Committee Examines Career Academy and Dual Enrollment Bills
House Ed Committee Passes Bills Including Legislation Expediting IEP Review for Foster Care Students
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Feb. 28 – Legislative Day 21
House Retirement Committee, 8 a.m., 515 CLOB
Monday, March 2 – Legislative Day 22
Tuesday, March 3 – Legislative Day 23
In the Day 19 PAGE Capitol Report, the heading of the section on the bill providing stipends for teachers in rural and turnaround schools incorrectly stated that the bill was passed by the House Higher Education Committee. The bill was only heard by the committee, and no vote was taken.
Committee Examines Career Academy and Dual Enrollment Bills
Meeting Highlights:
Committee chair concerned career academy bill may limit the role of local school boards in guiding career academies.
Senators consider setting new goals for the dual enrollment program and refining data collection process for it.
The Senate Higher Education Committee reviewed two bills that connect postsecondary institutions and K-12 schools today. According to its author, Sen. Jeff Mullis (R- Chickamauga), SB 416 would set in law several practices the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) currently performs to support career academies. The bill seeks to rename the unit in the technical college system that works with career academies the Office of College and Career Academies and establish a director of the office. Representatives of organizations that support career academies would be able to provide input on grants and workforce to the director and the technical college board if SB 416 is approved. The bill also requires the office to collaborate with the State Workforce Development Board and the Department of Economic Development to recruit new industries and expand existing ones in part by demonstrating the work readiness of Georgia’s high school graduates. Committee Chair Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta) expressed concern that the role of local boards of education in approving career academy programs, which reflect the specific needs of individual communities, is not captured in the bill. He indicated an interest in working with Sen. Mullis and other supporters to make revisions to the bill.
Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) presented SB 400 to the committee. The bill aims to set objectives for the dual enrollment program including participation rates for underrepresented students. As written, SB 400 would also require the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to prepare an annual report on the program that would include participation rates disaggregated by socioeconomic groups, college enrollment and completion rates for participating students, and factors linked to withdrawal from or failure in dual enrollment courses. Parent noted that the bill will be revised to require the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GCFS) to prepare the annual report based on a recommendation from the governor’s office. The commission already collects much of the data needed for the report including information from participating private K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions.
The committee did not vote on either bill. Sen. Tippins stated that the committee will review revisions to the bills and vote on them next Thursday, March 5.
-Claire Suggs
House Ed Committee Passes Bills Including Legislation Expediting IEP Review for Foster Care Students
Meeting Highlights:
House Education Committee passes charter school “clean-up” bill, foster care IEP bill, and charter school allotment bill.
Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) presents on state assessments.
The House Education Committee met today and passed three bills:
HB 957 by Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton) is a “clean-up” bill that seeks revisions to elements of current law related to charter schools. CLICK HERE to read more information about the provisions in the bill as reported in PAGE’s Day 18 Capitol Report. The committee amended the bill to prevent third-party vendors from selling student records. The bill passed with one dissenting vote.
HB 855 by Rep. Marcus Wiedower (R-Watkinsville) would allow for the immediate assessment of students that enter foster care to determine if they qualify for an individualized education program (IEP). The students would continue to be required to qualify for IEPs to receive services, but the process will begin more quickly. Wiedower cited increased transiency rates for foster care students as the need for the bill. The bill passed the committee unanimously.
HB 755 by Rep. Dave Belton (R-Buckhead) requires local boards of education that authorize local charter schools to provide those schools with annual allotment sheets itemizing state, local, and federal allocations for the upcoming school year. School districts must provide the allotment sheets to the charter schools no later than Oct. 1 of each year. The bill passed the committee unanimously.
Committee members also heard a presentation from Stephen Pruitt, president of the SREB, on the history and purpose of state assessments.