March 3, 2016
                     
Table of Contents
SB 364 Receives First House Hearing--Contact House Ed Members Now and Ask Them Not to Go Above 30%
GHSA Competition and Relgious Expression
Senate Education Committee Hears Bills
 
Meeting Schedule
 
Mon. March 7 - House Academic Achievment & Curriculum Subcommittee - 2:00pm - 415 CLOB

Wed. March 9 - House Academic Support Subcommittee - 2:00pm - 415 CLOB

Wed. March 9 - House Education Committee - TBD

 
Week in Review

CLICK HERE
to watch the latest Week in Review podcast to catch up on last week's action under the Gold Dome.
 
PAGE Report From the Capitol
Day 31 
SB 364 Receives First House Hearing--Contact House Ed Members Now and Ask Them Not to Go Above 30%

The House Education committee met Wednesday for its first hearing of SB 364 by Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta), chairman of the Senate Education and Youth Committee. No vote was taken on the bill and no public testimony was heard. House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) allowed Sen. Tippins and State Superintendent Richard Woods to present the bill and answer questions from committee members.
 
The bill will be heard again next Wednesday, March 9, with public testimony. This is where we need your help. During the meeting, legislators questioned why the percentage of teacher evaluations based on standardized test scores needs to be lowered to 30 percent and suggested higher percentages as alternatives. While no action was taken, PAGE cannot support any increase in this percentage.  
 
PAGE will send a report later this week with a more detailed account of Wednesday's meeting and an updated position statement on SB 364.

Please contact House Education committee members and ask that they vote "Yes" on SB 364, AND that the percentage remain at 30 percent as written in the bill. When contacting policymakers, please do so outside of instructional time, and use your personal email account and electronic device. Please tell them in a polite and personal way why current testing and evaluation mandates are hurting you and your students and strongly encourage them not to emphasize testing by more than 30% in Georgia's evaluation system.

House Education Committee Members

DaveBeltondc.belton@house.ga.gov 
TommyBentontommy.benton@house.ga.gov 
BethBeskinbeth.beskin@house.ga.gov 
WesCantrellwesley.cantrell@house.ga.gov 
AmyCarteramy.carter@house.ga.gov 
DavidCasasdavid.casas@house.ga.gov 
JoyceChandlerjoyce.chandler@house.ga.gov 
ValerieClarkvclark123@charter.net 
BrooksColemanbrooks.coleman@house.ga.gov 
PamDickersonpam.dickerson@house.ga.gov 
TomDicksontom.dickson@house.ga.gov 
MikeDudgeonmike.dudgeon@house.ga.gov 
TerryEnglandenglandhomeport2@windstream.net 
HughFloydhughfloyd@mindspring.com 
MikeGlantonmike.glanton@house.ga.gov 
WayneHowardwayne.howard@house.ga.gov 
JanJonesjan.jones@house.ga.gov 
MargaretKaisermargaret.kaiser@house.ga.gov 
HowardMaxwellhoward.maxwell@house.ga.gov 
RahnMayorahnmayo@gmail.com 
RandyNixrandy.nix@house.ga.gov 
EdSetzlered.setzler@house.ga.gov 
ValenciaStovallvalencia.stovall@house.ga.gov 
KevinTannerkevin.tanner@house.ga.gov 
SamTeasleysam.teasley@house.ga.gov 
 
GHSA Competition and Religious Expression
 
The committee also passed SB 309 by Sen. Burt Jones (R-Jackson), a bill similar to HB 870 by Rep. Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) that passed the House earlier this session. These bills relate to student athletics and would prohibit the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) from prohibiting religious expression of student athletes other than as required to protect student safety. Students will not be able to wear or write expressions on uniforms that do not comply with the national regulations that govern GHSA.

The bills also contain a provision allowing non-GHSA schools to conduct scrimmages and practice games with GHSA-member schools that do not count toward region standing.
Senate Education Committee Hears Bills

The Senate Education and Youth Committee also met on Wednesday for hearings on the following bills. No vote was taken on any of these:
  • HB 614 by Rep. Valencia Stovall (D-Lake City) would allow districts to decide if they would like to place cameras in self-contained special education classrooms. Districts are not required to implement this program.
  • HB 659 by Rep. Dave Belton (R-Buckhead) would require districts to provide an easily digestible breakdown of each school's budget. Rep. Belton cited the need for an apples-to-apples comparison tool and an increased focus on transparency as the main drivers of this bill. The Georgia Department of Education will be tasked with developing a template for districts and schools to use to present the data. PAGE offered support to the idea of increasing transparency when the bill was heard in the House Education Committee.
  • HB 739 by Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dahlonega) would allow for public review of instructional materials that have been approved for use by a school district. 
Josh Stephens - Legislative Policy Analyst
jstephens@pageinc.org

Margaret Ciccarelli - Director of Legislative Affairs mciccarelli@pageinc.org 
  


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