SUPERINTENDENTS, ASBSD LEGISLATIVE ACTION NETWORK MEMBERS - SUBJECT: RE: CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS AND 2010 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SURVEY

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memo TO: CC: FROM: SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTS - MAIL SUPERINTENDENTS, ASBSD LEGISLATIVE ACTION NETWORK MEMBERS - EMAIL WAYNE LUEDERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUBJECT: RE: CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS AND 2010

1 memo TO: CC: FROM: SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTS - MAIL SUPERINTENDENTS, ASBSD LEGISLATIVE ACTION NETWORK MEMBERS - WAYNE LUEDERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUBJECT: RE: CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS AND 2010 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SURVEY DATE: 5/6/2009 The ASBSD Policy and Resolutions Committee (PRC), a committee of six school board members appointed by the ASBSD board, is already working to craft a proposed legislative agenda for the 2010 Legislative Session. The committee has directed me to send out a Call for Resolutions and Legislative Priority survey to all 161 member school boards and superintendents. ASBSD staff will compile the resolutions data, prepare research and distribute the information to the PRC for its July meeting. The PRC reviews all resolutions submitted by member districts and makes recommendations to the ASBSD board. The ASBSD board reviews the recommendations, makes any needed changes during its August board meeting. Final recommendations are then published, distributed and used as the basis for discussion and debate as a part of the program at the Fall Regional meetings. Information from regional meetings is reviewed by the PRC with recommendations presented to the ASBSD and Delegate Assembly in November. All resolutions will be presented to the Delegate Assembly for final action. ASBSD resolutions form a set of accountability directives created by school boards to guide the association s legislative advocacy efforts in improving public education for all students. Our staff and Legislative Action Network board members rely on the resolutions as a true compass to address issues before, during and after the legislative session. You will find a copy of the Legislative Resolutions, Priority Report: 2009 Legislative Session, 2010 Legislative Priorities survey form and a Call for Resolutions with this memo. The survey asks your board to establish three priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Your board can choose to carry forward current or modified resolutions, or to write new resolutions addressing an issue your board believes is important. Please review this information packet with your board during your May and/or June meetings and return the survey and any new resolutions by June 19, Thank you for providing leadership to your school board in identifying your key legislative resolutions. Your board s input helps ensure ASBSD represents the unified position of all public school boards. If you have any questions, please contact me. Wayne Lueders (phone) wayne@asbsd.org

2 LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTIONS ASBSD Legislative Resolutions A. Student Achievement 1. Extended School Term ASBSD supports accurately reflecting school district practice by extending the school term in South Dakota to a minimum of 990 hours, with full funding for an additional 27.5 hours of student contact time. 2. Pre-Kindergarten Standards Priority Resolution ASBSD supports the development and adoption of statewide content and accreditation standards for voluntary pre-kindergarten education programs. 3. Reorganization Incentives Grade Sharing Priority Resolution ASBSD supports legislation that offers sufficient incentives and assistance to encourage expanded academic opportunities and program efficiencies through voluntary reorganization, program sharing, grade-sharing and sharing of administration. 4. Professional Development ASBSD supports full state funding to implement up to a total of 55 hours of comprehensive, quality professional staff development. 5. Compulsory School Attendance ASBSD supports compulsory public school attendance to age 18 or until the student graduates. B. Local Governance 6. Students Receiving Alternative Instruction ASBSD supports the development of guidelines for evaluating the academic progress of students receiving alternative instruction and the establishment of effective regulations to ensure exempted students receive a high quality education. 7. Differential Pay ASBSD supports state policy that maintains a local district s ability to develop hiring, evaluation and compensation policies that support local efforts to recruit and retain quality staff. 8. Continuing Contract ASBSD supports legislation to extend the probationary period in existing continuing contract law by an additional two years. 9. Appointments to Commissions ASBSD supports the appointment of South Dakota school board members to statewide commissions, advisory committees and forums that directly or indirectly affect the development of state education policy.

3 B. Local Governance 10. No Child Left Behind Act Reauthorization ASBSD supports a fully funded federal education policy for elementary and secondary education that focuses on improving learning outcomes for every child, provides for public school accountability and gives local school boards flexibility to develop education programs reflective of the local student population and community. 11. Technical Institute Governance ASBSD supports local governance of the state s technical institutes. C. School Finance 12. Adequate Funding ASBSD supports legislation based upon South Dakota s adequacy study to increase per-student funding to levels that allow South Dakota districts to meet the diverse learning needs of every South Dakota student. 13. State Funding for Accredited Pre-Kindergarten Programs ASBSD supports state funding over and above the base K-12 funding formula that provides voluntary access to accredited pre-k programs. 14. Taxation 150% Rule ASBSD supports a gradual repeal of the 150% Rule that holds South Dakota school districts harmless from any adverse impact on a local school district s ability to raise needed revenue through the capital outlay, special education and pension levies. 15. Index Factor Priority Resolution ASBSD supports legislation to increase the index factor of the state aid to education formula to 4 percent or the CPI-W, whichever is greater. 16. Categorical Funding ASBSD supports legislation that allows caps on categorical aid to increase each year at the same rate as the annual increase to the per-student allocation. 17. Unfunded Mandates State Board of Education ASBSD supports legislative action to require the State Board of Education to adopt a fiscal note associated to all new mandates placed on local school districts. 18. Federal Mandates ASBSD supports full funding for all federal mandates, including the Individuals with Disability Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). 19. Medicaid Service Reimbursement ASBSD supports the continuation of federal Medicaid Service Reimbursement and urges Congress to block a proposed rule by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services that will prohibit schools from being reimbursed for providing health services to Medicaid-eligible students.

