Legislative Watch October 22, 2009

OEA Legislative Watch October 22, 2009 Do you know that the political process affects virtually everything in your school day? Take action— Become an OEA Member Lobbyist

Questions? Contact your Governmental Services Team Ron Rapp Director [email protected] Melissa Clark Lobbyist [email protected] Robert Davis Lobbyist [email protected] Matthew Dotson Lobbyist [email protected] Bonnie Joseph UniServ Political Advocacy Consultant [email protected]

House Bill 318 - House Passes Budget Solution, Heads to Senate On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, House Bill 318 passed the Ohio House by a vote of 55-44. The bill, sponsored by Representative Vernon Sykes (R-Akron), would freeze income tax rates at 2008 levels for tax years 2009 and 2010 in order to restore support for primary and secondary education and to avoid making deeper reductions to other important programs and services. The OEA supports the budget solution contained in HB 318 and urges you to contact your State Senator to support the bill. This bill is necessary because $851 million in state support for primary and secondary education is in jeopardy. This is a result of a recent Ohio Supreme Court Decision which ruled that the installation of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) at Ohio's seven racetracks, as contained in House Bill 1, will have to go to the ballot for voter approval in November 2010. The proceeds from VLTs are earmarked for primary and secondary education. Moreover, state reductions of this magnitude jeopardize an additional $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for Ohio's public schools. This would create a $2.3 billion budget reduction to primary and secondary education over the biennium. House Bill 318 is expected to receive hearings in the Senate Finance and Financial Institutions Committee beginning the week of October 26, 2009. OEA would like to thank all members who have responded to the HB 318 Call to Action and would urge those who have yet to make contact with their State Senator to please visit the OEA ACE action page at: http://ga1.org/campaign/hb318_action_oct_19 to take action now!

Senate Bill 180 & House Bill 312 Require Use of Value-Added in Licensure Eligibility and Model Evaluations; Give Fast-track Licensure Program Participants Professional License Senate Bill 180 (R- Jon Husted) & House Bill 312 (R- Seth Morgan) propose to lift the moratorium on new internet- or computer-based community schools (eschools), require the use of value-added data in licensure eligibility, require the use of value-added data in model teacher and principal evaluation instruments, and qualify individuals who have completed two years in the Teach for America (TFA) program for a professional educator license.

The OEA opposes Senate Bill 180 & House Bill 312, legislation that proposes counterproductive education policies under the premise of making Ohio more competitive for federal Race to the Top (RTTT) school improvement grants. While the OEA supports the overall goals of the RTTT program, recent education reforms passed by the General Assembly have put Ohio in a competitive position without resorting to speculative policy changes that are not appropriate given our state’s needs. The provisions in these pieces of legislation will distract and undermine ongoing efforts to implement systemic education reforms linked to the challenges and opportunities faced by Ohio’s public schools. First, the General Assembly should fulfill the process already in law to lift the charter e-school moratorium, which requires that rules and regulations for the operation of these schools be established. Second, value-added data is not designed to be a valid and reliable measure for use in high-stakes decisions such as licensure eligibility or evaluations. Third, the TFA program has not demonstrated that it equips beginning teachers for effective practice; participants should complete the 4-year teacher residency program before gaining professional licensure.

House Bill 260 Undermines School Funding by Eliminating Special Elections in February and August House Bill 260 (D- Dan Stewart) proposes a broad range of changes to Ohio’s electoral process, including the elimination of special elections in February and August. This proposal stems from election summits that were held by the Secretary of State’s office and has been justified on the basis of cost savings and low voter turnout. While efforts to make Ohio’s elections as effective as possible should be encouraged, the OEA strongly opposes the recommendation to eliminate special elections in February and August. Eliminating special elections in February and August will undermine the ability of school districts to raise critical local funding support needed to help implement education reforms, strengthen curriculum offerings, provide extracurricular activities, and build new school facilities. Making it more difficult for schools to obtain alternative funding sources needed to deliver key education services is counterproductive and imprudent, especially when put in context of Ohio’s struggling economy and the challenges it presents to the state’s ability to fund schools. Further, this provision will cost school districts far more than it saves. It takes an average of three election attempts to build the awareness and support needed to pass a school levy. HB 260 is likely to delay the passage of many levies into the next calendar year, which means a delay in the collection of the new revenue until the FOLLOWING calendar year.

Senate Bill 129 Provides Collective Bargaining Rights to Higher Education Part-time Faculty SB 129 (D- Fred Strahorn) will allow over 13,000 part-time faculty, also known as adjuncts and graduate assistants, at public institutions of higher education across Ohio to have the same collective bargaining rights as full-time faculty. Currently, part-time higher education faculty are exempted from “public employee” status under Ohio’s collective bargaining law. The OEA supports SB 129. Providing part-time faculty at Ohio’s public colleges and universities with the same collective bargaining rights as full-time faculty will allow them to negotiate fair wages and benefits that reflect their increasingly significant role in delivering high quality education services. This will help Ohio compete for the best part-time faculty by putting the state on par with many other regional states that already provide these educators collective bargaining rights, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin. Further, SB 129 will support students by helping to ensure that part-time faculty members receive the financial and professional support they need to do their best work.