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Education-centered legislative session has begun, a look ahead to next week
01/11/2015

 

This year’s legislative session has begun which the Speaker of the House, Senate Leader and Governor have billed as an “education session.” While the Governor presented an agenda heavily based on spending more public tax dollars on unproven charter schools and private school vouchers, ISTA presented its own positive 2015 legislative agenda on Thursday in a news conference.

 

ISTA’s legislative goals are focused on proven initiatives that can actually improve student learning and strengthen the practice of teaching. ISTA’s news conference focused on five areas of its 12-point proposal:

  • School Funding—Including Testing vs. Remediation Funding
  • A-F Pause/Evaluation
  • Compulsory Attendance School Age
  • National Board Certification for Teachers
  • Support for All Learners

The full agenda can be read here.

 

This coming week we will be tracking bills as they begin the committee process. You can read all of the bills we are tracking this session here. The list will be updated as new bills are being posted in the next several days.

 

In the coming days, a new member activist system will be launched that will enable you to easily contact your representatives or media.  We will provide to you talking points to help you, but please know that your personal observations and expertise are most effective.  Stay tuned to this.

 

This Wednesday, SB169 (Sen. Erin Houchin, R-Salem) calls for moving the I-READ reading assessment test from third grade to second grade.  On its face, this bill would move student anxiety caused by the high stakes nature of I-READ from third-graders to second-graders.  Also, many ISTA members believe that I-READ does not provide nearly enough information to teachers and therefore should be reconsidered altogether. ISTA has outreached to Sen. Houchin for a meeting on this bill to better determine if the bill accurately reflects her intent. 

 

Also, SB 302 is scheduled in the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee on Wednesday (Sen. Pete Miller, R-Avon) and allows a school district to negotiate and enter into a contract with an individual teacher who is not a member of the exclusive representative or union so long as the nonunion member agrees to waive laws on due process should that teacher be terminated.  On its face, this bill undermines the “exclusive” nature of the exclusive representative.

 

Governor Pence will address a joint session of the General Assembly for the State of the State address on Tuesday evening. It can be viewed at 7:00 p.m. EST on all of the major TV networks or online here. ISTA will be covering the Governor’s speech live on our Twitter page. You can follow along here.

 

As always, we will be posting updates during the legislative session on our blog. Stay tuned.