4 Overview: Priority Report: 2009 Legislative Session During last year s Delegate Assembly, our members selected three resolutions for the association to carry forward as priorities. The Priority Report details how ASBSD supported member priorities during legislative session. PRIORITY ONE: ASBSD supports the development and adoption of statewide content and accreditation standards for voluntary pre-kindergarten education programs. OUTCOME: After passing the Senate, SB 191 was defeated in the House Education Committee. OUR ROLE: ASBSD testified in support of SB 191 in the House and Senate committees and worked alongside other education advocates to win support in House. STATUS: ASBSD will continue to work with other pre-k advocates to diffuse the misconceptions surrounding the legislation. PRIORITY TWO: ASBSD supports legislation that offers sufficient incentives and assistance to encourage expanded academic opportunities and program efficiencies through voluntary reorganization, program sharing, grade-sharing and sharing of administration. OUTCOME: The Legislature passed SB 140, legislation that grants local school boards more authority to improve academic course offerings and realize financial efficiencies by working through local cooperative agreements. Committee members in both House and Senate Education committees praised the legislation, calling it a good step forward for South Dakota public education. OUR ROLE: ASBSD worked with school districts and local legislators prior to session to draft whole grade-sharing legislation. During session worked with member districts and Department of Education to ensure passage. ASBSD also testified in support of SB 140 in the House and Senate committees. STATUS: July 1, 2009 whole grade-sharing becomes law in South Dakota. ASBSD will continue to follow the legislation through the administrative rule-making process to ensure maximum flexibility for local school boards. PRIORITY THREE: ASBSD supports legislation in increase the index factor of the state aid to education formula to 4 percent or the CPI-W, whichever is greater. OUTCOME: Index factor legislation was defeated due to the arrival of the American Recovery and Investment Act. OUR ROLE: ASBSD worked in advance of session to explain concepts of the legislation to member districts and to public at-large; and incorporated index factor legislature into public opinion polling to demonstrate statewide voter support. ASBSD also worked with lawmakers during session to move legislation out of Senate. STATUS: Sen. Dave Knudson, R-Sioux Falls, will bring forward the legislation again next session.

2010 ASBSD Legislative Priorities Please use this form to list your school board s top three (3) legislative priorities for the 2010 Legislative Session.

5 2010 ASBSD Legislative Priorities Please use this form to list your school board s top three (3) legislative priorities for the 2010 Legislative Session. Your input gives ASBSD valuable direction when advocating for your interests in Pierre. In addition to setting your board s priorities, please fill out the short survey at the bottom of the form. DIRECTIONS Please use this form to list your board s Top Three Legislative Priorities. Although there are a total of 19 resolutions, please select only up to 3 resolutions that are most important to your district. 1. If your board decides that one of the existing resolutions should be carried forward as a priority, refer to the resolutions and fill in the resolution number in the space below. 2. If your board feels that ASBSD should adopt a new resolution or change a current one, write the resolution and rationale on the 2010 Call for Resolutions Form provided. A new resolution may be selected as a priority. 3. Submit at least three priorities. 4. Please return this form to ASBSD by June 19, 2009 via to Michele Beeler (mbeeler@asbsd.org) fax ( ) or postal mail (P.O. Box 1059, Pierre, SD 57501). The Board of Directors of School District on, 2009, adopted the following legislative priorities on a vote of to. Signature of Board President or Business Manager:. Note: If you are completing this sheet electronically to be ed, simply type the name of your school board president or business official as recognition that your district officially endorses this policy statement. PRIORITY RESOLUTIONS: Advocacy Survey 1. During the 2009 Legislative Session, how many board meeting included a legislative update or discussion? more than 4 2. How many times did your board members contact legislators during the past year? more than How many times did your district s administrators contact legislators in the past 12 months? more than Did any of your legislators attend one of your board meetings? Yes No 5. How many legislative cracker-barrels did your board/administrators attend? more than 4

6 2010 Call for Resolutions Form Please use this form to submit a new resolution to ASBSD or to propose an amendment to a current ASBSD resolution. New resolutions may be selected as legislative priorities for the 2010 Legislative Session. Your input gives ASBSD valuable direction when advocating for your interests in Pierre. DIRECTIONS Please use this form to propose an amendment to a current ASBSD resolution or submit a new resolution for consideration at the 2009 ASBSD Delegate Assembly. 1. Write the resolution and rationale on this sheet, attaching additional sheets if necessary. 2. Each proposed resolution statement must have a rationale statement when it is presented to the membership prior to action at Delegate Assembly. Although delegates will take action only on the resolution, the rationale statement provides helpful background information to educate members on the need to support the resolution. 3. Please submit no more than three proposed changes or new resolutions. 4. Please return this form to ASBSD by June 19, 2009 via to Michele Beeler (mbeeler@asbsd.org) fax ( ) or postal mail (P.O. Box 1059, Pierre, SD 57501). Example RESOLUTION: ASBSD supports local governance of the school calendar. RATIONALE: Current law allows all school boards to maintain a students-first philosophy by adopting a school calendar that takes into account increasing academic standards as well as local priorities when establishing the school calendar. Current law also protects our fundamental right to vote by allowing school district citizens an avenue to refer and vote upon the school calendar. RESOLUTION: RATIONALE: The Board of Directors of School District on, 2009, adopted the following legislative priorities on a vote of to. Signature of Board President or Business Manager:. Note: If you are completing this sheet electronically to be ed, simply type the name of your school board president or business official as recognition that your district officially endorses this policy statement.

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