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Virginia Association
of Secondary School Principals
The professional
association of middle and high school administrators since 1906
4909 Cutshaw Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230
804.355.2777
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| EdLeader Your News & Information Source |
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CAPITOL
ISSUES
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3.3.10. CAPITAL ISSUES BUDGET ANALYSIS: House budget
recommends removing state funding for secondary planning
period; both House and Senate budgets eliminate funding for
travel, lease and rental. House reduces funding for
at-risk through block granting and lowering total dollars.
Click to read
the budget review.
2.26.10. BUDGET NEWS: "House and Senate submit competing
budgets with health care and K-12 education taking brunt of
cuts. Senate cuts less from K-12 than House or
Governor McDonnell's recommendations. Both legislative
budgets draw from VRS to make up deficit. VEA research
on budgets suggests that K-12 job losses in the Senate
budget could be as high as 14,648 (cuts to K-12 at $568M)
and over 22,200 in House budget (cuts to K-12 at $863M)."
Click to read budget amendment analysis brief.
2.11.10. VASSP update of legislation includes bills to delay
implementation of new regulations, allow extension beyond 90
days for some substitute teachers, guidelines for
concussions; defeated bills opposed by VASSP include
reporting of all incidents of physical restraint of student,
repeal of ability of principal to short term suspend student
accused of violence against another student, regulation of
competitive foods and required 80 hours of training for
aides in autism spectrum. House and Senate Bills that
pass respective houses will "crossover" to the other on
Tuesday, February 16. There are no clear budget
numbers to report, but there is consensus that K-12 funding
will likely take a big hit. To read text of bills,
click on bill number (in blue); VASSP notes appear below
priority bills."
2.11.10. Information on bills VASSP is tracking through
February 11. Latest Action.
2.5.10. Subcommittees advance bills to be heard in full
House Education Committee the week of February 8 including
bills on charter schools, participation of homeschool
students in high school athletics and additional training
for special education aides in area of autism spectrum.
Latest Action.
1.27.10. All bills are in for the 2010 Session and VASSP
tracks education legislation and maintains a daily presence
at the General Assembly. Many of these bills will not
become law and most that pass will be amended. To
view
these bills, click on the bill number; and to track the
changes to these bills, log on to the VASSP Web site weekly.
1.22.10. VASSP identifies early controversial education
bills of priority importance to principals.
Explanatory notes prepared by VASSP follow the summaries.
To view entire bill,
click on bill number. Let us know of any questions
or concerns and go online often to view updates throughout
the 2010 General Assembly Session.
1.18.10. Capitol Issues Legislative Update: "2010
General Assembly bills exceed 2,000 already introduced with
another week to go. Education bills include those that
address a 65% solution for classroom spending, changes to
the date for opening schools, bullying, additional training
for teachers and aides, uniform grading policy, regulation
of vending machines, allowances for private students to
participate in sports and many more."
Click on the bill number to
read the entire bill. Visit the VASSP Web site often
for updates on all education bills and let us know your
thoughts.
ARCHIVED CAPITOL
ISSUES, 2007-2009
3.05.09. Capitol Issues Legislative Update: "2009 Session
ends on time and with a budget that uses federal stimulus
funds to boost K-12 funding. Priority education bills
include those that expand discipline authority of principals,
set guidelines for cyberbullying and delay implementation of
new regulations related to school accreditation for one
year. Legislators defeated bills to require financial
literacy course for graduation, require a statewide uniform
grading policy and allow concealed weapons on school
property. See
full report for all Priority Education Bills
Passed and Notable Failures."
2008 General Assembly Update 8/18/08: Changes
in Virginia School Law (Click)
7/1/08 "New education legislation to go into
effect on July 1 so check out "What's
Hot in July!"
3/13/08:
Capitol Issues Priority Education Bill Update: Final action on
key education bills favor VASSP positions. Bills that were
recently defeated or amended to lessen impact on administrators
include: Bill to expand statute on religious expression
favorably amended, students allowed choice regarding advanced or
advanced technical diploma, bill to require reporting of
unexcused absences to DMV defeated, and bills to require
additional PE for all students and regulation of competitive
foods amended to be aspirational rather than mandated.
Failed Bills
3/13/08:
Budget Note: 2008 General Assembly expected to adjourn today
and to accept House and Senate conference recommendations paving
the way for acceptance of a state budget for the next
biennium. Budget includes state share for salary incentive of
2% (requiring local match), beginning in July of 2009, for
school personnel including principals and assistant principals.
Also included is funding for rebenchmarking of SOQ. Budget
Update 3:8
BUDGET
UPDATE March 7, 2008: "No budget in sight as 2008
General Assembly Session approaches Saturday deadline."
Dueling press releases take precedence over compromise budget
reports as House and Senate conferees continue to disagree over a
final state budget. To the relief of local governments and
school divisions, the House has agreed to acceed to the Senate's
demand that they drop their plan for a new SOQ rebenchmarking
methodology. This compromise will necessitate removal
of supplementary construction funding, according to House
conferees, and puts raises for school personnel in doubt.
