Transcript CAPTA LEGISLATION

CAPTA LEGISLATION
Brian Bonner
Legislative Advocate
California State PTA
Tonight’s Topics
• California State PTA Legislative Program
(short edition)
• CAPTA School Finance and Education
Reform Priorities
• Recommendations from Governor’s
Committee on Education Excellence
• CAPTA Positions on ESEA-NCLB
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4.2 -California State PTA
Legislative Program
• 4.2.1 PTA Legislation Team
• 4.2.2 Legislation Program
– 4.2.2a -Specific PTA legislative activities
– 4.2.2b -Action on Legislation
• 4.2.3 -California State PTA
Legislative Bill Positions
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4.2.1 PTA Legislation Team
• Director of Legislation & Legislative Advocates:
Education (3); Parent Involvement (1);
Community Concerns (1); Health (1)
• Responsible for identifying legislation for
discussion with commissions
• Legislation Action Committee takes positions on
bills
• Legislation team is responsible for all further
actions on the legislation
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4.2.2 Legislation Program
• 4.2.2a -Specific PTA legislative
activities
• 4.2.2b -Action on Legislation
• 4.2.2c -Authority for PTA Action on
Legislation
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4.2.2a -Specific PTA
Legislative Activities
• Analyze legislation or initiatives.
• Take PTA positions on specific bills and ballot measures
based on position statements, resolutions or platform.
• Advocate for passage or defeat of selected measures.
• Inform members about PTA positions on current
legislation and on statewide ballot measures, and
encourage local actions when needed.
• The nonpartisan policy of the PTA is a requirement of
federal law as a condition of PTA’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
status. The nonpartisan policy permits action on issues.
PTA supports or opposes issues but never candidates or
parties (Nonpartisan Policy 1.3.3).
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Sources of Authority for PTA
Action on Legislation
• The Legislation Platform principles and planks;
• Convention resolutions adopted by California
State PTA convention delegates;
• Position statements and resolutions adopted by
the California State PTA Board of Managers;
• National PTA convention resolutions;
• National PTA Board of Directors position
statements and legislative directives;
• Previous PTA action on the same issue; and
• Purposes of the PTA.
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Bill and Initiative Positions
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4.2.3 -California State PTA Legislative Bill Positions
Support
Oppose.
Oppose Unless Amended.
Support if Amended.
Seek Amendments.
Approve.
Watch.
4.2.3a -Positions on State Initiatives and Propositions
Support.
Oppose.
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
Systemic Reform
– California’s public education system must be
focused on student needs, rather than being
“compliance-driven.”
– The definition of a quality education must
include breadth and depth far beyond the 3
“R’s.”
– Quality education must be individualized.
– Any reforms must be funded at levels that
ensure successful implementation.
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
Funding
• Increase the overall per-pupil allocation of
funding to improve outcomes for all children.
• All funding must be used wisely.
• The state budget process must be stable and
provide adequate resources.
• The school finance system at all levels must be
more transparent.
• The school finance system must account for
differences in the needs of children and local
communities.
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
High Quality Staff
• Quality education depends above all on quality
staff.
• Teachers must be expertly trained in
interdisciplinary approaches.
• Leadership development must include training in
the evaluation and coaching of staff.
• Additional investments must be made to raise
staffing levels of school support personnel.
• Considered more flexibility in the compensation
of staff .
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
Parent and Community Engagement
• Strengthening the connection between families
and schools must be a priority.
• Staff development at all levels must include
strategies to increase parental and community
engagement.
• Allow maximum collaboration between local
agencies and entities that deliver programs and
services for children and families.
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
Governance
• Decision-making authority must be moved closer to the
district and/or school site.
• The state should establish standards and maintain and
support the state accountability program.
• Whenever it is in the best interests of children and
families, local schools and locally elected school boards
that are accountable to the local communities who elect
them, must have maximum ability to set policies and
make decisions to ensure all students meet the
standards.
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CAPTA School Finance and
Education Reform Priorities
Data
– School and state data systems must be
accessible, and comprehensive.
– Measure student performance across time.
– Assessments must be accurate, timely and
student-focused.
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Governor’s Committee on
Education Excellence
• Focus on four issues:
– the distribution and adequacy of education
funding;
– the functioning and effectiveness of
governance structures;
– teacher recruitment and training; and
– the preparation and retention of school
administrators.
