May 9, 2013
Legislative Report
More Info
The Senate and House of Representatives were session this week. Both chambers will return to Harrisburg
next week, and then adjourn until June 3.
This week:
* Supreme Court approves state legislative district reapportionment plan
* Senate action this week
* House action this week
* PDE to request waiver for Title I funding flexibility
* PDE to publish rating tool for teacher evaluation
* On the Hill: Upcoming meetings
* Proposals for PSBA’s 2014 Legislative Platform now being accepted
Supreme Court approves state legislative district reapportionment plan
This week the Pennsylvania Supreme Court voted unanimously to uphold the Legislative Reapportionment
Commission’s final reapportionment plan for state Senate and House districts. The reapportionment process
began in 2011, the final revised plan was voted by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission on June 8,
2012. The approved redistricting maps shall have the force of law beginning with the 2014 election cycle.
More information on the redistricting process and copies of the new legislative maps can be found on the PA
Legislative Reapportionment Commission website: http://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/index.cfm.
Senate action this week:
The Senate passed:
SB 777, which provides for county interagency sharing of juvenile records needed in child welfare and
delinquency cases. Subject to the approval of the court and the requirements of the enumerated laws, an
interagency information sharing agreement may be developed in each county among the county agency,
juvenile probation department, local law enforcement agencies, local school districts, mental health agencies,
drug and alcohol agencies, and other agencies as deemed appropriate.
In House action this week:
The House Judiciary Committee approved:
HB 284, which prohibits the use of tobacco and nicotine-based products in public schools, school buses and
school property. The definition of tobacco products was expanded to include cigarillos, little cigars, chewing
tobacco, snuff, dip or dissolvable tobacco pieces.
The House Select Committee on School Safety conducted the second in its series of hearings on safety and
security in public and nonpublic schools and institutions of higher education. The first meeting included an
overview of existing state policies and laws dealing with student safety and protection and testimony from
Corbett administration officials, law enforcement and public safety administrators. The hearing held this
week focused on local school district safety plans and needs. The next hearing of the committee is tentatively
scheduled for June.
PDE to request waiver for Title I funding flexibility
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has announced that it will be requesting a waiver now
being offered by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) that would allow school districts to carry over
more than 15% of their Title I, Part A funding from FY2012. The USDE is making the opportunity available
because looming federal across-the-board funding cuts create the need for flexibility.
The notification from USDE explains that the uncertainty faced by school districts concerning the
amount of 2013 fiscal year the possibility of sequestration creates a “reasonable and necessary” reason for
states to request a waiver of the limitation contained in federal law. Under section 1127(b) of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), a state education agency (SEA) is prohibited
from granting to a local educational agency (LEA) a waiver of the carryover limitation of Title I funds more
than once every three years.
The ESEA allows a state to waive the limitation once every three years if: (1) the LEAs request is
reasonable and necessary; or (2) a supplemental Title I, Part A appropriation becomes available. The
notification sent to states clarified that the prospect of sequestration justifies the need for the waivers to be
available to states for their school districts.
PDE’s notification to schools states that the requested waiver may help more schools and LEAs meet
their annual measurable objectives (AMOs) by enabling them to direct their funds to activities that are most
likely to increase the quality of instruction and improve the academic achievement of students in the face of
a likely reduction in its fiscal year 2013 Title I, Part A allocation due to the sequester. Any comments on the
waiver request should be submitted to phcooper@pa.gov at PDE no later than May 31, 2013.
PDE to publish rating tool for teacher evaluation
This week PDE told the State Board of Education that it is preparing to publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin
its rating tool for teacher effectiveness in the coming weeks. The tool includes the classroom teacher rating
form and instructions. Act 82 of 2012 requires PDE to publish the rating tool by June 30 on a fast-track
process that exempts it from the regulatory review requirements and review by the state attorney general.
However, the document must be approved by the governor’s office of general counsel, budget office and
policy office prior to publication. Electronic versions of the tool will be available on PDE’s website that will
compute the rating calculations for school districts; training and information will be made available through
PDE’s SAS section of the web.
On the Hill: Upcoming meetings
Upcoming events currently scheduled include:
Monday, May 13
* The Senate State Government Committee will conduct a public hearing on SB 444, which amends the
Open Records Law to make a number of amendments to the act, including clarifying and technical changes.
Tuesday, May 14
* The House Education Committee will conduct an informational meeting with Education Secretary
Ronald Tomalis on the Common Core academic standards.
* The House Finance Committee will consider HB 1359, which allows for the Perkiomen Valley School
District and the Methacton School District to annually charge the state for a fixed payment for tax-exempt
forest land that bisects the two districts.
Wednesday, May 15
* The Senate Education Committee will conduct a public hearing on Common Core academic standards.
* The House State Government Committee will consider HB 1020, which removes the ability of
candidates for school board to cross-file nomination.
Thursday, May 16
* The House Children and Youth Committee will conduct a public hearing on HB 726 concerning
definitions and factors to consider when investigating child abuse.
Thursday, May 23
* The House Education Committee will conduct a public hearing on HB 983, which requires the PA
Department of Education to establish a clearinghouse of online courses for students enrolled in grades 3-12,
and to require school entities to offer their students the opportunity to participate in the online courses
approved by the PDE and made available through the clearinghouse.
Proposals for PSBA’s 2014 Legislative Platform now being accepted
Your school board is invited to submit proposals for consideration for PSBA’s 2014 Legislative Platform.
The association is accepting proposals now until Friday, June 28, 2013. Guidelines for platform
submissions and submission forms were mailed to PSBA liaisons and board secretaries and are posted
on PSBA’s Web site.
Boards may submit new proposals as well as revisions to the current platform and should include a brief
statement (about 50 words) of rationale for each proposal submitted. The rationale should include a
summary of the reasons why your board believes this issue should be addressed in the platform, any specific
problems your district has encountered, and how your board believes the problem could be resolved. In
addition, your board is encouraged to submit any data related to the issue as it affects your district, or any
draft language that could be crafted into proposed legislation. This information will be shared with the PSBA
Platform Committee and will be helpful to the association’s governmental and member relations staff in their
advocacy efforts.
All submissions should be directed to PSBA’s Office of Governmental and Member Relations. All items
submitted by your board must be verified by the board secretary.
The PSBA Platform Committee will review proposals and rationale submitted for the platform on Aug. 10.