FSCA Legislative News

Advocacy Update: FSCA Needs Your Help

2012-01-22T17:29:00.001-05:00

FSCA’S BIG MOVE:
STEP 2

What an exciting time and week for the Florida School Counselors and the Florida School Counselor Association!

Our companion bills in the Florida Senate and House have been filed (SB1654 and HB1317 respectively). Our legislative champions are Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) and Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach). Our advocacy consultant has been meeting with other legislative members as well and many are very interested in the issues surrounding school counselors.

Sen. Detert has named this bill the “Student Failure Prevention Act” and is very excited about the positive changes it will have on the profession, and more importantly, on the students that the certified school counselors work with every day. Our excellent bill sponsor in the House is Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach) who is very involved in K-12 education and has demonstrates that she “gets” us.

As of today, HB 1317 has been referred to three committees for legislative hearings and we are working on having it placed on the agenda for its first committee stop in the K-20 Competitiveness Subcommittee, which is chaired by Rep. Eric Fresen (R-Miami). For clarification, it is a good sign that HB 1317 has only three committees of reference.

FSCA is still waiting for committee references in the Senate and expect that will happen any time now.

To recap, the drafts reflect maximum ratios of certified school counselors per number of students overall and at each level and states that no school should have less than one full-time certified school counselor. It also outlines specific job responsibilities and more importantly, the responsibilities that should not be assigned to school counselors (like testing management/monitoring, bus duty, lunchroom monitoring, and administrative substitution.) Finally, the bill reflects the name change “certified school counselors” as the correct title of your profession.

Now is the time to get involved in making our bill a reality. In this case, you can stand up for students by standing up for the profession and making sure that All students get the benefits of professional school counseling. You can:

Write a note, email or call our bill sponsors and thank them for their willingness to take on these issues and work with us to improve the lives of our children.

Senator Nancy Detert
detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov
District Office:
417 Commercial Court
Suite D
Venice, FL 34292
(941) 480-3547
Senate VOIP: 42300
FAX (941) 480-3549
Toll Free:
1-866-247-4076
Tallahassee Office:
318 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
(850) 487-5081
Senate VOIP: 5081

Legislative Assistants:
Charlie Anderson, Rita Faulkner and GeeDee Kerr

Representative Janet Adkins janet@janetadkins.com or Janet.Adkins@myfloridahouse.gov

Capitol Office
313 House Office Building
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: (850) 488-6920

District Office
905 South 8th Street
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034-3706
Phone: (904) 491-3664
OR
945 N. Temple Avenue
Starke, FL 32091-2110
Phone: (904) 966-6215

Legislative Assistant:
Larry Williams

District Secretary:
Marianne Marshall Alexis Zink

Reach out to your own legislators and those in surrounding areas who represent your school district and inform them and their staff of your efforts, and ask for their support of these bills. It would be great if they would also consider signing on as a co-sponsor of these bills. To find your legislators go to the House ore Senate websites.

To track the bills you can log onto http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/MyHouse/login.aspx and http://www.flsenate.gov/login/ to get updates about the bill’s progress.

Want to do and know more…

Watch this space for other things you can do, developing talking points, actions in districts, gathering data and evidence, participating in our statewide video support, and more.

Remember, membership in FSCA helps, action to connect with policy makers and legislators also helps. We will continue to keep you updated as we progress through the next several weeks.

Sample to Sponsor

As a member of the Florida School Counselor Association and someone who cares about student success, I want to thank you for joining us and sponsoring HB 1317. We stand ready to support and assist your efforts in all ways that we can.

Thanks for standing up for student success by helping each and every student benefit from school counseling programs.

To Legislators

Dear,

I am a member of the Florida School Counselor Association and a Professional School Counselor. I stand for student success and school counselors are critical to that success. I am seeking your support for HB 1317 and SB 1654 which will modernize how school counselors are employed in schools and require that schools and districts make good use of the talents and training of school counselors.

The American School Counselor Association, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Education Trust and many other states and education groups have told us that reduced school counselor ratios are critical to student success and to their career and post-secondary attainment. Ratios, coupled with targeted tasks and accountability, will help Florida’s students and economic future reach the success that our state and citizens deserve.

In face, I believe this bill is so important that I am asking that you step forward as a co-sponsor to show your support of student success. Please contact me with any questions or ways I can help to support the successful passage of these bills.

Sincerely,

Search the FSCA and ASCA Websites

Student Support Services Project

Florida School Counselor Association, © 2006-2011
Proud Division of the American School Counselor Association
Contact FSCA

Updates from US Dept of ED, Office of Safe & Healthy Students

2011-12-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

Source: American School Counselor Association

U.S. ED/HHS Awards Nine States Race to The Top-Early Learning Challenge Grants to Help Build Statewide Systems of High Quality Early Education Programs

On December 16, 2011, the White House announced that nine states - California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington - will receive grant awards from the $500 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge fund, a competitive grant program jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.

Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement of state grantees at a White House event with over 100 early learning and development experts, educators, policymakers, and researchers.

"In a matter of months, early education and child development experts throughout the country, together with state and local leaders, worked to build comprehensive plans for expanding access to high-quality early learning," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "All applicants showed tremendous dedication and drive to build stronger foundations and create greater opportunities for more children. Their work will help lead the way in ensuring excellent early learning and support for every child." "A strong educational system is critical not just for our children but also for our nation's economic future," said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge takes a holistic approach to early education, promotes innovation, and focuses on what it takes to help put young children on the path of learning, opportunity, and success."

Through the competition, 35 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico have created plans to increase access to high-quality programs for children from low-income families, providing more children from birth to age 5 with a strong foundation they need for success in school and beyond. The number and list of winners was determined both by the quality of the applications and the funds available.

The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge will support the work of the nine state grantees to develop new approaches to raising the bar across early learning centers and to close the school readiness gap. Awards will invest in grantees' work to build statewide systems of high-quality early learning and development programs. These investments will impact all early learning programs, including Head Start, public pre-K, childcare, and private preschools. Key reforms will include: aligning and raising standards for existing early learning and development programs; improving training and support for the early learning workforce through evidence-based practices; and building robust evaluation systems that promote effective practices and programs to help parents make informed decisions.

The fiscal year 2011 budget provided an additional $700 million to invest in early learning and elementary and post secondary education reform. In addition to the $500 million awarded today to Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grantees, seven states - Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania - have applied for a share of the $200 million to invest in K-12 education reform. Awards will be announced later this month.

State data relevant to the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge along with peer reviewers' scores and comments were recently posted online. Grant awards will range from around $50 million up to $100 million, depending on State population and proposed plans. Budgets will be finalized after discussions between the grantees and the Departments, and states will draw down funds in accordance with their plans.

To learn more about the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge .

U.S. Justice's OJP's OJJDP Announces a new Bulletin-"Bullying in Schools: An Overview"

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs' Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has released Bullying in Schools: An Overview.

This bulletin examines the connection between different types and frequencies of bullying, truancy, and student achievement, and whether students' engagement in school mediates these factors. It discusses the results of three studies conducted in 2007 at the National Center for School Engagement, and compares these results with those from a Swedish study.

The authors conclude that victimization in the form of bullying can distance students from learning. Schools can overcome this negative effect if they adopt strategies that engage students in their work, creating positive learning environments that produce academic achievement.

Resources:

Bullying in Schools: An Overview (NCJ 234205) is available online at:www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/234205.pdf.

The Center for School Mental Health and the IDEA Partnership (U.S. ED Funded) Announces Request for Proposals for the 18th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, October 25-27, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Proposals are now being accepted for the 18th Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health to be held October 25-27, 2012 at the Marriott Hotel (75 S. West Temple) in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Conference is sponsored by the Center for School Mental Health (CSMH) and the IDEA Partnership (funded by the Office of Special Education Programs [OSEP], sponsored by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education).

The theme of this year's conference is School Mental Health: Promoting Positive Outcomes for Students, Families, Schools, and Communities.

The conference features twelve specialty tracks and offers speakers and participants numerous opportunities to advance knowledge and skills and to network related to school mental health practice, research, training, and policy. The deadline for submissions is January 23, 2012.

To read the Request for Proposalshttp://csmh.umaryland.edu/docs/annual/FINALRFP%20for%2017th%20Annual.pdf.

All proposals must be submitted online athttp://cf.umaryland.edu/csmha/abstract_conference.cfm .

