Alabama
Bill: SB 430
Status: 04/11/2013 – Read for the first time and referred to the Senate committee on Education
Relevant Elements: 2
Alabama SB 430, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, was read for the first time and referred to the Senate Education Committee on April 11. It would:
- Allow the state Board of Education to enter into a school flexibility contract with a local school system to allow for programmatic flexibility and or budgetary flexibility from state laws, including state Board of Education rules, regulation, and policies in exchange for academic and associated goals for students that focus on college and career readiness.
California
Bill: SB 714
Status: 04/15/2013 – From committee with author’s amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on ED.
Relevant Elements: 2, 8
California SB 714 was amended in the Senate Education Committee on April 15 and re-referred to the same committee. The bill as amended would:
- Authorize, beginning in the 2014-15 fiscal year, school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that offer high-quality online education courses to claim attendance toward average daily attendance on the basis of a pupil’s satisfactory pupil progress toward obtaining a high school diploma by earing course credit through attendance in online educational learning programs.
- Require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to adopt emergency regulations on or before June 30, 2014, authorizing a school district, county office of education or charter school to receive state apportionments for pupils enrolled in an online course.
- Cap the number of pupils a school district, county office of education or charter school could enroll in an online course but would authorize an increase in that cap if the enrolled pupils were to archive or exceed satisfactory pupil progress.
- Authorize a school district, county office of education or charter school that operates an online educational learning program to receive state apportionments for three consecutive years and for an additional three years if semiannual reports are submitted and the enrolled pupils are achieving satisfactory pupil progress.
- Require a school district, county office of education or charter school to submit pupil records for review by the department that compare the course completion rate of online students to the overall course completion rate of students enrolled in grades nine, 10, 11 and 12, inclusive, if the pupils participating in the online educational learning program are earning less than 75 percent of the course credits earned by pupils enrolled in classroom-based courses.
Colorado
Bill: SB 213
Status: 04/15/2013 – House Committee on Education Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
Relevant Elements: 9
Colorado SB 213 passed the House Education Committee 7-6 on April 15. It is an education funding overhaul bill. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to rewrite the way we fund the single largest, most complex and most important part of the state government, which is how we fund K-12 education,” said Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, a bill sponsor according to ourcoloradonews.com. It would:
- Provide that online and ASCENT program funding would be equal to the statewide base per pupil funding for the applicable budget year.
- Calculate charter school funding by taking into consideration English language learners, online students, ASCENT students and at-risk students.
- Establish the education innovation grant program.
According to The Associated Press, “the bill has already passed the Senate, and legislative leaders in the House say they expect the funding overhaul will make it to the governor’s desk. But there are big questions about whether the funding overhaul will take effect.”
Connecticut
Bill: HB 6358
Status: 04/15/2013 – Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House; (LCO) File Number 503
Relevant Elements: 4
Connecticut HB 6358 was passed out of the Legislative Commissioners Office with a revised text on April 15. As amended it would permit an additional, non-traditional method for high school students to earn academic credits towards graduation by demonstrating mastery based on competency and performance standards adopted by the state Board of Education. By law, a student may already earn non-traditional credit by completing coursework (1) at a Connecticut public institution of higher education, or (2) online, in accordance with local or regional board of education policy. The bill would also eliminate certain requirements related to the Open Choice inter-district attendance program.
Florida
Bill: SB 1630
Status: 04/18/2013 – Senate On Committee agenda– Appropriations, 04/23/13, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
Relevant Elements: 5, 8
Florida SB 1630 passed the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education 12-0 on April 11. It would provide that the full implementation of online common core assessments for all kindergarten through grade 12 public school students would be contingent upon an independent third party verifying that the technology infrastructure, connectivity, and capacity of all public schools and school districts is capable of successfully deploying and implementing the assessments. Additionally, it would provide that the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, the state’s public K-12 curricular standards, would include the common core standards in English/Language Arts and Mathematics.
Bill: SB 1390
Status: 04/18/2013 – Senate On Committee agenda– Appropriations, 04/23/13, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Buildin
Relevant Elements: 2, 5
Florida SB 1390 passed the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education on April 11 12-0 and is now in the full Appropriations Committee. It would provide a process by which a school district or group of contiguous districts may receive approval to establish an innovation school within the district, with statutory flexibility, responsibility, and authorization similar to charter schools. The purpose of an innovation school would be to utilize innovation and to enhance high academic achievement and accountability in exchange for flexibility and exemptions from specific statutes and rules. Districts that have at least 20 percent of its students in choice programs or at least five percent of its total enrollment in charter school would be permitted to apply to operate an innovation school. An innovation school would:
- Focus on teaching and learning infused with current technology.
- Be permitted to operate as a virtual school.
- Require student learning to be aligned with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.
- Provide that students advance by demonstrating skills, abilities, and knowledge necessary to ensure a successful career.
- Allow students to learn the way he or she learns best, such as independently, one-on-one with a coach, collaboratively, online, and through early college courses.
- Be required to implement innovative learning methods including blended learning, and assessment tools to implement a school wide transformation.
