|
Substitute House Bill 1
Substitute House Bill 1, the state budget bill for FY 2010 and 2011, includes comprehensive education and school funding reform. HB 1 is currently being debated in the Ohio Senate. Since the bill was introduced, the Ohio House worked to make changes and improvements to HB 1. The substitute bill builds on the concepts proposed by Gov. Strickland, but makes improvements to address several issues that were identified once the bill was introduced. OEA has worked hard with the Governor's policy team and members of the House to secure modifications to the bill.
On May 9, 2009 the OEA Representative Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution of support for the bill. The Representative Assembly is comprised of more than 1,300 delegates elected by local education associations throughout Ohio.
In an effort to continue our strong advocacy on the bill, OEA is urging members to contact their Senators to urge support for key education and funding reforms as well as to make changes to outstanding issues. Please contact your state senator to show your support for the comprehensive funding reform and for making additional needed changes that impact your profession and the students you serve!
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Support Education!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As an educator, I know that a strong Ohio begins in the classroom, and that is why I support the initiatives included in House Bill 1. The bill demonstrates a bold commitment to education funding and reform in Ohio. The provisions in the bill will allow educators to have strong input on our profession and to support our common goal to have every child succeed!
Specifically, I appreciate that the bill focuses on the whole child, stresses the importance of professional development, develops a systemic and comprehensive approach to school funding that includes a high level of school district accountability and transparency, addresses phantom revenue by reducing the charge-off and establishing the conversion levy tool, provides funding for universal all-day kindergarten, eliminates patchwork fixes to school funding, removes the RIF for undefined financial reasons, and establishes a school funding advisory council.
However, I believe that there are several outstanding issues that could be improved upon in the bill.
Teacher Dismissal - Under substitute HB 1, the teacher dismissal standard is lowered to "good and just cause." Lowering the dismissal standard is not necessary if teachers are evaluated properly. I believe that sound education reform should focus on supporting teachers with effective mentoring programs and interventions to ensure high teacher quality.
Calamity Days - Under the current version of the bill, calamity days are phased out. In School Year 09-10, school districts would be permitted 3 calamity days, 1 calamity day in School Year 10-11, and 0 thereafter. I believe this proposal could jeopardize the safety of my students and fellow educators if administrators are reluctant to cancel school because of the expense of making up such days. I request calamity days not be eliminated. However, if the elimination is retained, I believe that adequate flexibility must be given to local school districts to determine how to make up missed time.
Further, I believe that if any additional days are added to the school year, that the state must fully study how those days should be structured and fully fund this mandate in order to ensure that educators and support professionals are appropriately paid for additional time.
National Board Certification - I believe that high quality professional development is the key to student success. National Board Certification is a proven professional development program that improves teaching and learning. The substitute bill reinstates approximately $7.8 million in FY 2010 and $7.0 million in FY 2011. I respectfully request the Senate to add roughly $500,000 in FY 2010 and $1.3 million in FY 2011 to continue state support for the application fees and stipends for those who have achieved this certification.
I urge you to support the funding and reform changes in amended substitute HB 1 and make changes to the issues outlined above. The future of Ohio's children and our state's economy should be our highest priority.
Sincerely,
|