HHS' HRSA Offers Support for School-Based Health Centers will Increase access to Care for Many Children under the Affordable Care Act Through School-Based Health Center Construction Grants

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than $14 million was awarded on December 8, 2011 to 45 school-based health centers across the country allowing the number of children served to increase by nearly 50 percent, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced.

Clinics receiving the awards, made possible by the health reform law, are already providing much-needed health care services to 112,000 children. Today's infusion of new money will enable them to expand their capacity and modernize their facilities, which will allow them to treat an estimated additional 53,000 children in 29 States.

Funds awarded today will help create jobs for Americans across the country. Funds will support job opportunities as more Americans will be needed to meet the clinics' pressing capital needs - including construction, renovation and new equipment.

School-based health centers enable children with acute or chronic illnesses to attend school, and improve the overall health and wellness of all children through health screenings, health promotion and disease prevention activities. Typically, a school-based clinic provides a combination of primary care, mental health care, substance abuse counseling, case management, dental health, nutrition education, health education, and health promotion activities.

"These grants will enable school-based health centers to establish new sites or upgrade their current facilities, which will increase their ability to provide preventive and primary health care services, and help children improve their health and remain healthy," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.

The Affordable Care Act provides $200 million in funding from 2010 - 2013 for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program to address significant and pressing capital needs and to improve delivery and support expansion of services at school-based health centers.

These grants are the second in the series of awards that will be made available to school-based health centers under the Affordable Care Act. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the School-Based Health Center Capital Program.

A full list of new grantees is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111208a_grantees.html .

To learn more about School-Based Health Centers, visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/12/health-centers12082011a.html .

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit: www.healthcare.gov

FSCA - Bold Move!

2011-12-03T19:40:00.001-05:00

December 1, 2011

Dear Colleagues,

The Florida School Counselor Association (FSCA) has taken a BOLD step!

The work of counselors in every school needs to be recognized, model school counseling programs need to be supported, assigned tasks need to be relevant to the state frameworks, and the number of students school counselors serve needs to align more with ASCA recommendations. School counselors’ training, experience, and focus on student achievement, preparation for the rigors of lifelong learning and career success needs to be supported in policy at the District and state levels of government. In keeping with the ASCA model and Florida School Counseling Frameworks, FSCA is ramping up its leadership and advocacy role. School counselors’ jobs should be protected and recognized for the success of their efforts in developing responsive programs and increasing student performance and not be easily cut to balance a budget.

In its annual accountability evaluation, FSCA’s Governing Board recognized that it has achieved most of its’ mission and key strategic goals: supporting relevant professional development, creating a cost-efficient structure for the organization’s management, and facilitating effective communication mechanisms through the website and quarterly newsletter; but the board has not adequately created a structure for its advocacy efforts. While we have an excellent advocacy platform, the FSCA leadership is eager to "get to the next level." We actively researched advocacy models around the country. We could continue relying on our great website and relevant professional development opportunities, but we feel it is time to enhance our advocacy efforts and move FSCA to be more than a member service organization. We believe that our next step is to make our advocacy role around the state and especially in Tallahassee priority one.

The Exciting News...

To provide experience and expertise in the area of political advocacy, we have entered into a contract with Capitol Strategies Consulting, Inc. who will be working for Florida school counselors to advocate more effectively and to help write, pass and enact “model legislation” that draws from the ASCA National Model, Florida Frameworks, and successful legislation from around the country. We believe that student success depends upon exposure to effective school counseling programs that require:

• Every school should have at least a full time certified, professional school counselor;

• Counselors must be expected and allowed to do the job for which they are trained;

• Schools and districts must attempt to follow the national model’s ratio of 1:250 for ALL students to benefit from well-planned and accountable school counseling programs;

• School Counselor should be the term for what we do in the 21^st century, the title guidance counselor detracts from our contemporary knowledge, skills and accomplishments;

• Counselors must be evaluated on the work they are trained to do and the measurable differences they make with students.

This Will Take Work and Funding...

We know this is a long term commitment and may take several years to accomplish. However, we have already identified key legislative champions who are willing to help craft legislation and move it through the process of voting and ratification. We believe that this initiative will benefit students in all educational settings by providing the leadership needed for setting standards for school counseling programs and school counselor roles.

In November during Convention, more than 50 of our members/leaders met at the Delegate Assembly and unanimously voted to increase dues by 50%, effective January 1, 2012 to support the advocacy efforts and the mission of the organization. The largest increase is to professional members which will cost $15 more per year. All agreed this will be a critical investment in our own professional future and the success of our students. This is our first increase in over twenty years and all extra dues will be earmarked towards our advocacy efforts.

Watch our website as we update and roll-out our new Advocacy page. Please sign-up for legislative alerts, and get to know your local delegation when they are home from Tallahassee. Let them know school counselors support student success every day.

Renew your membership, invite a colleague to join, join an existing chapter or create a new chapter of FSCA if none is available in your area. Remember that numbers matter in Tallahassee. Don’t wait for others to lead; step forward, lead and advocate for our students and your professional future.

Sincerely,

Christopher B. Smith
President
Florida School Counselor Association

Florida School Counselor Association, © 2006-2011
Proud Division of the American School Counselor Association
Contact FSCA

Bright Futures Changes.mpg

2011-12-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

Administrators try hand at new Pasco teacher evaluation system - St. Petersburg Times

2011-09-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

Administrators try hand at new Pasco teacher evaluation system - St. Petersburg Times:

WESLEY CHAPEL — Veterans Elementary School assistant principal Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd sat in the middle of the classroom, scribbling copious notes as first-grade teacher Heather Cencerik gave her lesson on author's purpose.

Miami-Dade schools debut merit pay in Florida - Schools - MiamiHerald.com

2011-09-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

Miami-Dade schools debut merit pay in Florida - Schools - MiamiHerald.com: "Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently gave thousands of teachers an extra bump in their paychecks and plans to reward the district’s top 120 teachers with bigger bonuses.

Fwd: [ASCA Scene] Help Save Pell!

2011-07-19T11:40:00.001-04:00

ASCA Scene - New Discussion Topic

Amanda Fitzgerald posted the following topic

Help Save Pell!

ACTION ALERT

ISSUE:

Federal legislators are considering cuts to the Pell Grant that makes postsecondary education possible for our nation's neediest students and ultimately contributes to improving our nation's economic growth. More than 9 million students count on the Pell Grant to enroll in and complete degree programs each year.

ASCA along with the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) are asking all members to take a moment to contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to support funding the Pell Grant maximum at $5,550.

ACTION IS NEEDED TODAY! VOTES ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN AS EARLY AS THIS AFTERNOON!

Please widely circulate this message and encourage all educators, friends and neighbors to call/e-mail their elected officials. If you have any questions or have difficulty finding your elected official please e-mail Amanda Fitzgerald.

Amanda Fitzgerald, Director of Public Policy

ASCA

Share your story and help Save Pell

2011-07-18T16:45:00.001-04:00

Click here to view in browser

Help Save Pell: Tell Your Story

On behalf of the millions of students who depend on Pell Grants to afford higher education, we thank you for asking President Obama to say NO to decreasing the maximum Pell award, or to changing the program’s eligibility requirements. America cannot afford for a deficit reduction agreement to be brokered at the expense of working-class students who are trying to earn their way into the middle class.

The Education Trust's goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that consign far too many young people to life on the margins. We believe Pell Grants are critical to achieving this goal.

Keep in mind:

Nearly 10 million students rely on Pell to be able to afford higher education — and nearly half of all African-American undergraduates and 40 percent of Latino undergraduates are Pell recipients.
Thirty years ago, the maximum Pell award was equivalent to about three-fourths of the cost to attend a public four-year college. Today, it covers only about one-third.
Pell has already taken its fair share of hits on behalf of debt reduction. Earlier this year, billions were slashed from the program when the government eliminated summer Pell awards.

But these data only tell part of the story. Are you a Pell success story? Were you able to graduate from college because of funding you got from the Pell Grant program? Or do you currently receive Pell support and worry that cuts to the program could force you to drop out?

Tell us your story and help us put a face on the fight to Save Pell.

P.S. To stay connected with the latest news on efforts to Save Pell, “like” the campaign on Facebook and follow our Twitter feed.

Pell Grant

2011-07-17T18:04:00.002-04:00

ASCA is working with the Education Trust, state associations, and a number of other organizations to urge Congress and the President to remove the Pell Grant from all negotiations in the upcoming debt reduction and balanced budget votes.

The Pell Grant is being used as a bargaining chip and is in danger. The Education Trust has developed an electronic petition that will be sent to the President. Please consider singing on and forward to your networks.

