Yesterday was the deadline for legislative committees to pass bills that originated in their own chambers. Today, floor debate began in earnest as the Legislature works toward a March 12 deadline for bills to pass the full chamber in which the bill originated (House bills must pass the House, Senate bills must pass the Senate). Bills that advance will go to the opposite chamber for committee and floor votes.
Bills The Parents’ Campaign is watching:
- HB 994 – Teacher Shortage – VOTE YES – Candidates can enter college and university teacher preparation programs with a 21 ACT score or a 2.75 GPA on prior college coursework or a qualifying score on PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators. (Passed House Education Committee, on calendar for House floor vote)
- HB 989 – Limits Local Control/School Board Authority – VOTE NO – Prohibits local school boards from raising ad valorem taxes for the support of the school district when the district’s state, local, federal, and other funds exceed the minimum in state and local funds called for in the MAEP formula. (Passed House Education Committee, on calendar for House floor vote) NOTE: When HB 989 was presented in committee, members were told that the MAEP formula establishes what a district’s entire budget should total. This is false. The MAEP formula establishes the minimum in state and local funds only that a school district needs in order to meet mid-level accreditation standards. All school districts receive additional federal and other funds that are not included in the formula and that are critical to meeting the needs of students, particularly those in low-wealth communities.
- HB 1139 – Community Schools – VOTE YES – Adds Community Schools as an option in Districts of Innovation. Read more about community schools on our Legislative Priorities page. (Passed House Education Committee, on calendar for House floor vote)
- SB 2001 – Teacher Pay Raise – VOTE YES – Brings starting teacher pay to $37,000 for teachers with 0 to 2 years experience; $1,000 raise for all other certified teachers and assistant teachers. (Passed full Senate, referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees)
- SB 2286 – Expand Early Learning Collaboratives – VOTE YES – Increases per-student state funding for Early Learning collaboratives to $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day; sets goal to serve 25% of 4-year-olds by 2022-2023 school year. (Passed Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, on calendar for Senate floor vote)
- SB 2511 – Teacher Shortage – VOTE YES – Candidates can enter college and university teacher preparation programs with a 21 ACT score or a 3.0 GPA on prior college coursework or a qualifying score on PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators. (Passed full Senate, goes to House next)
- SB 2594 – ESA Voucher Program – THE PARENTS’ CAMPAIGN HAS NO POSITION ON THE BILL AS IT PASSED SENATE COMMITTEES; VOTE NO ON ANY AMENDMENT TO BROADEN CURRENT LANGUAGE – Adds accountability measures for ESA voucher program; eliminates online schools from eligibility; requires that private voucher schools provide special education services for participating students. (Passed Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, on calendar for Senate floor vote)
Please touch base with your legislators about these bills.
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Find additional contact information for legislators.
You can follow information about these bills on our bill tracker. We will keep you posted as they move through the process. In the meantime, thank you, as always, for standing in the gap for our children. Together, we’ve got this!
