April 26 - 30, 2010

Inside This Issue

• Legislative Session Ends Without Passing Corporate Welfare Bill
• Teacher and Principal Evaluation Bill
• Bill Targeting Ethnic Studies Passes State Legislature
• Classroom Site Fund Fix
• Education Debate in Sedona for State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• News Links

Legislative Session Ends Without Passing Corporate Welfare Bill
The Arizona Legislature officially adjourned sine die last night at 11:10 p.m. Many big education bills were passed this week. AEA is completing summaries of these bills - what passed and failed - and will report on them in next week's Legislative Update.
 
This session has been busy and AEA played defense against some bad legislation. While some troubling bills passed, some were also stopped, such as HB 2250. This bill would have cut corporate taxes by more than $640 million and over eight years would have cost the General Fund nearly $2.1 billion. This bill passed in the House and in the Senate Finance Committee, but then it stalled in the Senate. If HB 2250 had passed it would have plunged Arizona's economy into further ruin, just as the millions in corporate tax cuts passed in 2006 are harming our economy now.
 
Thank you to all the public education supporters who took action and contacted their elected officials in support of Arizona's public schools and the people who work and learn in them. Your efforts prevented the passage of bills like HB 2250 that would have hurt our schools.
 
With the session over it is time to refocus our efforts in passing Proposition 100. Arizona schools would face nearly $1 billion in cuts if this ballot measure fails. Learn more about Proposition 100 at www.yeson100.com or visit AEA's Prop 100 Web page.

Teacher and Principal Evaluation Bill
SB 1040 passed out of the House and Senate this week and is on its way to the Governor, who will likely sign the bill into law. A summary of the bill appears below. View SB 1040. The AEA worked with legislators and other education groups to improve this bill, redirecting it from its single focus on a teacher and principal evaluation instrument to a more systemic approach to addressing teacher quality.
 
SB1040 charges the State Board of Education (SBE) to create a framework for teacher and principal evaluation that incorporates "data on student academic progress" into the evaluation. The bill allows for flexibility by leaving the definition of that data open and by creating a weight range rather than mandating a single, statewide weight, as the bill originally did.
 
Additionally, the State Board framework must include recommendations for evaluator training and professional development aligned with evaluation outcomes. It is AEA's position that simply changing an evaluation instrument to include data on student progress - without building in mechanisms for fairness, reliability, and teacher support - is unfair and incomplete.
 
The SBE must design and approve the evaluation framework in time to be implemented in the 2011-12 school year. AEA will work with the SBE to make certain that the result is a research-based framework that is fair, valid, and reliable - and that has as its primary intent the improvement of instructional and site leader practice. AEA will also advocate that the framework leave to districts and employee associations the appropriate design and implementation decisions.

• Requires the State Board of Education on or before December 15, 2011, to adopt and maintain a model framework for a teacher and principal evaluation instrument that includes quantitative data on student academic progress that accounts for between 33% and 50% of the evaluation outcomes and best practices for professional development and evaluator training.
• Requires school districts and charter schools to use an instrument that meets the data requirements established by the State Board of Education to annually evaluate individual teachers and principals beginning in school year 2012-2013.

Bill Targeting Ethnic Studies Passes State Legislature
Thursday afternoon the Arizona Legislature passed HB 2281. View HB 2281. This bill, commonly referred to as the "ethnic studies bill" or "Raza Studies," intended to prohibit the Tucson Unified School District from being able to continue with its Raza Studies Program. As many of you are aware, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has made this issue his "pet project" and has pushed it every year for the past few legislative sessions. Unfortunately, it finally had the votes to pass this time. The bill passed on a nearly party-line vote with all legislative Democrats Republicans Senator Carolyn Allen and Representative Lucy Mason voting in opposition. HB 2281 will now be transmitted to Governor Brewer for her signature. If passed, the bill would take effect January 1, 2011.
 
Classroom Site Fund Fix
On Wednesday the state legislature passed SB 1284, which is now waiting for the governor's approval. This bill will permit the budget capacity for the Classroom Site Fund to be $120 per pupil for next school year (2010-2011). This helps soften the drastic reduction in Classroom Site Fund dollars for next school year in school districts that would have only received a $25 per pupil budget capacity. These districts will now be able to budget for the $120 per pupil amount.
 
Education Debate in Sedona for State Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Arizona School Board Association is hosting a debate for candidates of Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction on Thursday, May 13, at the West Sedona School, in Sedona, at 7 p.m.
 
Come to the debate and bring your questions for the candidates. Mr. Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent will be the moderator. Attending the debate will be: Margaret Dugan, Republican; Penny Kotterman, Democrat; John Huppenthal, Republican; and Jason Williams, Democrat.
　
For more information on the debate please contact: Karen McClelland, Yavapai County Director, Arizona School Board Association at klm@esedona.net or 928-284-0001.
 
News Links

Arizona to Reapply for Federal Education Grant
Despite an embarrassing review of its first application, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer will announce today that the state again will compete for a piece of the $4 billion Race to the Top federal grant. It is the largest competitive education grant ever offered and the state's cut could be as much as $250 million.
 
Schools Could Be Impacted by Immigration Law
While school districts are not directly addressed in the immigration law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer on Friday, they are "political subdivisions" which could share information with law enforcement groups.
 
Contact Us
Please contact Sheenae Shannon, Communications Organizational Consultant, sheenae.shannon@arizonaea.org for questions and comments.