ISEA

COMMUNIQUÉ A PUBLICATION OF THE IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION – FEBRUARY 2012 – Vol. 49, No. 4 Governor, Senate, and House release education reform bills Chris Bern, ISEA president As of this writing, the Governor released his education bill (SSB 3009/HSB 517) in January and in February, both the Senate and House released their versions of education reform bills. While we commend the House for amending the Governor's bill, the ISEA supports the Senate education reform bill (SSB 3171). "We think this bill puts the focus where it should be, on student learning," said Brad Hudson, ISEA government relations specialist. The ISEA entered into the discussion on education Notes from the Inside An inside look at a few of the education bills being proposed this legislative session that you probably won't hear about anywhere else. We'll feature one or two each week in the ISEA Hotline. If you are not receiving the Hotline, please send your home email address to Kimberly Hupp at khupp@isea.org. Senate File 2187—This bill would eliminate collective bargaining for all public employees, essentially repealing Chapter 20. Sponsored by Senator Mark Chelgren (R-Ottumwa) mark.chelgren@legis.iowa.gov House File 2208—This bill would allow math and science professionals, with no teacher training, to become secondary teachers in those fields. The only requirements would be that the applicants have 6000 hours of experience in a math or science related field and that they pass the Praxis II exam, no pedagogical training or classroom experience necessary. Sponsored by Representative Josh Byrnes (R-Osage) josh.byrnes@legis.state.ia.us House File 2288—Currently, negotiations between school boards and local bargainers determine the distribution of teacher salary and professional development funds. This bill would allow school boards to supersede those negotiations when the two parties are unable to come to agreement, making the school boards the final determiner. Sponsored by Representative Josh Byrnes (R-Osage) josh.byrnes@legis.state.ia.us You can email your Legislators by going to the Legislative Action Center on the ISEA website at isea.org. This is the kind of Legislation that your ISEA lobbyists are fighting against every day on your behalf! reform to address student learning and enhance and improve educational opportunities and the educational environment in our state. For more detailed information about the Governor's education reform bill, watch the video on the ISEA website at isea.org. "Rest assured, the ISEA supports education reform—but our standards of reform must be met with proven methods of success that always place students at the center," said ISEA President Chris Bern. "Our mission is to promote quality public education with highly qualified and respected educators who teach students and engage in continuous improvement. We will bring this mission forward as we work through this legislation." Among other things, the education reform bill proposed by Senate Democrats includes: • Two hours for teacher collaboration each week. • Keeping summative evaluations every three years for non-probationary teachers and including peer group coaching in the formative phase when teachers are working on their professional learning plan. • Limiting students to a maximum of 50 percent of their instruction through online learning in their resident district or if they open-enroll to another district. • Requiring a study at the Regent universities to determine whether the grade point of prospective teachers should be specified at 3.0. • Changing the emphasis of 3rd-grade retention from retaining the student to making sure students in grades K-3 who have reading deficiencies have access to reading intervention programs. The decision to retain the student is made only after a direct personal consultation with the student's parent or guardian. 3 IN THIS ISSUE OPINION Guest Column: Advocating for students 9 VOTE Vote online for Iowa's state delegates to RA 11 LEGAL Creating a safe environment for students and teachers

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