Please Act NOW! The votes for these issues are expected as early as tomorrow!
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-tell-gop-pell-grants-arent-welfare

ACTION ALERT

2011-05-13T17:23:00.001-04:00

ACTION ALERT

ISSUE: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-52nd Calif.) has introduced H.R. 1891, which would repeal 43 education programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), including the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), a federally funded, competitive grant program.

This bill is not deciding whether or not to fund the small competitive grant program; it would be to repeal the various 43 programs, removing them from the appropriations debate altogether. Essentially, the programs would be removed from federal law with the impossibility to ever be funded again without a congressional measure to reinstate them. This bill would remove the definition of "school counselor" in federal law, as the only place it appears is within ESSCP. Read Hunter's press release or view a detailed summary and list of programs that would be affected.

ACTION NEEDED: We are asking you to call or e-mail your House and Senate members today with the following message:

"As a constituent of Representative/Senator ___________, I am calling/writing because I strongly oppose H.R. 1891. I would like to request you, as my elected official, refuse to pass this bill, which would eliminate vital programs affecting student success. Programs such as the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program are not duplicative nor wasteful, as the bill implies, and are necessary for our students especially in time of economic hardship. The elimination of this program will have a negative impact on our students.

Steps for Reaching Members of Congress: If you don't know who your members of Congress are, go to http://www.contactingthecongress.org/, enter your ZIP code, and the names of your elected representatives with phone numbers and hyperlinks will appear.

If you know your members of Congress you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask for your member's office. When you call, make sure to give your name and identify yourself as a constituent; you may need to give your home address (city/town). If you are unable to get through via phone, please go to your member's Web site (which can be found at http://www.contactingthecongress.org/) and opt to send an e-mail. Be sure to let them know that you are an educator and these cuts will have a negative impact on your work and the education of children in his/her district. Personal stories are the most meaningful.

Please widely circulate this message and encourage all educators in your building to call/e-mail their elected officials. This is timely matter; please act today! If you have any questions or have difficulty finding your elected official please e-mail Amanda Fitzgerald.

Amanda Fitzgerald, Director of Public Policy

ASCA

email: ascaaspects@schoolcounselor.org

web: http://www.schoolcounselor.org

Relating to John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program

2011-05-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

Relating to John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program

John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program: Makes scholarships available to students with disabilities who have 504 accommodation plan issued under federal law; allows parent to request & receive scholarship for student to enroll in & attend private school if student has 504 accommodation plan; provides that students with certain temporary 504 accommodation plans are ineligible for scholarship; provides that parent may choose to enroll student in public school in adjacent district under certain conditions; provides for scholarship amounts. Effective Date: July 1, 2011

HB 1255 Relating to Education Accountability

2011-05-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

HB 1255	Relating to Education Accountability	Adkins
	Education Accountability: Revises numerous provisions relating to K-12 public education system; revises provisions relating to virtual instruction courses, school board member acceptance of gifts, Opportunity Scholarship Program, McKay Scholarships, Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, special education services, requirements for middle grades promotion & high school graduation, digital curriculum, career & professional academies, use of restraint & seclusion on students with disabilities, assistive technology, statewide assessments, college readiness, school improvement, designation of school grades, education budgets, funding for exceptional student education, & teacher qualifications. Effective Date: July 1, 2011

Relating to Code of Student Conduct

2011-05-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

SB 0228	Relating to Code of Student Conduct	Siplin
	Code of Student Conduct; Requires the district school board to include in the code of student conduct adopted by the board an explanation of the responsibilities of each student with regard to appropriate dress and respect for self and others and the role that appropriate dress and respect for self and others has on an orderly learning environment, etc. EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2011

Relating to Offense of Sexting

2011-05-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

HB 0075	Relating to Offense of Sexting	Abruzzo
	Offense of Sexting:Provides that minor commits offense of sexting if he or she knowingly uses computer, or any other device capable of electronic data transmission or distribution, to transmit or distribute to another minor any photograph or video of any person which depicts nudity & is harmful to minors; provides noncriminal & criminal penalties; provides that transmission, distribution, or possession of multiple photographs or videos is single offense if transmission occurs within 24-hour period, etc. Effective Date: October 1, 2011

School Counselor Blog

2011-05-11T22:45:00.000-04:00

One of the best School Counselor blogs/webs sites around! Danielle has developed a relevant, resourceful, and active must-see place to be.

FASA 2011 End of Legislative Session Wrap Up

2011-05-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.

Florida Association of School Administrators

2011 Legislative Summary

By Jessica Janasiewicz

The 2011 Florida Legislative Session ended at approximately 3:00am Saturday. It was a difficult and often combative Session with major issues such as immigration, Supreme Court restructuring, retirement reform, prescription drug tracking, Medicaid reform, pay for performance and the budget all taking center stage at different times during the 60 day period....

Click here to view full report.

If you have any further questions on the report email Juhan Mixon, Executive Director FASA.

Florida Association of School Administrators
326 Williams Street | Tallahassee, FL 32303

AAUW Breaking Through Barriers for Women and Girls

2011-05-05T11:28:00.000-04:00

AAUW FL Action Alert - Education underfunded

Vouchers and Mandates

The massive teacher bill passed weeks ago wasn't enough. The legislature now wants to expand vouchers for private schools and to expand virtual instruction.

The Senate is poised to take up HB 965 (in lieu of its own SB1388) to allow corporations now to claim tax credits up to the full amount of their state corporate income tax and insurance premium tax and to carry forward an unused credit for up to five years. This bill also allows the large nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations (SFOs with $10 million of approved tax credit allocations the prior year) to obtain from the Department of Revenue the names and addresses of the 100 taxpayers with the greatest tax liability after all tax credits are applied for the sole purpose of raising funds for the FL Tax Credit Scholarship Program. In addition to expected cuts in education funding, this bill would take additional revenue from the state by allowing credits of $175 million for 2011-12.

HB 7197 (in lieu of the Senate's own SB 1620) would require 9th grade students, beginning with the 2011-12 school year, to take at least one online virtual course in order to meet high school graduation requirements. Especially worrisome is the inadequate funding for equipment and the problem many students will have in accessing computers to meet the requirement.

Please contact your state senator right away and ask him or her to oppose HB 965 and HB 7197.

CASC/CESCAL School Counselor Advocacy Video

2011-05-05T09:55:00.000-04:00

SchoolTube - CASC/CESCAL Advocacy Video

Florida House of Representatives - MyFloridaHouse.gov

2011-05-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

Florida House of Representatives Offers Helpful Resources
The Florida House of Representatives has updated its website with enhanced smart phone capabilities that allows access to helpful legislative resources such as Session and Committee schedules, bill tracking, House member searches and more. The site also includes instructions on how to save this resource to your smart phone.

The House is also offering for sale the Clerk's Manual, a guide to the 2010-2012 Florida Legislature, and The Guide to Florida Government. Visit http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/ for more information about these helpful resources.

Education Secretary Duncan to Address Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Forum | U.S. Department of Education

2011-04-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

Education Secretary Duncan to Address Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Forum | U.S. Department of Education

Please oppose SB 1656

2011-04-13T11:46:00.002-04:00

The Coalition for the Education of Exceptional Students (CEES) Opposes Efforts to Expand the McKay Voucher Program to Students who do not have Recognized Learning Disabilities or to Provide Any Share of ESE Guaranteed Funding to Students who do not Generate Any of that Funding.

Please oppose SB 1656 (Wise) during the Thursday morning Senate Education Committee Meeting

Senate Bill 1656 would provide an entitlement to McKay Vouchers to attend private schools including both a share of basic student funding and a portion of the ESE Guaranteed Allocation to students who have a 504 accommodation plan or who are Tier 3 in Response to Intervention Plan.

Based upon State and Federal Law, students with a 504 accommodation plan or those who are Tier 3 in Response to Intervention are not learning disabled. They do not receive any extra state funding as a result of the accommodations provided. They are not included as part of the workload estimates used by budget writers to establish the ESE Guaranteed Allocation.

Providing vouchers to these students and including a share of special funding generally designated for the costs of special services mandated by both state and federal law for students who are disabled will result in systematic underfunding for the services of those students with learning disabilities who remain in the public schools.

Trends nationally toward a Response to Intervention model for serving students who are having difficulties keeping up with academic and social requirements of the classroom but do not have an established learning disabilities was an intentional decision of state and federal policy makers to avoid over-identification of students as having a learning disability simply based upon the fact that they were behind.

