Also on the Committee's agenda was a presentation by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on the importance of enacting Senate Bill 1303, introduced by Senator Anthony Williams (D-8), which seeks temporary relief from Act 46 of 1998 to remedy an inaccurate and inequitable property assessment system in the city of Philadelphia.

To read the written testimony submitted or to view a visual/audio account of the Senate Education Committee meeting, click here.

House

On December 7, the House Education Committee unanimously reported the following bills that now await further consideration by the House:

House Bill 1823 (Rep. Joe Emerick, R-137) / Senate Bill 743 (Sen. John Rafferty, R-44) would allow a driver education instructor from a private driver training school to provide classroom instruction for driver education. HB 1823 and SB 743 are identical proposals.

Senate Bill 560 (Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24) would establish the State Military College Legislative Appointment Initiative Program. 

On December 8, the House Tourism and Recreation Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 137 (Rep. Robert Godshall, R-53) which amends the Public School Code to prohibit school districts from starting classes before Labor Day. For more information on today's hearing, contact the office of Representative Jerry Stern, Chairman of the House Tourism and Recreation Committee, at (717) 787-9020.

On December 1, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency announced that Kelley Hodge will serve as the Safe Schools Advocate for the School District of Philadelphia, advocating on behalf of students who are victims of crime on school property. Hodge will coordinate her efforts with police, prosecutors, the courts and victim service providers. In addition to her advocacy role, she will be in charge of monitoring the school district's compliance with reporting violent incidents to the Philadelphia Police Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Hodge brings more than 14 years of legal experience as a prosecutor and public defender to the position. Most recently, she worked as assistant chief for the Juvenile Court Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

For more information about PCCD or the Office of Safe Schools Advocate, visit www.pccd.state.pa.us.

On December 7, the Obama Administration hosted a White House forum recognizing the importance of the teaching profession. Honoring one hundred of the 6,200 teachers that achieved National Board Certification in 2011-- the most advanced professional credential available to educators, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan engaged in dialogue with the participants about how the Administration can support educators to ensure that every child receives high quality instruction. The daylong event is just one of several activities scheduled to elevate the teaching profession. For more information on USDE efforts to improve teacher quality and effectiveness, click here.

EPLC Education Notebook is published by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).  Permission to reprint or electronically redistribute the Notebook in whole or in part is granted provided attribution to EPLC is provided.  The Education Policy and Leadership Center is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit organization.  The Mission of the Education Policy and Leadership Center is to encourage and support the development and implementation of effective state-level education policies to improve student learning in grades P-12, increase the effective operation of schools, and enhance educational opportunities for citizens of all ages.