Chester County Legislative Update. January 2019

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1 Chester County Legislative Update January 2019

2 Welcome and Introductions PSBA Advocacy Program Legislative Update Upcoming Meetings Mark Your Calendar 2 Questions, Comments, Updates

3 Advocacy Ambassadors Larry Feinberg Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia 3

4 2019 Legislative Schedule House Session Schedule: January 28, 29, 30 February 4, 5, 6, 19, 20, 21 March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 April 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30 May 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23 June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 Senate Session Schedule: January 28, 29, 30 February 4, 5 March 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30 May 1, 6, 7, 8 June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 4

5 Leadership Education Committees 1. House Education Committee a. Majority Chair: Curt Sonney, Eerie, District 4 a. Priorities: CTE education; visit classrooms around the state; cyber charter school funding b. Minority Chair: James Roebuck, Philadelphia, District 188 a. Priorities: Bullying programs; technology education programs; fair funding; investments in public schools; CTE education; college affordability; charter school reform 2. Senate Education Committee a. Majority Chair: Ryan Aument, Lancaster, District 36 a. Priorities: CTE education; education savings accounts; charter reform; school safety; property tax dependence; student loan debt. b. Minority Chair: Andy Dinniman, Chester, District 19 a. Priorities: Equitable school funding; school safety; replacing Keystone exams with SATs; 5

6 Chester County Delegation U.S. Congress House of Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D) U.S. 6 th District (fills Ryan Costello s vacant seat) Mary Gay Scanlon (D) (fills Patrick Meehan s seat) US Senate *Bob Casey (D) Pat Toomey (R) (Not up for re-election) PA General Assembly House of Representatives *John Lawrence (R) 13th District *Tim Hennessey (R) 26 th District Dan Williams (D) 74 th District (fills Harry Lewis open seat) Danielle Friel Otten (D) 155 th District (unseats Becky Corbin) *Carolyn Comitta (D) 156 th District Melissa Shusterman (D) 157th District (unseats Warren Kampf) Christina Sappey (D) 158th District (unseats Eric Roe) *Stephen Barrar (R) 160 th District Kristine Howard (D) 167 th District (unseats Duane Milne) Senate Tim Kearney (D) 26 th District (unseats Tom McGarrigle) Katie Muth (D) 44 th District (unseats John Rafferty) *Andy Dinniman (D) 19 th District (not up for re-election) 6

7 Legislative Update One more time ;-) Charter School Legislation 1. SB 34 Schwank, Judy(D) (PN 11) Amends the Public School Code, in charter schools, further providing for funding for charter schools. The bill establishes that funding for a charter school shall be provided except in the following: if a public school district offers a cyber-based program equal in scope and content to an existing publicly chartered cyber charter school, and a student in that district attends a cyber charter school instead of the district's cyber-based program, the school district shall not be required to provide funding to pay for the student's attendance at a cyber charter school. Effective in 60 days. 2. HCO 665 DeLuca, Anthony(D) Prohibits payments to charter schools unless they adopt a budget that includes an unreserved fund balance less than 5 percent of total budgeted expenditures. Property Tax Legislation 1. HCO 655 DeLuca, Anthony(D) Freezes school property taxes on the primary residences of older Pennsylvania citizens. 2. HCO 642 Caltagirone, Thomas(D) Eliminates school property taxes for seniors who qualify for the property tax rebate program. Other 1. SCO 384 Phillips-Hill, Kristin (F)(R) Repeals Section 1112 of the Public School Code allow teachers to wear any garb, mark or emblem of their religion at school. 7

8 Legislative Update Across the Finish Line 1. Act Keystone Exams formerly SB 1095 a. Provides alternative pathways for graduation for students who do not demonstrate proficiency on a Keystone exam 2. Act Sunscreen Use - formerly HB a. Requires school entities to allow "the outdoor use by a student of sun-protective clothing" and the "possession, application or use by a student of a non-aerosol topical sunscreen product without a physician's note" under certain circumstances. The bill would also direct the Department of Education to develop guidance for school entities. 3. Act 82 - Certificate Grade Spans - formerly HB a. Establishes in statute the grade spans for which types of instructional certifications a teacher preparation program may offer and the Department of Education may issue. The bill would change the grade spans of teacher instructional certifications that are currently established under PDE Regulations (i.e. prek-12 special education certificate with no additional content area required). Reported as amended. 4. Act Assessment Procedures formerly SB 1007 a. Provides for training and qualifications of assessment appeal board members, b. Prohibits personnel from revaluation companies or county assessment offices from making adjustments to market value or assessed value during an informal review, c. Requires the chief assessor to compile a list of the names and mailing addresses of all taxing districts in the county. 8

