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Georgia State Board of Education Meeting
November 2014
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The State Board of Education met in Atlanta for its regular scheduled monthly meetings on November 5-6, 2014. On Wednesday, the board members met in committee. The Budget Committee, Flexibility and Charter Committee, Rules Committee and Operations Committee each met to review items proposed by Department of Education staff for action by the Board. (Note: The name of the Charter Committee has been changed to the District Flexibility and Charter Schools Committee.)
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On Thursday, November 6th, Chair Helen Rice called the November meeting of the state board to order, and the 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year Amanda Milner gave the inspiration and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
A public hearing was held on proposed amendments and proposed new rules: Promotion, Placement, and Retention; Statewide Passing Score; Educational Facility Site, Construction, and Reimbursement; Charter Schools Definitions; Charter Schools Petition Process; Charter Authorizers, Financing, and Management; and Charter Systems.
The board met as a committee of the whole to review recommendations from the previous day's committee meetings. Highlights of the board's action on Thursday include:
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Grant
The board authorized the State School Superintendent to accept a grant in the amount of $1,905,242 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Grants to Griffin-Spalding, Muscogee, and Newton County Schools and Georgia State University will help to identify students with mental health needs and connect youth and families to resources in the community.
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Budget Items
The Board approved budget items:
- Contract renewal, MetaMetrics, Inc., $183,636.40 for the Lexile Reading Measure.
- Grant amendments to eligible local districts, $174,602 total, for agricultural education programs.
- Grant amendments to eligible school districts, $177,000 total in state funds, for CTAE Construction-Related High School Programs.
- Grant amendments to eligible school districts, $1,059,229 total in Federal Funds, for CTAE High School Programs.
- Grant amendments to eligible school districts, $87,397 total in State Funds, for CTAE High School Programs.
- Approved recurring contracts to specified vendors in amounts of $50,000.01 - $250,000.
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Amendments to Testing Rules
The board also approved charter status for Furlow Charter School in Sumter County and adopted amendments to the state board rule re: Promotion, Placement and Retention. The amendments include removing references to the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, replacing those references to reflect the state-adopted assessments, and updating references to the Office of Education Accountability to reflect its current name--the Governor's Office of Student Achievement.
The board adopted amendments to Statewide Passing Score rules. The amendments reflect the new Georgia Milestones Assessment System and remove references to the retired assessment program.
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Changes to Educational Facility Site, Construction, and Reimbursement Rule
In accordance with SB 301 passed during the 2014 legislative session, the board adopted amendments to the guidelines for the Educational Facility Site, Construction, and Reimbursement rule. The changes include requiring that educational facilities be constructed in accordance with state minimum codes, removes language that prohibits or restricts the use of wood construction that meets the state minimum codes, and adds requirements that an existing facility where renovations and/or modifications are completed in fifty percent of the square footage or greater such facilities shall be equipped with a new HVAC system. Changes have also been made to Guideline 11, Guideline for Low Wealth Applications. |
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Charter System Rule Changes
The board also adopted amendments to rules Charter Schools Definitions, Charter Schools Petition Process, and Charter Authorizers, Financing, and Management. The intention of the amendments is to clarify the charter schools petition process and clarify charter authorizer roles and responsibilities. In addition to completing the deletion from the rules of the Georgia State Charter Schools Commission because the new Commission has initiated its own Rule, modifications were made to implement new law regarding charter schools governing board training and charter school independence from their local districts.
Information regarding requirements for charter system petitions was removed from the Charter Schools Petition Process rule and moved into a new Charter System Petition Rule. Names of the three rules are also changed to reflect their amended contents.
The board adopted a new Charter Systems rule which clarifies the charter system process and local school governance requirements within a charter system.
And, the board approved the waiver of State Board rule Personnel Required for Stewart County to allow one principal to serve two schools.
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Other Items
The Board received written and/or verbal information on the following items of information:
- List of contracts approved by the State Superintendent of $50,000 or less.
- Status of revisions/updates of the English/Language Arts and Math Georgia Performance Standards.
- Report by Troup County Schools staff on their approach to teaching Discrete Math.
- The planned development of a Foundations of Algebra 9th grade course.
- Introduction to a movie documentary. "American Made" available to schools as supplementary curriculum materials related to the history and importance of manufacturing.
- Progress report on the work of the Governor's Arts Learning Task Force.
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Revisions to ELA and Math CCGPS Posted for Public Comment
On Wednesday November 12, 2014, the SBOE met via conference call in a special meeting to discuss revisions of Georgia's English Language Arts and Mathematics Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS). Last year Governor Deal tasked the board with review of the state standards, so board members held listening sessions around the state and directed the University of Georgia to survey Georgia educators on the standards. Resulting revisions to the CCGPS can be found in side-by-side comparisons HERE and HERE.
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The State Board will meet in a two-day session on December 10-11 instead of the one day December 11 meeting originally scheduled. State Superintendent-elect Richard Woods has been invited to the meeting. Space for his transition team has been set aside in Twin Towers East.
For more information about November's board meeting, including links to the agenda and other information items, click HERE.
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Josh Stephens - Legislative Policy Analyst
Margaret Ciccarelli - Director of Legislative Affairs
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PAGE's core business is to provide professional learning for educators that will enhance professional competence and confidence, build leadership qualities and lead to higher academic achievement for students, while providing the best in membership, legislative and legal services and support |
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