CEES Requests Opposition to SB 1656 (Wise).

For more information contact Bob Cerra, CEES Information Specialist, at (850) 222-4428 or bobcerra@comcast.net

HB 289 - Public School Student Participation in Fine Arts Courses

2011-04-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

HB 289 - Public School Student Participation in Fine Arts Courses: "Public School Student Participation in Fine Arts Courses: Revises basis for designation of school grades to include participation rates of students in K-12 who are enrolled in fine arts courses."

Contacting the Congress: A Citizen's Congressional Directory

2011-04-04T22:18:00.000-04:00

ACTION ALERT

ISSUE: As you may know the federal government is currently working under a Continuing Resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) funding until Friday, April 8. The House Majority has recently passed major cuts to education and is in negotiations with the Senate to make further cuts in order to keep the government running. A new short-term or long-term CR must be passed by April 8 to keep the government functioning.

Key congressional offices have made us aware that the elimination of the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), a federally funded, competitive grant program, is a very possible reality in this next round of negotiations. While we certainly don't won't this program eliminated, if it were to be cut it would not be the end of the profession as we know it. In fact, most school counselors out there won't even know that the federal funding has been cut. A majority of school counselors are funded through district/county and state funding.

Some school counselors are funded through federal dollars, and you would probably know if you were one of them. (Some people are funded or half of their position is funded through Title 1 dollars, for instance). Even fewer are funded through ESSCP, and you would definitely know if you fall into this category. ESSCP is a competitive grant program that your district would have had to apply for and win. It is a three-year continuation grant (meaning if your district won the grant two years ago then you still need this program to be funded for the third year). NEA estimates, that if the ESSCP were completely eliminated, approximately 675 counseling jobs would be cut, and those aren't all school counselors as school social workers and school psychologists can be hired from that program as well. To put it in perspective there were approximately 105,000 school counselors in the 2008-2009 school year. That said, we don't want to see one school counseling job lost so it is important that we work together to fight the elimination of the ESSCP.

ACTION NEEDED: We are asking you to call or e-mail your House and Senate members today with the following message:

"As a constituent of Representative/Senator ___________, I am calling/writing because I understand that negotiations are being made to pass a FY 11 budget and that the elimination of several education programs are at stake, including the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP). I would like to request you, as my elected official, preserve the ESSCP and other education programs. Programs such as the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program are vital for our students, especially in time of economic hardship. These cuts will have a negative impact on our students."

Steps for Reaching Members of Congress: If you don't know who your members of Congress are, go to http://www.contactingthecongress.org/, enter your ZIP code, and the names of your elected representatives with phone numbers and hyperlinks will appear.

If you know your members of Congress you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask for your member's office. When you call, make sure to give your name and identify yourself as a constituent; you may need to give your home address (city/town). If you are unable to get through via phone, please go to your member's Web site (which can be found at http://www.contactingthecongress.org/) and opt to send an e-mail. Be sure to let them know that you are an educator and these cuts will have a negative impact on your work and the education of children in his/her district. Personal stories are the most meaningful.

Please widely circulate this message and encourage all educators in your building to call/e-mail their elected officials. This is timely matter; please act today! If you have any questions or have difficulty finding your elected official please e-mail Amanda Fitzgerald.

Amanda Fitzgerald, Director of Public Policy

ASCA

email: ascaaspects@schoolcounselor.org

web: http://www.schoolcounselor.org

Teacher Contracts in Jeopardy

2011-03-30T08:17:00.000-04:00

Teachers May Not Receive Contracts

Take Action!

House Vote Likely on Wednesday, March 30

Teacher Contracts in Jeopardy

If you are a current first, second and possibly third year annual contract teacher working to obtain your PSC, Florida Legislators are working to take that right away, too!

Members of the House are poised to vote on ending Professional Service Contracts (PSC) for all current first, second and possibly third teachers. Take Action - Contact your legislator, Today.

One of the questions FEA has received about SB 736 is whether or not current first and second year teachers will be eligible for Professional Service Contracts (PSC) (See Frequently Asked Questions #28).

CS/HB 7087/7091* aims to end that speculation by eliminating the language which would allow first and second year teachers to be eligible for PSC. These bills have sped through the legislature and are scheduled to be heard on the Floor of the House on Tuesday, March 29 with final vote by the House likely on Wednesday, March 30.

These bills repealed some obsolete language for programs which were no longer funded or under-utilized. As legislators went through the amendment process with these bills it became clear they were trying to ensure that PSC would not be available for current first or second year annual contract teachers. This group of teachers, if these bills pass both House and Senate, will only be eligible for annual contracts. When these teachers were first hired, they were told that after 3 years of successful service they would be eligible for PSC.

Take Action - Contact your House Representative, Today.

Tell them to stop the attacks on teachers. Let them know that you have worked hard to earn your Professional Service Contract. You deserve to obtain it and keep it. This is nothing more than another broken promise.

Click to see list of Representatives with phone numbers and email.

Use the Florida House of Representatives' locator to find your legislator.

A Letter to Scott Walker From a Wisconsin Teacher

2011-03-22T10:34:00.000-04:00

A Letter to Scott Walker From a Wisconsin Teacher

By Adam Weinstein

Via one of our Tumblr chums, Positively Persistent Teach, here's an open letter from one high school social studies teacher, Eric Brehm of Endeavor, Wisconsin, to Gov. Scott Walker, asking about the impacts of his "budget repair bill." It's lengthy and worth reading-and passing on-in its entirety. You can also read up on Brehm at his blog, Bang the Bucket. In his own words:

On Saturday, February 19, 2011, I sent the following letter to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. It has since been re-posted and blogged a number of times, for which I am grateful. However, this blog would not be complete unless I included a copy of it here. And so, here is where it all began:

To the Duly-Elected Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker (and anyone else who gives a hoot):

It has only been a week, and I grow weary of the political struggle that your Budget Repair Bill has caused. I am tired of watching the news, though I have seen many of the faces of those I hold dear as they march on the Capitol. I am tired of defending myself to those who disagree with me, and even a bit tired of fist-bumping those who do. I am tired of having to choose a side in this issue, when both sides make a certain degree of sense. And so I offer you this desultory (aimless or rambling) philippic (angry long-winded speech), because at the end of the day I find that though this issue has been talked to death, there is more that could be said. And so, without further ado, here are my points and/or questions, in no particular order.

1. You can have my money, but ... Ask any number of my students, who have heard me publicly proclaim that a proper solution to this fiscal crisis is to raise taxes. I will pay them. I have the great good fortune to live in a nation where opportunity is nearly limitless, and I am willing to pay for the honor of calling myself an American. Incidentally, Warren Buffett, the second richest man in the nation (and a Democrat) agrees with me. Your proposed Budget Repair Bill will cost me just under $3000 per year at my current salary, with the stated goal of saving $30 million this year on the state budget. I say, take it. You can have it. It will hurt me financially, but if it will balance the budget of the state that has been my home since birth, take it with my blessing. But if I may, before you do, I have some questions.

--------------------------

SIDEBAR: If you wished to trim $30 million off of the budget, that works out to about $6.91 per Wisconsin taxpayer. So I must ask: Is it fair that you ask $3000 of me, but you fail to ask $6.91 of everyone?

--------------

According to the 2009 estimate for the U.S. Census, 5,654,774 people live in the state of Wisconsin. Of those, 23.2% are under the age of 18, and presumably are not subject to much in the way of income tax. That still leaves about 4,342,867 taxpayers in the state of Wisconsin. If you wished to trim $30 million off of the budget, that works out to about $6.91 per Wisconsin taxpayer. So I must ask: Is it fair that you ask $3000 of me, but you fail to ask $6.91 of everyone? I know that times are tough, but would it not be more equitable to ask that each taxpayer in the state contribute an extra 13 cents a week?

Would you please, kindly, explain exactly how collective bargaining is a fiscal issue? I fancy myself to be a fairly intelligent person. I have heard it reported in the news that unless the collective bargaining portion of this bill is passed, severe amounts of layoffs will occur in the state. I have heard that figure given as 6,000 jobs. But then again, you've reportedly said it was 10,000 jobs. But then again, it's been reported to be as high as 12,000 jobs. Regardless of the figure, one thing that hasn't been explained to my satisfaction is exactly how or why allowing a union to bargain collectively will cost so much money or so many jobs. Am I missing something? Isn't collective bargaining essentially sitting in a room and discussing something, collectively? Is there now a price tag on conversation? How much does the average conversation cost? I feel your office has been eager to provide doomsday scenarios regarding lost jobs, but less than willing to provide actual insight as to why that is the case. I would welcome an explanation.

