LOTS OF UPDATES FOR YOU on this chilly Friday! See below how your legislators voted on education bills that survived last night’s deadline as well as new additions to the list of bills we support: legislation addressing the WorkKeys assessment as a component of the accountability model and legislation increasing access to broadband service.
The Parents’ Campaign supports the following bills.
TEACHER PAY RAISE
● SB 2001: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – $37,000 starting salary for teachers with two years of experience and less ($1,110 raise); $1,000 pay raise for other certified teachers and assistant teachers (increases base salary for assistants from $14,000 to $15,000)
● HB 852: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – $37,000 starting salary for teachers with two years of experience and less ($1,110 raise); $1,000 pay raise for other certified teachers; $1,100 pay raise for assistant teachers (increases base salary for assistants from $14,000 to $15,100)
TEACHER SHORTAGE
● SB 2267: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – teacher license reciprocity with other states
● SB 2305: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – Winter and Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program
● HB 1179: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – Winter and Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program
SCHOOL FUNDING
● SB 2149: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – holds districts harmless for average daily attendance for school funding purposes
PRE-K
● SB 2664: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – amends curriculum and reporting criteria for Early Learning Collaboratives
● DEAD SB 2665: passed Senate Education Committee, died on deadline (not taken up in Senate Appropriations Committee) – increases per-student funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to minimum of $2,500 for full day and $1,250 for half day
● HB 1123: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – amends curriculum and reporting criteria for Early Learning Collaboratives and increases their per-student funding to minimum of $2,500 for full day and $1,250 for half day
DYSLEXIA
● SB 2307: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – aligns state statute with federal law; makes clarifications regarding determination of eligibility for 504 plan
● HB 754: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – aligns state statute with federal law; makes clarifications regarding determination of eligibility for 504 plan; requires that school districts provide in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders
WORKKEYS
● NEW HB 1301: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – provides for WorkKeys assessment to be administered to students who elect to take it and for student performance on WorkKeys to be included as a career-readiness indicator in the Statewide Accountability System
BROADBAND EXPANSION
● NEW SB 2798: passed full Senate – see Senate vote, goes to House committee(s) – expands broadband availability in underserved areas of the state; allows utility companies to lease existing, unused fiber to internet service providers
● NEW HB 942: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – expands broadband availability in underserved areas of the state; allows utility companies to lease existing, unused fiber to internet service providers
● NEW HB 505: passed full House – see House vote, goes to Senate committee(s) – encourages new investment in broadband infrastructure
Bills now will swap chambers for the second round of committee and floor votes. We will post their progress on the Bill Tracker page of our web site and update you via our social media pages and email. Please thank the legislators who voted yes on these bills, share information about the bills’ importance with those who did not, and reach out to legislators who will be voting on these bills in the next round. Your support is key, and together, we’ve got this!
