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HB 142 - Local Control of Teacher Evaluation Systems
This week, NHSBA offered testimony in support of HB 142, which states, "The school board is responsible for the development, adoption, implementation, and monitoring of a teacher evaluation system. The school board may consult with school administrators and teachers in the development of a teacher evaluation system." While current law requires boards to adopt a "teacher performance evaluation policy", and current rules require policies "to control and effectuate the recruitment, employment, evaluation...", the Dept. of Education opposed the bill, suggesting it would be a divisive attempt to move away from collaboration. The bill has been assigned for further review by a House Education sub-committee, with likely focus on the meaning of "implementation and monitoring", as well as whether boards "may" or "shall" consult with employees in the development of the evaluation system.
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SB 37 - Management Rights
, relative to management rights under collective bargaining, modifies the definition of "terms and conditions of employment" as it relates to public employee labor relations. This bill reflects a recently adopted NHSBA resolution, and proposes an amendment to RSA 273-A:1, XI: "The phrase "managerial policy within the exclusive prerogative of the public employer' shall be construed to include but shall not be limited to the functions, programs, and methods of the public employer, including the use of technology, the public employer's organizational structure, the selection, direction and number of its personnel, and the right to determine standards for evaluation, compensation, selection, layoff and retention, discipline, assignment and transfer, and other traditionally accepted managerial rights, so as to continue public control of governmental functions." The bill is scheduled for a public hearing next Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 9:30 am before the Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee.
ACTION ITEM
Please contact your local senator and members of the Senate Executive Departments & Administration Committee expressing your support for this bill. Recently adopted as an NHSBA resolution, the bill supports local control and strengthens the ability of boards to determine not only their compensation plans, but other management rights as well.
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HB 115 - Filling Vacancies on Cooperative School District Budget Committees
HB 115 proposes a change in how vacancies on a cooperative school district budget committee are filled. The bill seeks to make changes similar to the procedure adopted last year in SB 328 for filling vacancies on cooperative school boards. NHSBA offered testimony to the House Municipal & County Government Committee seeking to clarify and include the authority of a local board to fill a vacancy of its representative on the budget committee. The bill is currently under review by the Committee.
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Dept. of Education Makes Budget Presentation to the House Finance Committee
The House Finance Committee is currently hearing presentations from all state agencies regarding budget requests for the next biennium. This week the Dept. of Education presented an overview of their operations and budgeted expenditures. Of the Department's nearly $1.3 billion expenditure this year, 75% was within the Education Trust Fund, which accounts for Adequacy. $221.5 million in Federal Funds represented another 17% of the Department's operations, and under $100 million in state General Fund obligations made up the remaining 8%. Most of the State General Fund expenditure (84%) is devoted to Financial Aid to School Districts: Building Aid (fulfilling previous commitments) $47 million; Catastrophic Special Education Aid $21.5 million; Tuition & Transportation Aid $6.9 million; Dropout Prevention $600,000; Statewide Special Education $100,000; and Court Ordered Placements $1.5 million. Building aid currently funds only state commitments for previously approved projects; there have been no new approvals for four years. Both Catastrophic Aid and Tuition and Transportation Aid are currently funded at less than 70% of entitlements. Also notable is that of the Department's 307 total employee positions, 235 are funded with federal money.
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SB 40 - Current Year FY 2013 Adequate Education Funding
SB 40 addresses a calculation error by the Dept. of Education for current year Adequacy Funding. When applying the Hold Harmless provision for Adequate Education Funding (Stabilization Grants), many communities were given notice of approximately $3.5 million more than the hold harmless provision technically provided for FY 2013. SB 40 seeks to restore the original level of funding for which school districts previously received notice and were anticipating as revenue this year.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 40 next Tuesday, Jan. 22nd, at 1:15 in Room 103 SH.
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Additional Education Related Hearings Scheduled Next Week
Tuesday, January 22
HOUSE EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
10:00 a.m. HB 201, relative to school district policies on health and sex education.
10:45 a.m. HB 251, relative to the legislative members of the home education advisory council.
11:00 a.m. HB 223, relative to access to school-approved means of communication by recognized youth organizations.
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES, Room 103, LOB
10:15 a.m. SB 23, directing the school administrative unit legislative oversight committee to
study the consolidation of school administrative units.
10:30 a.m. SB 27, relative to monitoring by the department of education of programs for children
with disabilities.
Wednesday, January 23
HOUSE EDUCATION, Room 207, LOB
1:15 p.m. HB 180, relative to the definitions of "student athlete and sports" for the management of head injury.
2:00 p.m. HB 214, relative to eligibility of students enrolled in college courses to participate in extracurricular activities.
2:30 p.m. HB 213, requiring college courses completed by a high school student to be counted in the student's GPA.
HOUSE LABOR, INDUSTRIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Room 307, LOB
1:30 p.m. HB 187, relative to deliberative sessions in towns that have adopted official ballot voting.
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