– www.everychildprepared.org
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9/6 Committee Town Hall
Meeting
• Guiding principle — Students need to be at the center of
the enterprise
• Create a cycle of continuous improvement driven by
– data
– focus on professionals, reward their success, incentives
– more flexible finance system sensitive to students individual
needs
– local control, few rules and regulations, less interference from
Sacramento
• More rigorous accountability, if not successful state takes
control with news state appointed management.
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Students
– need to start with youngest children
– high-quality preschool, beginning with children in
poverty with long-term goal of universal preschoolbut not one provider
– all-day kindergarten, September birthday eventually
moving back one month each year, money savings
would be allocated to preschool
– need more time than what is currently given for
language development
– expand slowly so teachers can be adequately trained
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Teachers & Administrators
• High quality teachers biggest factor in improving student
achievement
• existing mismatches and recruitment and training (current
programs exist; e.g. There are para-professionals — mostly
parents — who can move into teaching and be paid during
their training)
• Create more opportunities for more potential teachers to
enter the field
• process of certifying teacher training institutions needs to
change
• evaluation should include how long in field how successful
with students
• Wary of blunt instruments like merit pay but believe an
incentive system needs to be a place that includes: peer
observation, administrator evaluation, student success
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Teachers & Administrators
• Current system of testing not adequate for
evaluating student success
• Need financial and other incentives encourage
most experienced and excellent teachers to work
and stay in disadvantaged areas
• All of the above applies to administrators (not
only principals)
• Ane of the things that currently is lacking is
transparency to parents and other stakeholders
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Finance
• New system — student based finance
system
• Base plus add-ons for needs such as
English language learners and poverty
• Districts will decide how to allocate their
funds
• Provide appropriate resources
• Districts will be held harmless
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Finance
• Projections are that student populations
will flatten or decline — Proposition 98
calculation will change to Test I — more
funding per pupil
• The committee will acknowledge the need
for more investment in education
• Current system allows administrators to
blame the state
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Governance
• Need better data system to track student
learning
• High “collective” standards, but local
control
• Need to reward high performance and
sharing of best practices
• New developmental services for struggling
districts, intervention coming from county
offices of education
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Governance
• Committee likes the British School Inspector
system — may recommend it
• Recommending that State Board of Education
become and advisory board — send more
decision make authority to local districts
• Need a student identifier that crosses agencies
— could track students after they leave school
[did they go to workforce or penal system]
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ESEA-NCLB
• Per NPTA Washington Office —
– Markup not likely to happen on 9/24 as scheduled in
House Education and Labor Committee
– House Draft is over 1000 pages long — Title I is 435
pages alone [100’s of comments submitted]
– Very controversial not likely to get it off the floor if bill
leaves Committee
– Senate action in mid-October at earliest
– Would be surprised if anything passed
– NPTA is focusing on parent involvement sections
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CAPTA Positions on ESEA-NCLB
Parent Involvement
• PTA supports strong parent involvement
programs in all public schools. The parent
involvement provisions of NCLB, based on
the “National PTA Standards for Parent
/Family Involvement “, are meant to
strengthen parent participation.
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ACCOUNTABILITYASSESSMENT
• PTA believes that accountability is a continuous
process involving parents, teachers,
administrators, students and community
members. The focus of accountability should be
on student learning and approached with an
attitude of collaboration, correction and
encouragement.
• PTA believes assessment must be an integral
part of the instructional process and that the
overall goal of any assessment program should
be to identify what students know and how well
they can apply that knowledge.
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School Choice & Supplemental
Education Services
• PTA supports parental choice within the
public school system.
• Parental choice in both school attendance
and supplemental education services
should be based on the educational needs
of each student.
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Teachers-School Safety
• Highly Qualified Teachers
– PTA believes that all students must have access to
well prepared and highly effective teachers.
• School Safety
– PTA believes every child is entitled to a safe and
positive school climate that provides for the emotional
and physical safety of each student, recognizes the
efforts of each student to reach his or her full
potential, and provides the social and cultural
acceptance every student needs for high self-esteem.
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Funding
• PTA believes public schools must be
financed at levels sufficient to provide
optimum educational opportunities for all
students. PTA is concerned about the
consistent lack of funding for full
implementation of the No Child Left
Behind Act.
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CAPTA LEGISLATION
Brian A. Bonner
Legislative Advocate
California State PTA
[email protected]