For district schools of choice, the bill would exempt facilities leased by the district from ad valorem taxes. District schools of choice are schools such as virtual instruction programs, magnet schools, alternative schools, special programs, advanced placement, dual enrollment, and the innovation schools created in this bill. For district schools of choice, the bill would change the compliance calculation for maximum class size from the maximum number of students for each classroom to the school average per classroom. According to the bill’s analysis, this would make it easier for the schools of choice to meet the requirement and would help the school district to avoid or minimize the fiscal penalty for noncompliance.
Idaho
Bill: HB 206/Session Law Chapter 342
Status: 04/11/2013 – Reported Signed by Governor on April 11, 2013 Session Law Chapter 342 Effective: 07/01/13
Relevant Elements: 9
Idaho Republican Gov. Butch Otter signed HB 206/Session Law Chapter 342 on April 11. It takes effect on July 1 and will require that charter schools pay an authorizer fee to the entity that authorizes the charter and oversees its performance. The bill will also create a state facilities funding stream for charter schools. Currently charter schools have no identified source of revenue to pay for facility costs whereas districts pay for facilities through voter authorization of bond and facility levies. The charter school fund will be pegged to the average of levy funds being raised by local school districts across the state, on a per student basis. For FY 2015 the charter school fund will equal 30 percent of school district funds and paid for from the educational support program. It will provide that the average amount of funding received per charter school will not exceed the average amount of funding received by each school district.
Maine
In Maine, lawmakers are on opposite sides of the issue of virtual charter schools in the state, according to BDN. Currently there are no virtual public charter schools in Maine but there are private ones. Here is a sampling of the various bills that pertain to virtual and public charter schools in Maine:
- Sen. Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon Falls, introduced LD 729, a bill that would allow a public charter school or virtual charter school to request a waiver from the commissioner of Education of a civil rights or a health and safety requirement. Senator Mason presented an amendment on April 12 which is not yet available in text form, that in essence replaces his original bill and would not allow a wavier or exception of any kind from civil or health requirements. (does this mean he flipped?)
- Rep. Matthea Daughtry, D-Brunswick, sponsored LD 671 would require public charter schools and virtual public charter schools established in the state be operated as nonprofit organizations.
- Sen. Emily Cain, D-Orono, proposed LD 1130, a bill that would establish a state-managed virtual charter school. The bill is still in concept draft form.
- House Education Committee Chairman Bruce MacDonald, D-Boothbay, sponsored LD 481, legislation that would amend the laws governing virtual public charter schools. Proponents argue the legislation would make it impossible to create virtual schools in the state. Included would be a mandate that only 20 percent of the per-pupil allocation would follow a student from his or her traditional school to the virtual charter school. Currently, almost 100 percent of the funding follows the student.
- Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, submitted LD 995, “An Act to Establish a Moratorium on the Approval and Operation of Virtual Public Charter Schools. It would bar the Maine Charter School Commission from approving any virtual charter schools until legislation is passed that would allow them specifically. Senator Alfond also sponsored LD 1128, which would give the public more input and control in the regulation of public charter schools.
Oklahoma
Bill: SB 169
Status: 04/16/2013 – Sent to Governor
Relevant Elements: 2, 7
Oklahoma SB 169 passed the House 90-2 on April 15 and was delivered to Republican Gov. Mary Fallin on April 16 who will have until April 22 to act on the measure. It would establish that a virtual education provider offering full-time virtual education to non-resident students of the school district with which the provider is contracted to be considered a site within each school district with which the provider contracts. It would also require the virtual provider and the district with which it contracts to identify those students who are full-time virtual students and do not live in the physical boundaries of the district. The district and provider would submit as necessary detailed data on the performance of non-resident students who are receiving full-time instruction.
Oregon
Bill: SB 666
Status: 04/18/2013 – (S) Assigned to Subcommittee On Education.
Relevant Elements: 9
Oregon SB 666 passed the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee on April 8. It would allow virtual public charter schools to receive funding for providing supplemental online courses. “Supplemental online courses,” would be defined to mean courses provided by a virtual charter school to a student who is enrolled in a public school and provided as less than half of a student’s average course load.
Bill Updates:
- Arkansas Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe signed SB 233/Act 1309 on April 17.
- Arkansas Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe signed HB 1785/Act 1280, which will take effect 90 days following adjournment of the legislature
- Florida SB 1076 passed the House 116-0 and was ordered enrolled on April 12 and was delivered to Republican Gov. Rick Scott on April 15 who will have until April 22 to act on the measure.
- In Idaho Republican Gov. Butch Otter signed SB 1199/Session Law Chapter 338 on April 11.
- Illinois HB 494 passed the House on April 17 with amendments. As amended the bill would impose a moratorium on the creation of charter schools with virtual-schooling components from April 1, 2013 through April 1, 2014. Virtual-schooling would be defined as teaching courses online with online teachers and would include instruction given by full-time, online virtual schools or virtual-blended schools. This moratorium would not apply to charter schools with a virtual- schooling component approved or existing prior to April 1, 2013.
- Montana Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock signed HB 210 on April 12.
- Oklahoma HB 1660 passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 10
- South Carolina HB 3752 passed the House on April 18. The bill would amend current law to enact the “Expanded Virtual Learning Act,” which would revamp the existing virtual school program into a virtual education program. The bill would also remove the limit of credits that a student could earn online.
- Texas SB 1298, sponsored by Senate Education Chair Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, passed the Senate Education Committee on April 15 with amendments.
- Washington SB 5496 passed the House unanimously on April 15 and is pending delivery to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.