Please stay in touch with your local legislators through regularly scheduled forums. The League of Women Voters sponsors forums the last Saturday of the month in Johnson County at various locations. The February 23 forum is scheduled for the Coralville Public Library and begins at 9:30 televised. Cedar Rapids has a Linn County Forum on Feb 16. The recent proposal in Iowa by Governor Branstad on education issues should concern us all. Contact the ISEA for further information. See below for current details. Melissa is our ISEA lobbyist.
1.
Melissa Petersen gave a legislative update. She informed us that the special election in HD 52 to
replace was successful with the election of Dem. Todd Pritchard.
The
senate moved 4% allowable growth, and 4% categorical growth. Branstad has announced that education
reform will pass before allowable growth is decided.
Melissa
has asked that we take note of what the legislators say in their home districts
and forums compared to how they vote when back in Des Moines.
The
Governor's education reform bill (HSB 4 and SSB 1058) will be eligible for
debate possibly the 3rd week in February.
Melissa commented that much time is spent sorting fact from fiction, and
that the educational task force presentations do not seem to align with
proposed legislation.
The
education reform bill has five basic divisions:
Division
1. Iowa Learning Online
Program. Currently, 872 students are
using the program, primarily students with IEPs. The program is run by the state as a non-profit entity. The bill asks for $4.5 million dollars
to expand the program and build more infrastructure capacity. ISEA sees this as a possible state
option vs. the private online companies such as K-12 Learning.
Division
2. Training and Employment of
Teachers. Creates a marketing
program and mandatory posting for teachers on a state run website.
There
would be a Iowa Teacher Scholar Program involving loan forgiveness for $4,000.
over teaching for five years in Iowa, but no loan forgiveness after $20,000.
Teacher
Pilot Program to collaborate with colleges and universities to extend student
teaching for one full year. The
idea is to student teach for four days, and on the fifth day, a college
education professor meets with the student teacher.
Division
3.
Iowa
Premier Diploma Seal Program.
("Decorate Your Diploma") Appropriate $4 million
dollars to identify high school students as college ready, career ready,
or not seal for not ready, diplomas.
Three of the four million dollars would be reserved for testing
purposes. A commission of 20
members would oversee the diploma seal program, only four member would be
teachers, the rest heavily industry representatives. Concerns expressed by
board members were that this could be potentially discriminatory and harken
back to the old days of "tracking" students.
Division
4.
Teacher
and Administrative Development System.
Melissa noted that the biggest problem she sees is that the program
essentially gives all power to the DOE director and State Board of Education
for the development of teaching standards and evaluation methods. No one is happy to see this kind of power
turned over to eleven people, and this leaves educators vulnerable.
Division
5.
Teacher
& Career Compensation Matters.
This creates five teaching levels:
1. Initial
2. Career
3. Model - Minimum $2,000 stipend
for 5 additional days of work.
4. Mentor - 10 added work days at
$5,000. Out of classroom 25%
5. Leader - 15 added work days at
$10,000. Out of classroom no less
than 50%
The
legislation creates minimum $35,000. salary.
The
proposal provides for $10 million for community colleges. ISEA projects at least $22 million is
necessary and can be funded in light of current budget surplus.
No
funding for AEAs proposed.
Talking
points for legislative forums and conversations with legislators can be found
on the ISEA website.
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