Legistative Issues - 2009-2010

After a long week of contentious debate, the House adopted the $5.1B appropriations bill (H.4657).  The 2010-2011 spending plan, as it pertains to education, does not vary significantly from the House Ways and Means proposal.  Some of the items that remained unchanged are as follows: 

• Allows local school districts the discretion to implement furloughs. If a furlough is implemented, district administrators must be furloughed two days for every one day a teacher is furloughed.
• Also the subcommittee voted on suspending all end-of-year tests, social studies and science tests for students in grades three through eight.
• Suspended the stipend for national board certified teachers to new applicants after July 1, 2010 (First or second ten years).  All commitments currently made will be honored.
• Close the Teachers and Employee Retention Incentive (TERI) Program to new participants effective July 1, 2010. 

New amendments that passed are as follows: 

• Districts must post expenditures of administrative costs on the district website.
• Districts, under the flexibility proviso, are required to spend 70% (as opposed to 65%) of their funds “in the classroom.”  The original amendment, proposed by Rep. Haley and adopted 74-42, was further amended later to include the salaries of on-site principals as part of the definition of a classroom expenditure.
• $250,000 was cut from the Education Oversight Committee budget and directed to teacher supply money.
• Districts will have the option of not funding local step increases under the state salary schedule.  However, the Department of Education will adjust the schedule without impacted the level of experience.
• Districts will not be required to advertise report card results in a newspaper for the 2010-2011 school year.  However, districts are required to provide the results to the editor of the local newspaper.
• $900,000 was added to the Department of Education for transportation (bus fuel). 

A $.30 cigarette tax was adopted.  Monies collected from the additional revenue will go into a reserve account to be used in 2011-2012 for Medicaid.    

Rep. Eric Beddingfield (Greenville) put up an amendment that prohibited school districts from hiring lobbyists or from paying dues to an organization which employs a lobbyist (such as SCASA and School Boards Association).  The proposed amendment was tabled by a 55-54 vote.  SCASA supported tabling the amendment which is recorded in the House journal (March 17^th) as a “yes” vote. 
 

The following House members voted “yes” or to table the amendment were:
 

Alexander, Allen, Anderson, Anthony, Bales, Barfield, Battle, Branham, G. A. Brown, R. L. Brown, Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Dillard, Funderburk, Gambrell, Gilliard, Govan, Hardwick , Hart, Hayes, Herbkersman, Hiott, Hodges, Hosey, Huggins, Hutto, Jefferson, Jennings, King, Knight, Littlejohn, Lucas, McEachern, McLeod, Miller, Mitchell, V. S. Moss, J. H. Neal, J. M. Neal, Ott, Parker, Parks, Pinson, Rutherford, Sandifer, Sellers, Skelton, D. C. Smith, Stavrinakis, Vick.,Weeks, Whipper , Whitmire, Williams 

House members voting “no” or not to table the amendment were: 

Allison, Ballentine, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bingham, Bowen, Bowers, Brady, H. B. Brown, Cato, Chalk, Cole, Crawford, Daning, Delleney, Duncan, Edge, Erickson, Forrester, Haley, Hamilton, Harrell , Harrison, Horne, Kelly, Kirsh, Limehouse, Long, Lowe, Merrill, Millwood, D. C. Moss, Nanney, Norman,Owens, M. A. Pitts, Rice, Simrill, G. M. Smith, G. R. Smith, J. R. Smith, Sottile, Spires, Stewart, Stringer, Thompson,Toole, Umphlett,Viers, White, Willis,Wylie, A. D. Young, T. R. Young 

I hope many of you were able to “tune in” and listen to the debate on education and other parts of the budget.  I know many of you did and received an “eye opening” experience.  Hopefully, you each day you have a better understanding why the education community must get involved and stay involved. 

Obviously, the budget situation is at best, gloomy.  We are still about 19.1M short on bus fuel for next year.  With current fuel prices, the buses can run in 2010-2011 for approximately 124 days; however, as fuel prices continue to increase, the number of days to run the buses will decrease.  Closing national board certification, freezing step increases, furloughs and other painful measures are exactly that…..PAINFUL!  However, the bottom line is to give the children of South Carolina the best education possible while trying to preserve jobs.  Now, as the budget process continues on to the Senate, I implore the entire education community to galvanize and let your voices be heard.  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!   

EDUCATION VOTES 2010 (Statewide Constitutional Offices and House of Representative Seats) 

As we continue our Education Votes 2010 campaign, next Saturday, March 27^th is a GREAT opportunity for our members.  The Palmetto State Teachers Association has invited SCASA members to take part in their annual convention.  All of the candidates running for Governor and State Superintendent of Education have been invited and have confirmed that they will be there on Saturday to speak to the attendees.  The cost of the event is $30 and includes breakfast, lunch from Shealy’s Barbeque and five certificate renewal credits. You can register online at www.palmettoteachers.org or call 800-840-7782 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              800-840-7782      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.  Registration begins at 8:00 and the candidates for Governor start at 9:00. The event is being help at the Lexington Municipal Convention Center in Lexington, SC.   

 This is a wonderful opportunity to hear, in person, each candidate talk about the issues surrounding public education. We encourage you to take part in this activity so we can make informed decisions in the June 8^th primary.  I will be there and I look forward to seeing some of our SCASA members there as well.  
 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 

The Regulations Subcommittee of the House Education & Public Works Committee met Wednesday, Wednesday, March 17, 2010 and adopted the following regulations 4116 (South Carolina Virtual School Program) and 4117(Requirements for Additional Areas of Certification). 
 

