Updated January 25, 2002

The Schedule

Legislators submitted 2,550 bills and resolutions by the January 18 deadline, many of which affect public schools. Governor Warner unveiled his budget amendments this past Tuesday, while legislators’s budget amendments were due to be submitted by this past Thursday. Further details of all the budge amendments will be available next Tuesday.

The House Education Committee meets Mondays at 8:30 a.m. in House Room C and Wednesdays at 8 a.m. in the Appropriations Room. The Senate Education and Health Committee will meet on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. in Senate Room B. Sub-committees will meet periodically throughout the session. Please click for a schedule of weekly meetings.

The Issues

Numerous budget amendments submitted by Governor Warner affect public education. For FY02, an additional transfer of $53 million from the Literary Fund is proposed to pay for teacher retirement (on top of $57 million proposed in the introduced budget by Jim Gilmore).

As for amendments to the 2002-2004 introduced budget, there is a partial restoration of the School Construction Grants Program. The Gilmore budget proposed elimination of $110 million over the two years; the Warner proposal restores half that amount, or $27.5 million each year. However, teacher salary increases are eliminated, saving the state $77 million, and the amendments do not restore any funding to the retired teacher health care credit program. This program has been funded entirely by the state, but now could cost localities about $36 million.

Also, about $8 million in additional lottery proceeds are targeted for education over the three years; however, the lottery “hold harmless program” eliminated in the Gilmore biennial budget is not restored. Bonuses for nationally-certified teachers are fully funded with $2.7 million. An additional $10 million is put into the Literary Fund for an FY04 interest rate subsidy. The small of amount of Literary Fund dollars to be used for the interest rate subsidy program in the next biennium should provide funding for all projects currently on the first priority waiting list for school construction loans.

State savings are garnered by deferring the SOL Web-based testing program ($3.4 million), discontinuing the separate SOL materials fund (saves $6.4 million; the introduced budget had cut this program in half), and funding only the active employee portion of group life insurance for teachers (saves $10.5 million). More than $44 million in state savings is captured by updating inflation factors.

Many education-related bills remain to be considered in the respective education committees. However, a handful of bills that would implement various options recommended in the November JLARC report on education funding have been discussed and, not surprisingly, fell prey to the state budget shortfall. SB 217 and SB 509 would have provided funding to all localities for preschool programs for at-risk students. These bills were re-referred to the Senate Finance Committee. SB 366 also met the same fate. This was an initiative of the state teacher’s association that essentially would have eliminated the linear estimator for determining prevailing costs for teacher pay. Finally, SB 216 proposed to amend the Standards of Quality to provide state funding for a 21:1 student/teacher ratio at the secondary level, for elementary school resource teachers and for providing funds to all localities for preschool programs for at-risk children. This bill was carried over in the Senate Education and Health Committee. The House versions of several of these bills have yet to be considered.

Please click for access to all bills assigned to the House Education and Senate Education and Health Committees. Below is a continuation of last week’s list of significant education-related bills:

 

HB 1136	Places requirement for elementary guidance counselors in the SOQ
HB 1137	Shortens required “break in service” for rehiring retired teachers to 30 days and limits their employment to one year (also HB 1048/HB 1320).
HB 1171	Places requirements for resource teacher and assistant principal positions in the SOQ
HB 1321	Amendments to the state charter school law (also SB 625)
SB 350	Requires the BOE to justify each standard of quality in its annual report
SB 442	Adds “acts of terrorism” to the list of items that must be addressed in school crisis and emergency management plans
SB 570	Requires community service participation as part of character education programs
SB 622	Authorizes establishment of “Gun Free School” zones around schools

CEPI legislation to establish a legislative study committee to review, study and reform educational leadership will likely be considered next week. HJR 20, patroned by Delegate Phil Hamilton, will be heard in a House Rules subcommittee Monday morning, while SJR 58 patroned by Senator Emmett Hanger, is in the Senate Rules Committee.

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Questions or More Information? Please contact CEPI if you have any questions or need additional information about the 2002 General Assembly. A final summary of legislative action from the 2002 General Assembly is posted on this Web site.

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