-------------------------

SIDEBAR: If I keep going at my current pace, I will work 2,720 hours this school year, 136% to 156% as much as your average hourly worker.

-------------------------

Why does your concern over collective bargaining, pensions, and healthcare costs only extend to certain unions, but not all? Why do snow plow drivers and child care providers and teachers and prison guards find themselves in "bad" unions, but firefighters and state police and local police find themselves in unions that do not need to be effected by your bill? The left wing news organizations, of course, state that this is because these are unions that supported your election bid, while you seek to punish those unions that did not; I would welcome your response to such a charge. You have stated that the state and local police are too vital to the state to be affected. Can I ask how child care, or prison guards, or nurses or teachers are not vital? Again, I would welcome a response.

Though you are a state employee, I have seen no provision in your bill to cut your own pension or healthcare costs. The governor's salary in Wisconsin was about $137,000 per year, last I checked. By contrast, I make about $38,000 per year. Somewhere in that extra $99,000 that you make, are you sure you couldn't find some money to fund the state recovery which you seem to hold so dear? As you have been duly elected by the voters of Wisconsin, you will receive that salary as a pension for the rest of your life. I don't mean to cut too deeply into your lifestyle, but are you sure you couldn't live off $128,000 per year so that you could have the same 7% salary reduction you are asking certain other public employees to take?

2. Regarding teachers being overpaid and underworked. I don't really have many questions in this regard, but I do have a couple of statements. If you haven't already figured it out, I am a teacher, so you may examine my statement for bias as you see fit. I admit I find it somewhat suspect that teachers are mentioned so prominently in your rhetoric; those protesting at the Capitol are indeed teachers. But they are also students, and nurses, and prison guards, and plumbers, and firefighters, and a variety of other professions. If you could go back to "public sector employees," I would appreciate it. But as far as being overpaid and underworked...I grant you, I have a week's vacation around Christmas. I have a week off for Spring Break. I have about 10 weeks off for summer. With sick days and personal days and national holidays and the like, I work about 8.5 months out of every year. So perhaps I am underworked. But before you take that as a given, a couple of points in my own defense.

--------------------------

SIDEBAR: As an educator, I understand how difficult it can be to get young people interested in politics. You have managed to do this in the space of one week.

--------------------------

The average full-time worker puts in 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, with two weeks' vacation time. That makes for a grand total of 2000 hours per year. Part of the teachers' arguments regarding their time is that no one sees how many hours they work at home to grade papers, or create lesson plans, or things of that nature. I am in a rare state, in that I am not one of those teachers. I work an hour from where I live, and I like to keep my work at work. I, therefore, do not bring work home with me, but rather stay at school, or come in early, so that I can grade papers or create lesson plans while at school. So I am more prepared than most to explain the hours it takes to do my job. I also supervise an extra-curricular activity (as many teachers do), in that I serve as the Drama Coach for my school. The school year, so far, has lasted for 24 weeks. I have, in that time, averaged 78 hours per week either going to school, being at school, or coming home from school. If you remove my commute, of course, I still average 68 hours per week, thus far. That means I have put in 1,632 hours of work time this year, which works out to over 80% of what your average full time worker does in a calendar year. If you include my commute, I'm over 90%. If I keep going at my current pace, I will work 2,720 hours this school year (or 3,120 hours if you include my commute). That means I work 136% to 156% as much as your average hourly worker.

As to underpaid - I'm not sure I am underpaid in general, though I do believe I am underpaid in terms of the educational level expected to do my job. I have two Bachelor's Degrees, and will be beginning work toward my Master's this summer. By comparison, sir, you never completed college, and yet, as previously stated, you outearn me by almost $100,000 per year. Perhaps that is an argument that I made the wrong career choice. But it is perhaps an argument that we need to discuss whether you and others like you are overpaid, and not whether teachers are.

3. Regarding the notion that teachers that are protesting, or legislators currently in Illinois, are hurting the state. Very briefly, if I may:

Teachers have been accused of shirking their duties by protesting for what they believe to be their rights instead of being in school. The argument has been, of course, that no lessons have been taught when classes aren't in session. I must submit that lessons in protest, in exercise of the First Amendment right to peaceable assembly, in getting involved as a citizen in political affairs, have been taught these past few days. The fact that they haven't been taught in the classroom is irrelevant. Ultimately a very strong duty of the school system is to help students become citizens - I think that has clearly happened this week.

As to the legislators, it seems to me as though they feel their constituents deserve to have a length of time to examine the proposed bill on its merits, not vote it straight up or down three days after it was presented. As the current budget does not expire until June, this seems to me like the only response left them in light of your decision to fast-track the bill without discussion. Give them another option, and perhaps they will come back. I can't say that I agree with their decision, but I can say that I understand it.

4. Regarding the notion that protestors at the Capitol are rabble-rousers and/or thugs. Such name-calling on the part of conservatives in the state and the conservative media could be severely curtailed if you would speak out against it. True, most of the people protesting, if not all, are liberals. Historically, liberals have always tended to think that they have far more support than they actually do. They also (in my opinion) have a tendency to get extremely organized about three months too late, if at all. So you can fault them for their decision-making, but I would ask you to speak out against the notion of thuggery.

Again, very briefly: So far, 12 arrests have been made. Estimates say there were about 25,000 people at the Capitol today, and about 20,000 yesterday. Let's be conservative (mathematically) and say that 40,000 people protested over two days. That would mean that officers arrested .0003% of all protestors. By almost any definition, that is an extremely peaceful demonstration, and of course you are aware that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of peaceable assembly for a redress of grievances. So in the main, these people have done nothing wrong.

5. If I may provide you with a sense of history. You work in the largest and most magnificently appointed state capitol in the nation, built by Bob LaFollette (a Republican). You work in the same building where Phil LaFollette (a Republican) helped guide Wisconsin out of the Great Depression. You work in the same building where Gaylord Nelson (a Democrat) was the first in the nation to offer rights to unions of state employees, rights that you now seek to overturn. And you work in the same building where Tommy Thompson (a Republican) provided more state funding to education than any other governor before or since. Are your current actions truly how you would choose to be remembered?

6. Finally, Governor, a note of thanks. Whatever the outcome of the next several days, you deserve a certain degree of credit. As an educator, I understand how difficult it can be to get young people interested in politics. You have managed to do this in the space of one week. A number of Wisconsin's youth support you. A number of them do not. But whatever else can be said of you, you have them paying attention, and thinking about voting, and walking around the Capitol, and turning out to be involved. You have taught your own lessons this week, Governor, and that has its own value.

Thank you for your time,

Eric Brehm
Endeavor, WI 53930

Smith stepping down as Fla. education commissioner - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com

2011-03-21T14:58:00.000-04:00

Smith stepping down as Fla. education commissioner - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com

FSCA Legislative News

2011-03-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

Brief update on what is going on in Washington, DC in regards to fiscal year 11 budgets, ESEA Reauthorization and more!

CR passes: The Senate yesterday afternoon passed by a vote of 87-13, a sixth continuing resolution (H.J. Res. 48) for FY 11, which runs through April 8 and reduces spending by $6 billion - though without any new education cuts. The president is expected to sign the measure into law. Nine Republicans, three Democrats and Sen. Sanders voted against passage.

Another CR will need to be passed by April 8th. The Republicans have stressed that they are done playing nice and the next round of cuts will be severe. Constituents are still encouraged to contact their senators/representatives and fight to preserve education funding! Note: Each extension will cost at least $2 billion/week.

Sen. Paul (R-KY) Amendment: This amendment, which would cut ED programs by 66%, was formally offered Wednesday to the Small Business bill, S. 493, but a vote will not occur until after the recess. (Hill sources do NOT expect this amendment to pass).

Senate HELP Subcommittees: Wednesday the HELP Committee announced its subcommittee memberships: http://help.senate.gov/about/subcommittees/

Fiscal Year (FY) 10 SIG grants announced: ED yesterday announced the first five states to receive FY 10 School Improvement Grant Funds (IL, MS, NY, OH, SD):http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/five-states-receive-funding-turn-around-persistently-lowest-achieving-schools

Chairman Kline (R-Minn.) on ESEA: House GOP point man on education to Obama: Don't rush me on 'No Child'. Note this statement: "Kline also said the House would not approve a single comprehensive education bill and would instead break up the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind into separate pieces of legislation. The move is a reflection of orders from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to scrap the thousand-page bills that Republicans decried under the Democratic majority. "We're just not going to do it," Kline said of passing a comprehensive bill." Read the entire article here:http://thehill.com/homenews/house/149811-kline-tells-obama-dont-rush-me-on-education-

Congress on Recess: Both the House and Senate are now on recess until Monday March 28. Take this time to visit your lawmakers in your hometown - many will be doing town hall meetings and other events -- make your voice heard!

