2012 Legislative Session Ends - School Choice Success
Last week the Georgia General Assembly completed another productive legislative session for school choice. Because of success on multiple pieces of legislation, more Georgia families are closer to having access to high-quality public and private schools.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our calls to action and contacted their legislators in support of school choice. Legislators frequently told us about the calls and emails they received, and they do make a difference.
While it was certainly a successful three months, our work for the year is not yet complete. Governor Deal has 40 days to sign or veto the bills passed by the General Assembly. Should he fail to act, any bill not signed into law or vetoed will automatically become law. Please contact the Governor to express your support for school choice and education reform legislation that awaits his signature (see below).
Additionally, the charter school constitutional amendment will be on the ballot in November. For the latest information on how you can get involved in this campaign, visit www.brightergeorgia.org.
Special Needs Scholarship Improvements Need Governor's Signature
Legislation to increase access to the Special Needs Scholarship passed the Georgia legislature on the final day of the legislative session, receiving final approval from the House with a 115-51 vote.
House Bill 181 creates multiple scholarship enrollment dates so students can transfer schools during the year. As the program currently exists, if a student wants to transfer from a public to a private school during the school year the student will forfeit her/his scholarship eligibility.
The bill also establishes set scholarship payment deadlines and allows parents of children with severe medical conditions to petition the State Board of Education for an exception to the one year public school enrollment requirement for the scholarship.
If signed by Governor Deal, the new law will improve awareness, access, and efficiency of the Special Needs Scholarship. Contact the Governor to express your support for House Bill 181.
School Grading Bill Passes General Assembly
After failing to pass just a few days earlier, legislation to grade schools passed the House 94-76 on the final day of the legislative session. Soon after, the Senate voted 39-16 to agree to the House version.
Senate Bill 410 will provide numerical grades on a 0 to 100 scale for individual schools and school systems based on student achievement, achievement gap closure, and student progress. They also will receive star ratings out of five in financial efficiency and school climate.
While the final version of the legislation removed CEG's preferred requirement for A through F letter grades, the new grading scale should still help parents have a better understanding of how their school is actually performing.
Bill Creates New State Charter Commission
If voters approve the charter school constitutional amendment in November, Georgia will have a new state authorizer of charter schools based on the amendment's enabling legislation, House Bill 797. The General Assembly approved HB 797 on the final day of the session with a House vote of 117-55. The Senate approved the measure earlier in the week with a 38-14 vote.
The legislation requires the State Board of Education to appoint a seven member State Charter Schools Commission. The new Commission will have similar powers as the previous version that was struck down by the Georgia Supreme Court in May 2011. These powers include approving and denying petitions for state charter schools, developing and promoting best practices for state charter schools, and evaluating the performance of approved schools.
General Assembly Improves Access to Online Learning
Two bills aimed at expanding online education options passed on the final day of the legislative session. HB 289requires the State Board of Education to establish rules and regulations to maximize the number of students who complete at least one online course. It also requires school systems to provide opportunities for all students in grades 3 to 12 to participate in part-time and full-time virtual instruction programs.
House Bill 175 requires the Department of Education to establish a clearinghouse of online learning courses offered by local systems and charter schools. This will allow for students to take online courses from other local school systems or charter schools.
Thanks to these bills, Georgia is poised to become a leader in online education, a valuable school choice option for many families.
©2012 The Center for an Educated Georgia. All rights reserved
Last week the Georgia General Assembly completed another productive legislative session for school choice. Because of success on multiple pieces of legislation, more Georgia families are closer to having access to high-quality public and private schools.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our calls to action and contacted their legislators in support of school choice. Legislators frequently told us about the calls and emails they received, and they do make a difference.
While it was certainly a successful three months, our work for the year is not yet complete. Governor Deal has 40 days to sign or veto the bills passed by the General Assembly. Should he fail to act, any bill not signed into law or vetoed will automatically become law. Please contact the Governor to express your support for school choice and education reform legislation that awaits his signature (see below).
Additionally, the charter school constitutional amendment will be on the ballot in November. For the latest information on how you can get involved in this campaign, visit www.brightergeorgia.org.
Special Needs Scholarship Improvements Need Governor's Signature
Legislation to increase access to the Special Needs Scholarship passed the Georgia legislature on the final day of the legislative session, receiving final approval from the House with a 115-51 vote.
House Bill 181 creates multiple scholarship enrollment dates so students can transfer schools during the year. As the program currently exists, if a student wants to transfer from a public to a private school during the school year the student will forfeit her/his scholarship eligibility.
The bill also establishes set scholarship payment deadlines and allows parents of children with severe medical conditions to petition the State Board of Education for an exception to the one year public school enrollment requirement for the scholarship.
If signed by Governor Deal, the new law will improve awareness, access, and efficiency of the Special Needs Scholarship. Contact the Governor to express your support for House Bill 181.
School Grading Bill Passes General Assembly
After failing to pass just a few days earlier, legislation to grade schools passed the House 94-76 on the final day of the legislative session. Soon after, the Senate voted 39-16 to agree to the House version.
Senate Bill 410 will provide numerical grades on a 0 to 100 scale for individual schools and school systems based on student achievement, achievement gap closure, and student progress. They also will receive star ratings out of five in financial efficiency and school climate.
While the final version of the legislation removed CEG's preferred requirement for A through F letter grades, the new grading scale should still help parents have a better understanding of how their school is actually performing.
Bill Creates New State Charter Commission
If voters approve the charter school constitutional amendment in November, Georgia will have a new state authorizer of charter schools based on the amendment's enabling legislation, House Bill 797. The General Assembly approved HB 797 on the final day of the session with a House vote of 117-55. The Senate approved the measure earlier in the week with a 38-14 vote.
The legislation requires the State Board of Education to appoint a seven member State Charter Schools Commission. The new Commission will have similar powers as the previous version that was struck down by the Georgia Supreme Court in May 2011. These powers include approving and denying petitions for state charter schools, developing and promoting best practices for state charter schools, and evaluating the performance of approved schools.
General Assembly Improves Access to Online Learning
Two bills aimed at expanding online education options passed on the final day of the legislative session. HB 289requires the State Board of Education to establish rules and regulations to maximize the number of students who complete at least one online course. It also requires school systems to provide opportunities for all students in grades 3 to 12 to participate in part-time and full-time virtual instruction programs.
House Bill 175 requires the Department of Education to establish a clearinghouse of online learning courses offered by local systems and charter schools. This will allow for students to take online courses from other local school systems or charter schools.
Thanks to these bills, Georgia is poised to become a leader in online education, a valuable school choice option for many families.
©2012 The Center for an Educated Georgia. All rights reserved