9 Legislative Update Across the Finish Line 5. Act Executive Session formerly SB 1078 a. Amends the Open Meetings law to extend permissions extended to school districts in the School Code bill passed with the state budget. b. Allows municipalities and other public entities to meet in executive session to discuss, plan or review matters and records necessary for emergency preparedness, protection of public safety and security if disclosure of these records and plans would jeopardize or threaten public safety or preparedness. This would include discussions relating to collaboration with local school districts on safety and security plans. 6. Act School Bus Cameras formerly SB 1098 a. Amends the Vehicle Code to allow for the installation of automated side stop signal arm enforcement systems (that include cameras) on school buses to capture information on vehicles that fail to stop. Information recorded by the systems will be sent to the police and citations will be issues. 7. Act Worker s Compensation formerly HB 1840 a. Amends the Worker s Compensation Act to reestablish the Impairment Rating Evaluation process, following a 2017 Pa Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a provision of the evaluation process. To address the Supreme Court ruling, the bill specifically references the sixth edition of the American Medical Association "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" as the basis for impairment rating evaluations. 9

10 Legislative Update Across the Finish Line 8. Act Student Services formerly HB 2052 a. Requires school districts to offer families the option of communicating that a parent or guardian is a member of one of the armed forces, and, if a school district is notified that a child s parent or guardian has been activated or deployed, the district would be required to provide the student with access to school guidance counselors and existing federal or state military support services. The Departments of Education and Military & Veterans Affairs would be require to coordinate and provide guidance to districts and parents. 9. SR Study on School Start Times: a. Requires the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of issues, benefits and options related to instituting a later start time to the school day at secondary schools. Outlook: Approved. 10

11 Legislative Update Gone but not forgotten 1. Senate Bill 2 Education Savings Accounts (vouchers) a. Amends the School Code to establish education savings accounts for eligible students b. Eligible students i. Students currently enrolled in a public school, which has been designated a low-achieving public school ii. iii. Students entering kindergarten or the first-grade who reside in the attendance area of in a public school, which has been designated a low-achieving public school (lowest 15% percent of performing public schools) Must enroll in Non-public school or other approved educational provider c. Unused funds may be rolled over to following school year; returned to State or District; or used for higher education approved expenses. 2. HB 1213 Reverse Appeals Places additional restrictions on when taxing districts have the right to appeal an assessment. Under the bill, a taxing district may not appeal the assessment of a property based on the following: a. Purchase or sale of the property; Purchase or sale of a partial or total interest in the entity holding the title; Financing or refinancing of the property; Investments in the property b. Appeals may be sought for reassessments completed prior to enacted legislation. c. A taxing district has the right to appeal an assessment only when one or more of the following are met: i. The appeal is from a countywide assessment; ii. A parcel of land is divided and conveyed in smaller parcels; or iii. A change has occurred in the productive use of the property by material alteration. 11

12 Legislative Update Gone but not forgotten 3. Charter School Bill: HB 97 - extensively revises and adds charter school provisions contained in the Public School Code of 1949 (School Code), including: a. Changes the cyber charter tuition calculation to save school districts approximately $27 million, b. Implements transparency and accountability provisions for charter school administrators/trustees, c. Permits charter schools to form multiple charter organizations with school district/pde approval, d. Expands the Charter Appeal Board e. Institutes caps on unassigned fund balances for charter schools, f. Requires the development of academic performance matrix for renewal/revocation decisions, g. Extends the term of the renewal of a charter from 5 to 10 years h. Requires an annual independent audit process for charter schools. i. Creates a separate evaluation system for charter school teachers and principals j. Creates a Performance Matrix that exclusively compares charter school entities to one another. Passed the House, 108/84 on 4/25/17; Passed Senate as amended 7/9/17; Received as amended in House and referred House Rules, 7/10/17 12

13 Legislative Update Gone but not forgotten 4. The Property Tax Independence Act: SB 76 a. Provides for tax levies and information related to taxes; b. authorizes the imposition of a personal income tax or an earned income tax by a school district subject to voter approval; c. provides for imposition of and exclusions from a sales and use tax for the stabilization of education funding, for increase to the personal income tax, for certain licenses, for hotel occupancy tax, for procedure and administration of the tax, for expiration of authority to issue certain debt and for reporting by local government units of debt outstanding; d. establishes the Education Stabilization Fund; provides for disbursements from the Education Stabilization Fund and for senior citizen property tax rent rebate assistance; and makes repeals. e. The bill authorizes school districts to levy, assess and collect a tax on personal income or a tax on earned income and net profits as a means of abolishing property taxation by the school district. f. The tax shall be the Sales and Use Tax for the Stabilization of Education Funding and shall be a replacement for the sales and use tax authorized under Article II of the Tax Reform Code and that is repealed by the act. g. The bill also provides senior citizens with assistance in the form of property tax and rent rebates. 13

14 Chester County School Board Legislative Council CCSBLC Meeting Calendar Upcoming Meeting Schedule 1. February 27, March 15, 2019 Legislative Breakfast 3. April 24, May 22, June 26, 2019 Mark Your Calendar: Governor s Budget Address Tuesday, February 5 14