Source: Amanda Fitzgerald, Director of Public Policy, ASCA

Stop House Bill 1021 - Important Vote - Action Needed

2011-03-20T20:14:00.001-04:00

Please call 888-640-1338

The politicians in Tallahassee are trying to silence your voice!

The members of the House Appropriations committee in Tallahassee are scheduled to vote on a bill this Monday, March 21 at 12:15 p.m. which would dramatically affect the ability of your union to represent you and make your voice heard. This bill is one of several union attack bills being jammed through the legislature.

House Bill 1021 specifically targets public sector unions… particularly those that represent public school employees, police officers and fire fighters.

The bill would strip public sector unions of the right to have a voice in government but still allow groups like the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the big corporations they represent, the right to participate in the political process.

This is union busting—pure and simple.

At a time when creating jobs should be the main focus of the legislature, the politicians seem focused on destroying the organizations that represent public employees. They want to be sure that when they do things --like try to tax our pensions-- that we are unable to respond and fight back.

Please call 888-640-1338 and your call will be routed to a legislator on this committee. Please tell the person that answers the phone:

“I strongly oppose House Bill 1021. The Legislature should not tell citizens or organizations how to spend our money.”

Legislative update March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T18:16:00.000-04:00

Source: Florida Education Association

SB 736: Impact on Our Schools

Take Action!

Let Them Know You’re Disappointed

The fate of Senate Bill 736 now rests with the Governor who has promised to sign the legislation into law. This week, Republican House legislators voted unanimously in support of the so-called Teacher Quality bill. We must commend the Democrats who stood in unity voting against this flawed legislation. How will SB 736 impact our schools?

SB 736 is yet another multi-billion dollar unfunded mandate that dramatically increases student testing and does nothing to support or reward current teachers at a time when our schools can least afford it.

This new legislation requires local school districts to spend millions of dollars to develop new FCAT style tests and evaluation systems, but the Legislature is not providing additional funding to cover the cost.
Florida schools are already facing devastating budgets cuts. More cuts will force districts to close schools and cut programs and services. Employees are expected to face salary rollbacks, furloughs, layoffs and cuts in their benefits.Tallahassee shouldn't impose another $2 billion dollar unfunded mandate at a time when our schools and our school employees can least afford it.
We should not punish our teachers when our schools are doing better than ever. Recently, Florida ranked 5th in the nation, according to the Education Week annual Quality Counts report.

SB 736 will dramatically increase student testing.

Teacher evaluations and performance pay will be determined by student growth measurements using FCAT style tests. An increase in testing means more days of test anxiety for students and fewer days of teaching and learning.
More tests mean millions more spent on development and implementation and less money will be available for activities and resources that actually improve teaching skills and increase student learning gains.

SB 736 does nothing to reward current teachers.

Unfortunately, this bill places all responsibility for improving student achievement squarely on the shoulders of teachers but only rewards teachers hired after July 1, 2014.
Veteran teachers are not eligible for the new 'performance pay'...unless they give up their continuing or professional services contract and agree to work on an annual contract for the remainder of their careers.
Worse still, the bill requires districts (already struggling with dwindling budgets) to fund the new 'performance pay' schedule at a higher rate than the 'grandfathered' pay schedule which is used to compensate current teachers. But because the bill provides NO NEW FUNDING our school districts will be put in the untenable position of shortchanging programs and services to our students OR taking money from the salary schedule that is used to compensate current contract teachers.

We need to let the Governor and our legislators know this bill is an insult to the teachers who are working hard in our public schools every day!

Contact your Representative today!

Click the link to see how the lawmakers voted on SB 736: House and Senate.

If your legislator is Democrat, thank him/her for courageously standing on the side of students and teachers.

If your legislator is Republican, share your disappointment in his/her decision to support education policy that will have a negative impact on good teachers and cause more harm than good for our students.

FEA Release on SB 736 House Vote
SB 736 at a Glance

Education Policy & Program Development Update (March 17)

2011-03-17T17:57:00.000-04:00

Dear colleagues,

Today’s Education Policy & Program Development Update may be found in PDF form at http://grants.leeschools.net/update/pdf/FY2011/EPPDU_2011_03_017.pdf.

This update includes coverage of:

· Senate Bill 736 (Teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention)

· Senate Bill 1130 (Retirement)

· Facebook’s new “support system” and anti-bullying tools

· Debates on teacher quality, public pensions, and state budgets

· Governor’s new Web site: “Florida has a right to know.”

· Florida Legislative Session overview

Note that the bills in the legislative overview includes bills pertaining to education, child safety, governance, and public employee retirement plans. This list will be updated throughout the session.

Kind regards,

_________________________________________

J. F. "Jeff" McCullers, Ed.D.
Director, Grants & Program Development
Liaison, Public Charter Schools
Division of Academic Services
The School District of Lee County

Lee County Public Education Center
2855 Colonial Boulevard
Fort Myers, Florida 33966-1012

Senate Bill 1582

2011-03-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

FLORIDA – After collaborating with SAVE Dade, Florida Together and other experts, Florida Senator Eleanor Sobel today filed Senate Bill 1582 which requires the Department of Education (DOE) to create model “stand alone” policies on bullying and harassment.

Vote NO on Senate Bill 736 and House Bill 7019

2011-03-14T07:28:00.000-04:00

Source: Florida Education Association [www.floridaea.org]
Subject: Vote NO on Senate Bill 736 and House Bill 7019

STOP SB 736	Take Action!
House expected to cast final vote early next week

The Florida Senate has passed Senate Bill 736 which is a new version of SB 6. Unfortunately, this bill has many of the same problems as Senate Bill 6: This Legislation will require the state and our local school districts to spend millions developing new FCAT style tests and evaluation systems but provides NO new funding. It effectively ties all future pay increases to test scores and requires ALL teachers to sign away their due process rights and agree to work on a year to year contract IF they want to be eligible for a pay raise. Florida schools are facing the most devastating budgets cuts our state has ever seen. Districts are being forced to close schools and cut programs. Education employees are expected to face salary rollbacks, furloughs, layoffs and cuts in their benefits. We don’t need Tallahassee to impose another $2 billion dollar unfunded mandate at a time when our schools and our school employees can least afford it. And we should not be punishing our teachers when our schools are doing better than ever. The Florida House of Representatives is expected to cast a final vote on this bill as early as Wednesday of next week. Please call (888) 640-1338 and enter your zip code to be connected to your legislator. Tell them to vote NO on Senate Bill 736 and House Bill 7019. For more information, go to www.stoptheattacksonfloridateachers.org

"Don't Cut the School Counselors" Advocacy Song

2011-03-13T20:44:00.000-04:00

FSCA: Letter from FSCA President

2011-03-12T09:21:00.000-05:00

Dear Colleagues,

March 8th marked the opening day of the legislative session in Tallahassee that may adversely affect School Counselors in Florida more than at any other time in history. We need all Florida School Counselors to stand together and speak with one loud voice that we are vitally important to the academic, personal/social, and future career success of all students in Florida. The role of school counselors and school counseling programs positively impact students in ways that are unique and critical.

We need your help. First, join FSCA and become familiar with our Advocacy work. Please visit our website at www.fla-schoolcounselor.org for more information and important links as this session unfolds.

Second, we need you to pitch in and write your legislators, school board members, those that represent your district, and local media. Let them know that they need to be mindful of the impact of their budget changes on school counseling programs. In addition, here are several important points to include in your communications:

School counselors develop comprehensive programs that address students’ academic, personal, social, and career needs in unique ways that directly impacts their college and career readiness.
Through leadership, advocacy and collaboration, professional school counselors promote equity and access to rigorous educational experiences for all students.
Professional school counselors support a safe learning environment and work to safeguard the human rights of all members of the school community.
Professional school counselors develop and implement data/needs-driven, standards-based and research-supported programs, and engage in continuous program evaluation activities.
The American School Counselor Association National standards recommends, and reality necessitates, a ratio of one counselor to 250 students (1:250).
School counselors are rigorously trained to assist students who face unique and diverse challenges, both personally and developmentally, that have an impact on academic achievement.
Comprehensive developmental school counseling programs provide education, prevention and intervention services, which are integrated into all aspects of children’s lives. Early identification and intervention of children’s academic and personal/social needs is essential in removing barriers to learning and in promoting academic achievement.