Senate conferees continue to negotiate for second-year
raises
General Assembly Update, March 3: Local government and school
division representatives hold Capitol Press Conference in attempt
to expose faulty House budget rebenchmarking methodology that
would mean the loss of milliions to local school divisions. (Click)
BUDGET
ALERT :
OPPOSE HOUSE BUDGET ITEM
140#52h.
This item seeks to set in motion a new rebenchmarking methodology
for updating salaries for public school personnel by discounting
local salary incentives and applying only state salary incentive
funding to calculate salary averages for purposes of
rebenchmarking. This year's House budget uses the new methodology
to rebenchmark support salaries resulting in a loss of over $60M
per year to localities. If the new methodology is approved and
applied to all salaries in the next biennium, localities could
lose over $400M for rebenchmarking, a loss neither they nor local
school divisions could sustain. CONTACT your local Senator today
and ask them to OPPOSE ITEM 140#52h in the proposed House
budget. It is particularly important to contact members of the
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE if you are a constituent:
Membership:
Colgan (Chairman)-D,
Wampler-R,
Stosch-R,
Houck-D,
Howell-D,
Saslaw-D,
Stolle-R,
Quayle-R,
Norment-R,
Hanger-R,
Watkins-R,
Miller, Y.B.-D,
Marsh-D,
Lucas-D,
Whipple-D,
Reynolds-D. Fax
number for Senators is 804-698-7651.
Important Bills to Track in 2008
Capitol Issues Update for Week of January 28: VASSP
following key education bills remaining in House and Senate
subcommittees. See lobbyist's notes on important legislation still
"in play" and click on link to view entire bill.
Finance Bills Update (click)
CAPITOL ISSUES UPDATE:
2.22.08: VASSP is continuing to
follow priority education bills that have passed
both the House and Senate or are awaiting final
action. VASSP Lobbyist Bet Neale is most closely
monitoring the following bills in your priority
list: HB 214,242,395,1135,1218,1242,1438 SB
114,136,636,721. (Click)
2.19.08 House and Senate conferees unveil biennial
budget recommendations. Disagreement over funding
for Governor's pre-K initiative and use of rainy day
fund leads to first Senate budget minority report in
over 3 decades. State salary incentives vary with
Senate including a 2.5% increase beginning in
December of '09 and the House recommending a 2%
increase beginning in December of '08. (Click) 2.13.08 CAPITOL ISSUES
UPDATE
UPDATE: 2.7.08
SB
537
and
HB 438
FAIL
to go forward in House and Senate Committees.
VASSP
leads opposition to Senate bill that would
mandate grade-changing policy and House bill to
require
reporting of unexcused absences to DMV.
2.03.08 (details)
House Education Committee defeats HB 375, to allow
non-public school students to participate in sports
activities. Senate Education Subcommittee to hear
additional testimony on SB 537, to require specific
school board policy on grade-changing.
2007 General Assembly Update:
Virginia School
Law
August 29, 2007:
Joint Subcommittee on Obesity" hears from Center for
Disease Control in Atlanta, which does not currently
support policy of collecting student BMI information.
Alarming statistics reveal that health costs related to
obesity could consume 38% of the GNP in our lifetime.
July State Board Update:
"State Board approves re-benchmarking figure to
be forwarded to the Governor and the General Assembly.
The current estimate is an additonal $1.1 Billion in
state funds to "maintain the status quo" for public
education. That figure does not include fall 2007 data
which could raise the amount of the state contribution
to $1.5 B."
4.10.07: View
education bills that will go into effect July 1.
"Veto Session anti-climactic as Governor adds few
amendments to the budget bill; no major changes to funding
for public education; CTE bill amended by Governor to add
"advanced technical diploma."
February 16, 2007: On a vote
of 13 to 7, SB 1419 failed
to be reported from House Appropriations on Friday,
February 16. Senator Walter Stosch's special education
"scholarship" bill for students of "dissatisfied"
parents bypassed votes in the Senate and House education
committees but passed in Senate Finance as well as the full
Senate. Failure in the House Appropriations
Committee appears to mark the end of this issue for the 2007
Session following intense lobbying efforts from every
major public education organization in the state.
Update 2.15.07
VASSP successful in defeating major parental notification
bills in Senate Education and Health Committees. Bill to
"share the bus" with private school students advances.
1.28.2007.VASSP
leads opposition in defeating bill to remove licensure
requirements for administrators; bill to require principals
to report student immigration status fails. Introduced bills top 2,500 mark. Click on bills on
the VASSP Priority bill list
"SHARE THE RIDE, PARENTAL
NOTIFICATION AND SPECIAL ED VOUCHER BILLS UNDER
CONSIDERATION IN SENATE AFTER PASSING HOUSE. VASSP
CONTINUING TO OPPOSE."
tional law
enforcement notification to principals and an on-line sex
offender registry for schools." (details)
July Technical Diploma
Update: "A special committee of the State Board
hears testimony from business and education
leaders regarding the new technical diploma options.
VASSP to testify at committee's next meeting."
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