responses
SB 0602 - Preschool Education
SB 0605 - Wage Assignments
SB 0606 - Public Use of School Buildings and School Grounds

INDIANA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HB 1004 - Early Education Scholarship Pilot Program
HB 1005 - Remediation
HB 1208 - Study of Free and Reduced Lunch Program
HB 1012 - Sale of a public school building
HB 1015 - School Safety
HB 1032 - Referenda for Projects and School Leaves
HB 1055 - Emergency Rulemaking Statute
HB 1074 - Student Instructional Days
HB 1080 - Pension 13th Checks
HB 1086 - Duty to Report Child Abuse or Neglect
HB 1097 - Right to Work
HB 1103 - Scholarship Granting Organizations
HB 1109 - Controlled Projects
HB 1110 - Flexibility in Use of School Funds
HB 1123 - Commission on Improving Status of Children
HB 1136 - Limitation on School Start Date
HB 1145 - Payments to Political Subdivisions or Utilities
HB 1159 - Liability for Use of School Facilities
HB 1160 - School Employee Background Checks
HB 1166 - Performance-Qualified School Districts
HB 1173 - Tax Exemption for Certain Non-Profit Groups
HB 1178 - Sudden Cardiac Arrest
HB 1203 - Charter School Board Hearings
HB 1208 - Study of Free and Reduced Lunch Program
HB 1223 - PERF and TRF Minimum Benefit
HB 1229 - Participation in School Athletics
HB 1233 - School Corporation Capital Projects Fund
HB 1234 - Family Friendly School Designation
HB 1244 - Schools May Not Be Used as Polling Sites
HB 1251 - State Board of Education
HB 1265 - Educational Equity
HB 1306 - Age for Mandatory School Attendance
HB 1309 - State Board of Education and Roundtable
HB 1328 - School Health Care Clinic Pilot Project
HB 1334 - Liability Insurance of Indiana Teachers
HB 1337 - School Accountablity and Turnaround Academies
HB 1338 - Charter School Administration
HB 1339 - Various Education Matters
HB 1340 - High School Graduation Waivers
HB 1341 - Standard Transcripts and College Applications
HB 1342 - Office of Accountability and Innovation
HB 1427 - Various Education Matters
HJR 0002 - Supermajority Requirement for Tax Increases


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