You can access contact information for your legislators online at http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find. Governor Scott can be reached on his website at http://www.flgov.com/.

Sincerely,

Christopher B. Smith
President
Florida School Counselor Association
School Counselor, Beacon High School
Blue Ridge International Academy
Sheltered GED Program

The Florida Senate Has Passed a New Version of SB6

2011-03-11T19:41:00.000-05:00

The Florida Senate Has Passed a New Version of SB6

Power to Learn - Enter Site

2011-03-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

Enter to win: Grand prize is a Viewsonic Android G-Tablet.

Education Policy & Program Development Update (Florida Legislature Opening Day Special)

2011-03-09T09:51:00.001-05:00

Today’s Education Policy & Program Development Update may be found in PDF form at http://grants.leeschools.net/update/pdf/FY2011/EPPDU_2011_03_08.pdf

This update includes coverage of the opening day of the Florida Legislature:

· Word frequency analysis of major speeches today from the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the Governor

· Links to the full text of those key speeches

· Updated bill tracker, include many bills introduced for the first time today

Source:

_________________________________________

Grant Operations: http://grants.leeschools.net/
Charter School Operations: http://charter.leeschools.net/

Telephone: (239) 337 8273
Facsimile: (239) 337 8594

PUBLIC RECORDS NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: Under Florida law, nearly all communications made or received by School District employees are considered public records that must be retained and, upon request, made available to citizens and to the media. There should be no expectation of privacy.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!

2011-03-09T09:32:00.001-05:00

Source: Florida Education Association IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED	Take Action!
Senate Bill 736 is just like Senate Bill 6–another unfunded mandate at the worst possible time!

ALERT: The full Senate is schedule to vote on Senate Bill 736 Wednesday and may take a final vote as early as Thursday. Florida schools are facing the most devastating budgets cuts our state has ever seen. Districts are being forced to close schools and cut programs. Education employees are expected to face salary rollbacks, furloughs, layoffs and cuts in their benefits. So what is the Florida Legislature doing? They are working on a new 'merit pay plan' that will force local school districts to spend millions to develop more FCAT style tests and new evaluation systems. They say they are giving us 'performance pay' but all they are really giving us another $2 billion dollar unfunded mandate at a time when our schools and our school employees can least afford it! Tell the Legislature we don't need a new education reform scheme when we can't pay for what we have. Unemployment is at an all time high and school districts need teachers in front of classrooms… not in unemployment lines! The state Senate is expected to cast a final vote on this wasteful bill as early as Thursday. Please join the thousands of Florida parents and teachers who are calling Senate President Mike Haridopolos and other key senators about Senate Bill 736…Tell them to fund it or forget it! Please call (888) 640-1338 anytime between now and 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning and enter your zip code. We will connect you to your legislator's office or to the office of Senate President Mike Haridopolos. When you are connected, tell them that you are a teacher or school employee and you want them to vote against SB 736. Another unfunded mandate from Tallahassee is not what our schools need right now! The line may be busy or you may be put directly into voicemail. If you do not get through, please call back. Or you can send an email by clicking on: Find your Senator

Quick notes on the Florida House of Representatives opening session

2011-03-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

Source: J. F. "Jeff" McCullers, Ed.D.
Director, Grants & Program Development

The opening session of the Florida House this morning included ceremony, networking, recognitions, formalities, and introductions of past and present dignitaries. Speaker of the House Dean Cannon gave a fast-moving speech that touched briefly on many topics including his disapproval of the U.S. Congress, condemnation of what he called “pill mills,” and the “modernization” of the state court system. He quoted Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and expressed hope that Floridians will “long remember” what this session of the Legislature accomplishes.

Comments on the U.S. Congress:

· “The federal government has utterly failed in its responsibilities.”

· “Washington is a fiscal heroin addict.”

· “They traded liberty for government control.”

· “We can refuse to follow our national leaders over the edge and into the abyss.”

Comments on education:

· “I will not perpetuate a status quo.”

Comments on the economy:

· “We will encourage private risk-taking.”

· “We must favor small businesses.”

Comments on the budget:

· “The sad truth is we have become dependent on federal money.”

· “You cannot cut government spending without cutting government services.”

· “Neither the future, nor anything in it, is an entitlement.”

· “We will reduce spending on good programs in order to fund necessary programs.”

Comments on Medicare:

· “Medicare is a Great Society entitlement program run amok.”

· “It spreads like a cancer.”

Comments on lawmaking:

· “Slogans are not enough.”

· “We have to care about the details and real impact of what we do.”

· “A catchy label does not make a bad idea good.”

· “We will not make decisions based on the politics of fear or anger.”

· “Our laws should favor those who are willing to work hard and play by the rules.”

_________________________________________

Bill Gates: How state budgets are breaking US schools | Video on TED.com

2011-03-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

America's school systems are funded by the 50 states. In this fiery talk, Bill Gates says that state budgets are riddled with accounting tricks that disguise the true cost of health care and pensions and weighted with worsening deficits -- with the financing of education at the losing end.

Student Success Act Implementation Schedule for Pay and Contracts

2011-03-07T21:16:00.001-05:00

Student Success Act Implementation Schedule for Pay and Contracts

February 23, 2011

Tenured Instructional Personnel

2011-2014		2014-2015
Stay in current district: · On grandfather salary schedule, as long as they remain employed by the school district or have an authorized leave of absence. · On professional service contract. · Tenure shall be renewed unless the individual is: 1. Charged with unsatisfactory performance; or 2. Receives low performance evaluation ratings.	Move out of district: · Remain on grandfather salary schedule as long as they remain employed by the school district or have an authorized leave of absence. · On one-year probationary contract, followed by annual contracts. · No tenure.	Stay in current district: · On grandfather salary schedule as long as they remain employed by the school district or have an authorized leave of absence. · On professional service contract or continuing contract. · Tenure shall be renewed unless the individual is: 1. Charged with unsatisfactory performance; or · 2. Receives low performance evaluation ratings. · Just cause and contract renewal are based on new evaluations. Or · Opt to go on performance pay schedule. · Give up tenure and go on annual contract.	Move out of district: · On performance pay schedule. · On one-year probationary contract, followed by annual contracts. · No tenure.
Salary schedule continues to be collectively bargained.
Salary supplements continue to be at the discretion of the district, based on the criteria in law (e.g., advanced degrees, low performing schools, critical teacher shortage areas)

Newly Hired Instructional Personnel

2014-2015
· On one-year probationary contract, followed by annual contracts. · On performance pay schedule. · Contract renewal at district’s discretion and evaluation. · No tenure.
Salary schedule continues to be collectively bargained.
Salary supplements continue to be at the discretion of the district, based on the criteria in law (e.g., advanced degrees. low performing schools, critical teacher shortage areas)

SB 736- RACE TO THE TOP FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

2011-03-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

SB 736- Race to the top for Student Success

· This bill implements Florida’s successful Race to the Top application, using the requirements of the Race to the Top grant and the grant’s timeline for implementation, which 65 of Florida’s 67 school districts have already agreed to.

· The bill focuses on three components of instructional quality:

o Revising the broken, current system of evaluations and creating a new, robust evaluation system for instructional personnel and school administrators.

o Establishing a new salary schedule tied to a revised evaluation system to reward our teachers and school administrators who help students learn.

o Modernizing our instructional workforce by eliminating tenure for new hires.

· Teacher and school administrator evaluations must base at least 50% of the evaluation on student learning growth measured by state assessments or end of course exams.

· School districts would create two salary schedules for teachers. Current teachers would remain on the same salary schedule that they are on now with the option to move to the new performance salary schedule established for the 2014-2015 school year.

· New teachers hired in 2014-2015 and thereafter would be compensated under a performance salary schedule, in which they would earn salary increases based upon their performance evaluations, including what students learn and how much they learn. Additionally, teachers can earn more for teaching in critical-need schools or areas, such as special education.

· Beginning with new teachers hired in 2011-2012, teachers are eligible for annual contracts, with renewal tied to their performance evaluations. For example, teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations for 2 out of 3 years would not be eligible for a new annual contract. New teachers would not receive tenure.

