Over 140 public education bills have been introduced in a very short time, and many are proving to be pretty controversial. Politicians have hit Richmond with a vengeance and with bills overflowing their pockets. Transportation may top the list in much of the news, but close on the heels of that issue is another subject that is in the news and heading the list of Governor’s legislative initiatives – K-12 public education. And it’s not that Richmond wants to send more money to schools; it’s that legislators seem more interested in trading flexibility and innovative ideas for cash. There is money in the budget for teacher and administrative raises (2%) but the strings that are attached, such as tying the raises to the balance in the general fund, are making school divisions think twice about actually being able to carry through with the local match.
In other news, the VEA and the Administration made bold headlines when they released a joint press release announcing “peace in the valley” over the Governor’s continuing contract bill. VASSP has been working with the Administration and other major education associations since this past summer on the contract bill, and our efforts have paid off. Term contracts are out, and the Governor agreed to a 3-year probationary period over the proposed 5-year period for principals and assistant principals that was contained in the original legislation, as well as approving mentors for first-year principals and including a revised and streamlined grievance procedure.
There is little agreement on several other proposals from the Administration for 2013, including a proposal for a new school “grading system,” ostensibly for parents to better understand exactly how well their students’ schools are performing. Educators are in agreement that an A-F grading scale, based on state assessments and little else, will not only confuse the public but will not give them a true picture of school and student progress. VASSP and other education associations are also opposed to the Administration’s plans to put in place the Opportunity Institute to be under the auspices of the state for “failing” schools that do not make adequate progress for two years in a row. This idea, of course, flies in the face of local control of schools and is thought by many to be unconstitutional.
Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook, gun control has taken on national significance. The Governor and a number of legislators have suggested that arming administrators and teachers could make our schools safer. VASSP strongly opposes these types of inappropriate and dangerous responses and has, instead, expressed our support for additional SRO’s in all schools. Together with VASS and VAESP, VASSP sent out a joint press release in opposition to the idea of arming school personnel and in support of state funding for school resource officers. The Governor has since convened a school safety task force that includes VASSP representatives and which plans to make recommendations to the General Assembly.
There are a number of bills that contain more unfunded mandates, including a number of health-related bills that add training and supervisory requirements but which do not contemplate additional state funding or additional personnel. VASSP has been instrumental in revising bills related to bullying and truancy, to the point where we believe the legislation, as currently written, protects students and maintains administrative discretion.
Please continue to visit the VASSP web and blog sites for weekly updates on all the activity at the 2013 General Assembly and stay involved in the process at home and on the web. This is a short session, and bills move very quickly through the committee process. VASSP maintains and updates a listing of Priority Education bills on our web site, and we look forward to hearing from you.