The House Education & Public Works Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, one hour following adjournment.  The committee will discuss the regulations mentioned in the above paragraph. Also, the committee will review S.0481 (SC Certified Athletic Trainers Foundation).  The joint resolution creates the South Carolina Certified Athletic Trainers Foundation.  The purpose of the foundation is to encourage and assist local school districts in ensuring that a certified athletic trainer is on staff at each middle and high school in South Carolina.   

SENATE 

The Senate K-12 Education Subcommittee met on Wednesday, March 17, at 10:00 AM, in room 308 of the Gressette Building.  The following bills were reviewed:
 

S.953 (Criminal background checks for substitute teachers) The bill requires substitute teachers hired by local schools to undergo a SLED criminal record background with an $8.00 cost to the school district.  Also, the school district board of trustees is responsible for adopting a written policy that specifies the required criminal record search as well as how the information received from the search impacts substitute teacher hiring decisions. The bill received a favorable report as amended.  H. 4248(Substitute Teachers) requires SLED to conduct background checks on substitute teachers at no charge and S.953 will be a strike and insert. Both bills will contain the same language.   The language will be combined to include no charge for substitute teachers and $25 for all employees and volunteers.  The district has the discretion to pay for the background check or charge the applicant.  In addition to the SLED check, all employees and volunteers must be run through the national sex offender registry.  This is a free service available via the internet.   

S.134 (Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act) This bill prohibits a school district from discriminating against a student based on a religious viewpoint.  The bill allows a student to express his religious beliefs in homework and classroom assignments.  It further allows a student to organize and participate in religious student gatherings to the same extent as secular noncurricular groups. 

Document No. 4117-State Board of Education (Requirements for Additional Areas of Certification).   

After much discussion, the following bill was carried over: 

S.1253(Teacher certification) The bill allows a person who has received a passport certificate issued by the ABCTE and holds a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university, among other conditions, will meet the state requirements for an alternative teacher certification. 

The Full Senate Education Committee will meet Wednesday, March 24, at 10:00 AM, in room 209 of the Gressette Building. 

EDUCATION VOTES 2010 (Statewide Constitutional Offices and House of Representative Seats)

Educators from across South Carolina are uniting on behalf of public education.  You are registering to vote or encouraging others to register and contacting your legislators in unprecedented numbers.  The reports are amazing concerning the number of newly registered voters within the education community.  Keep up the GREAT work!  We have until May 8^th to register any colleague, family member or friend of public education in order to vote in the June 8^th primary.

For many years, educators have been silent, for various reasons, on speaking out for public education.  Cathy Hazelwood, attorney for the South Carolina Ethics Commission, filmed a short video for SCASA on the “Public Employee Dos and Don’ts” for elections.  This short video contains the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the election process.  You can view this video by going to our website, www.scasa.org.  Scroll down to the Legislative Information and click on Elections Ethics Video. 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The K-12 Subcommittee of the House Education and Public Works Committee met Tuesday, March 9, 2010 to review S.0481 (SC Certified Athletic Trainers Foundation) The joint resolution creates the South Carolina Certified Athletic Trainers Foundation.  The purpose of the foundation is to encourage and assist local school districts in ensuring that a certified athletic trainer is on staff at each middle and high school in South Carolina.  The bill received favorable approval.

On Wednesday, March 10^th, the meeting of the Full Education and Public Works Committee was cancelled.

On Thursday, March 11^th, the Criminal Laws Subcommittee met on H.4212 (Disturbing Schools) The bill relates to the offense of disturbing schools and provides that violations of the statute must be tried in summary court. The committee amended the bill by adding H.3315 which expands the purview of the offense and provides procedures before a referral can be made to the Department of Juvenile Justice.  The bill as amended received a favorable report.

The Regulations Subcommittee of the House Education & Public Works Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 to discuss proposed regulations 4116 (South Carolina Virtual School Program) and 4117 (Requirements for Additional Areas of Certification). 

SENATE

The Senate K-12 Education Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, March 17, at 10:00 AM, in room 308 of the Gressette Building.  The following bills will be reviewed:

S.953 (Criminal background checks for substitute teachers) The bill requires substitute teachers hired by local schools to undergo a SLED criminal record background with an $8.00 cost to the school district.  Also, the school district board of trustees is responsible for adopting a written policy that specifies the required criminal record search as well as how the information received from the search impacts substitute teacher hiring decisions.

S.1253(Teacher certification) The bill allows a person who has received a passport certificate issued by the ABCTE and holds a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university, among other conditions, will meet the state requirements for an alternative teacher certification.

S.134 (Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act) This bill prohibits a school district from discriminating against a student based on a religious viewpoint.  The bill allows a student to express his religious beliefs in homework and classroom assignments.  It further allows a student to organize and participate in religious student gatherings to the same extent as secular noncurricular groups.

Page Manager: Jane Pulling jpulling@homesc.com

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 Please visit the Berkeley County School District's Website. They have a calendar of events, including upcoming school board meeting dates.

Get to know each of our school board members and which representative is in your school district. These are nonpartisan seats, but they are extremely important to the well being of our children's future educational needs. We need to stay active and involved with who those who run to represent these school district seats. Please click on subpage link below to see all School Board Members. 

 Senate Standing Committee Members for Education
 

The Senators above serve on the Senate Education Committee. By clicking on their name you can go to their home page on the SC State Legislature Website and receive all pertinent contact information. As you receive email alerts on Education Legislation, please contact your local representative. Click here to find your representative.

 House Standing Committee Members for Education
                                         

                                          Subcommittee Assignments