LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Georgia Association of Educational Leaders 2010 GAEL Legislative Priorities 

About GAEL

The Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) is the organization that provides unity of school leadership groups in Georgia. It is a statewide "umbrella" organization, composed of six professional departments for school leaders. The departments of GAEL are:  Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals, Georgia Association of Middle School Principals, Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals, Georgia Association of Curriculum and Instructional Supervisors, Georgia Council of Administrators of Special Education, and Georgia School Superintendents Association.  

GAEL is a strong advocate for public education.  Believing that public education is the cornerstone of American society, the Association supports the efforts of educators, legislators, the executive branch, parents, and others who are working to improve educational opportunities for all of Georgia’s children.

To that end, GAEL has adopted legislative priorities for the 2010 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

Proposed tax legislation:

1.  GAEL supports comprehensive tax reform and encourages a thorough and deliberate study and development of a tax system based upon the  balance of sales, property, income, and other appropriate taxes

 Rationale: In order to produce adequate taxation for support of public education and to prevent major fluctuations in revenue, a balance of revenue sources is essential.

GAEL opposes a statewide sales tax where it is mandated that such tax replace property taxes.

Rationale: It is questionable as to whether a statewide sales tax will produce adequate revenue to meet current and future funding needs.  A sales tax is not a stable source of funding and raises many issues related to exemptions and federal deductions.

GAEL is opposed to legislation that leads to a freeze or limitation on property assessments at either or both the state and local levels.

Rationale:  An assessment freeze inhibits the ability to properly fund public education, particularly at the local level, while favoring one class of property tax payers at the expense of another.

GAEL opposes a tax system where current taxes collected by and for local support of public schools is replaced by a system of state collection and distribution of revenues.

Rationale: Decision making at the level of government closest to the students is both constitutionally and historically sound.  Local boards of education should maintain the authority to manage and control local school districts, including the ability to generate and expend local revenue.

Funding:

1. Adequately fund the QBE formula as set forth in state law in order to allow systems to utilize local funds for non-state funded programs or to supplement state funded programs.

Rationale: Austerity cuts have resulted in over $2 billion in state under- funding of the QBE state funding formula over the past few years; local systems have been forced to use local funds to make up the difference, many having cut staff and programs, raised local property taxes, dipped into operating reserves, or a combination of the above.

2.  GAEL opposes utilizing public funds for private services, including vouchers for use in private schools.  Any support for a voucher program would be contingent a proposed program containing a requirement that the recipients of such monies are held to the same standards of accountability as public schools.

Rationale:  Current state funding for public schools is far below the actual cost of providing educational services.  State funding of private schools will further reduce funds available to public schools.

3. Adequately fund professional learning opportunities for teachers and leadership personnel.

Rationale:  Georgia educators are involved in a massive implementation of a new state curriculum.  If the initiative is to be effective, each teacher must be adequately trained in how to utilize performance standards, use student achievement data for decision-making, and seek and utilize appropriate content materials.

Educational leaders find themselves in a new era, especially at the building level. Skills must be acquired in order to deal with No Child Left Behind requirements, state and federal accountability measures, increased pressure for schools to meet performance standards, and plan for improvement.

4.  Maintain local school system flexibility in utilization of state funds for public education.

Rationale:  Cuts in state funding over the past several years make it imperative that local systems continue to be allowed to utilize funds where the needs are located.

5.  If the state salary schedule for educators is increased, include adequate state funds for benefits and other related costs.

Rationale:  State pay raises do not include funds to fully cover costs to local systems of retirement, Social Security, insurance, increased local salary supplements and other benefits.  In addition, the total cost of salary increases must be covered by local systems for non-state funded employees. Therefore, scarce local funds must be utilized to fund these required costs resulting from a state salary increase.

6.  Provide funding for the increasing employer and employee costs of the state health insurance program; address declining employee health benefits.

Rationale:  Increasing costs for state health insurance coverage has a negative impact upon both employers and employees.

7. Do not implement differential pay scales, based upon location, hard-to-fill teacher slots, etc., without appropriate study and input from educators.

Rationale:  The involvement of those affected by such decisions is critical in the

design, implementation, and acceptance of changes in the current state salary schedule.

Students:

1.  Refrain from passing additional laws prescribing new student discipline procedures or increased due process.

Rationale:  Adequate laws are on the books related to all aspects of student discipline.  Needed are funds for additional alternative programs for disruptive students; teacher training on classroom management; adequate administrative staff, etc.

2. Pass no laws permitting home school students to participate in public school extra curricular activities or specific public school courses.

Rationale:  Public schools must meet a variety of eligibility, scheduling, funding, and student supervision/discipline requirements.  Participation of home schooled students in public school activities will lead to difficulties in each of these areas.

Other:

1. GAEL opposes universal school starting dates.

Rationale:  School calendars should be a local board decision, based upon community input and the educational needs of students.

2. Student testing.

a. Provide adequate support for the testing of special education and ELL students.

b. Review the “Single test” philosophy to ensure each test provides an adequate basis       for decisions re: placement of students; allow for increased educator input into such decisions.

c. Ensure adequate funding for interventions/remediation for students at risk or who fail state-mandated exams.

Rationale:  As student achievement scores have become the major factor in determining student, school, and school system progress, the appropriateness of using “high stakes scores” must be examined.  The inordinate amount of time and resources allocated to testing has become a detriment to instruction and student learning and in some cases, may have led to a “teach the test” mentality and a reduction in time spent on student activities requiring thought, analysis, and problem solving.  While a major purpose of “schooling” is to teach academics, it is also important that students learn attributes and skills that are difficult if not impossible to test: honesty, how to interact with others, responsibilities of living in a democracy, etc.  While important to measure learning, testing must be a tool for instruction, not an end in itself.

Students who are not making adequate academic progress must be given opportunities for appropriate remediation.

3.  Make no changes in the Teachers Retirement System without adequate feedback from those to be impacted by the proposed changes.

4.  Reinstate the balance between decision-making at the state and local levels, recognizing that the best decisions are likely to be made at levels closest to the students and the communities.

(For information, contact Stuart Bennett, Executive Director sbennett@gael.org)