The Bill in Brief

Evaluation of School Personnel

· The bill provides local flexibility by allowing each district to construct their evaluation plans. The Department of Education will approve each plan.

· Evaluation plans will require the inclusion of performance data from multiple sources including an outlet for parental feedback when appropriate.

· Teachers would receive an evaluation on one of four levels, and school districts have the freedom to create more levels:

o Highly effective

o Effective

o Needs improvement or, for teachers in their first 3 years of teaching or in the first year of a new teaching assignment, Developing

o Unsatisfactory

· School personnel must be evaluated at least once a year. First-year teachers will be evaluated twice in their first year of instruction.

· Evaluations must base at least 50% of the results on student learning growth measured by state assessments, end-of-course exams, or district-selected assessments based on 3 years of student data.

· Like many professionals who face periodic evaluations that measure the quality of their work, teachers should also be evaluated based on the success of their students.

· For those classroom teachers who teach in grades or subjects whose students are assessed under the FCAT, the Department of Education is tasked with adopting a student growth formula that would measure a student’s learning outcome based on the student’s prior performance and discounting factors outside of the teacher’s control, such as a student’s attendance, disciplinary records, disability, or English language proficiency. Accordingly, this bill does not penalize teachers whose students start the school year below grade level nor does the bill reward only teachers who have the highest-performing students.

· For other non-FCAT subjects or grade levels, school districts would develop student learning growth thresholds with assistance from the Department of Education if needed.

· By the 2014-2015 school year, school districts must administer end-of-course assessments to gauge mastery of the content, subject to the Commissioner of Education identifying methods or item banks to assist districts in developing the assessments.

Performance Pay

· Beginning with new teachers hired for the 2014-2015 school year and for current teachers who want to be compensated under the new performance salary schedule, teacher salary increases would be based on their performance evaluations, including the performance of their students.

· Teachers who receive an Effective or Highly Effective evaluation rating would receive a raise, and that raise would be permanently rolled into their base salary.

· Teachers could also earn more based on teaching in critical-need schools or areas, such as special education, math, or science.

Teacher Contracts

· New teacher hires would receive an initial 1 year probationary contract, followed by subsequent annual contracts. During the probationary contract, teachers can be dismissed without cause and may resign without repercussion.

· All teachers who currently have teacher tenure would retain their professional service contract unless the school district terminates their contract based on just cause. The bill clarifies that “just cause” includes two consecutive years of Unsatisfactory evaluations.

· Each annual contract would be based on a teacher’s evaluations. Teachers who receive an Unsatisfactory evaluation in 2 of the previous 3 years, or Needs Improvement 3 of the past 5 years, would not be eligible for a new contract.

· The Department of Education must annually report each district’s percentage of teachers and administrators in each performance level.

Other Personnel Decisions

· A principal can refuse the transfer of educational personnel by the district superintendent unless the teacher is rated Effective or Highly Effective.

· Promotions would be determined primarily on an individual’s demonstrated effectiveness.

· If a district must implement a workforce reduction, such decisions will be based on performance evaluations.

Background / current situation

Since the A+ Plan was launched in 1999, Florida has made steady increases in education. By implementing performance measures, grading schools on a scale of A – F, and funding strategies that create an incentive for success, Florida has experienced an extraordinary turnaround in our schools. While Education Week’s Quality Counts recognizes Florida as 5^th in the nation in education quality, 61 percent of our tenth-graders are not reading on grade level. Additionally, Florida is competing globally, and our students need the skills to succeed in the ever-changing global economy. In order to prepare our students, Florida needs to modernize its teaching workforce by rewarding our best teachers, identifying and providing assistance to our teachers who need help in perfecting their craft, and suggesting alternative careers for those individuals who do not belong in the teaching profession. Teachers want their students to succeed, and this legislation would give them the recognition and the rewards they deserve for helping our students to learn.

Current Law

Evaluations

The current evaluation system is broken. Although the law requires student performance to be the primary component in the evaluation of teachers and school administrators, the reality is that most teachers and school administrators are evaluated based on a completely subjective evaluation. The current system tells our teachers very little about how to improve, fails to recognize our best teachers, and hides those who need to seek an alternative profession. The Race to the Top grant is a tacit admission for the need to completely revise our evaluation system.

Performance Pay

Current law provides that a “portion” of a teacher’s or school administrator’s pay must be based on performance. Additionally, Florida enacted the Merit Award Program (MAP), a voluntary merit pay system with additional state funds to implement the program. Nonetheless, the reality is most teachers are paid on the old “steps and lanes” approach to salaries, where the primary criterion for receiving additional pay appears to be that you are a year older. As a result, performance pay is a small percentage of a teacher’s pay, if it factors in at all. The MAP program, enacted in response to criticisms that prior merit pay programs were too prescriptive, is only used in 3 districts. The remaining 64 school districts turned down extra funds from the state. The Race to the Top grant recognizes that performance pay is critical in attracting and retaining a professional teaching workforce by requiring that the most significant gains in salary are based on performance.

Contracts

Current law requires school districts to award a professional service contract to a teacher after as few as 3 years of teaching unless the school district “charges” an employee with unsatisfactory performance. The process for firing an ineffective teacher is a lengthy and complicated one, in which a missed step or date can automatically result in a renewal of the contract. As a result, it may take 2 years or more to terminate an ineffective teacher. This leaves students, who are regressing with an ineffective teacher, no hope or options. While the professional service contract may have been originally enacted to protect teachers from the arbitrary decisions of administrators, today’s professional service contract appears to serve one purpose; it “protects” ineffective teachers at the expense of students.

Point – counterpoint

This is just like SB 6. Why is the Legislature punishing teachers?

This bill is not SB 6. It allows teachers on the current “steps and lanes” salary schedule to remain on that salary schedule. The bill does not punish teachers; it rewards our best teachers, identifies our teachers who need assistance so that school districts can give them help, and removes teachers who should not be in the teaching profession. The bill is for our students—giving them high quality teachers.

The bill ties teacher pay directly to student test scores according to an unknown 'value-added' formula.

Florida’s successful Race to the Top application requires the Department of Education to establish, in concert with education stakeholders such as teachers and school administrators, a fair and transparent student growth model that takes into consideration unique student characteristics, challenges, and other factors that affect student performance. Under the grant, school districts are required to measure student growth using the state learning growth model and to make the performance of students count towards 50 percent of a classroom teacher’s evaluation. Finally, the grant requires school districts to implement a compensation system for all teachers that ties the most significant gains in salary to the evaluation. 65 of the 67 school districts agreed with these requirements.

SB 736 implements that agreement. Teachers will know about the value-added formula because they will be consulted on its development and it will be established before the school year even begins. In fact, the Department of Education has already established an advisory group of teachers and school administrators to work on the value-added formula.

The bill requires school districts to establish a performance salary schedule for new teachers and school administrators hired on or after July 1, 2014. These individuals would earn salary increases based on their overall evaluation, which includes what students learn and how much they learn. Additionally, teachers can earn more for teaching in critical-need schools or areas, such as special education. The traditional salary schedule pays teachers for years of experience, irrespective of whether that experience benefits students. The longer a teacher has been in the system, the more they get paid, while beginning teachers may have to wait years to see their salaries increase at all. Nonetheless, the bill allows current teachers to remain on the current salary schedule. Current teachers have the option to be paid on the basis of their effectiveness, but they do not have to choose this option.

Like many professionals who face periodic evaluations that measure the quality of their work, teachers and school administrators should also be evaluated based on the success of their students, which is why they are there—to help students learn.

School Districts can’t afford to develop End of Course exams to evaluate all of their teachers and students.

The school districts would not have to administer these assessments until the 2014-2015 school year. The Department of Education must develop item banks and identify other methods to help districts select their end-of-course assessments. The requirement would be phased in as the Commissioner of Education identifies methods to help select their assessments. Finally, Florida’s successful application for the Race to the Top grant provides funding for this purpose.

SB 736 allows all new teachers regardless of being rated 'effective' and 'highly effective' to be fired at the end of the year without any due process or just cause.

Under the bill, a school principal’s evaluation is affected by the principal’s ability to recruit and retain “effective” and “highly effective” teachers and to help teachers improve to the “effective” and “highly effective” levels. Accordingly, it is in the principal’s best interest to have the best instructional workforce, as it affects the principal’s evaluation and pay. Only those teachers who are consistently rated in the lowest performing levels based on 3 years of student data should be concerned about retention.

The Bill prohibits school districts from rewarding many teachers who earn advanced degrees.

Under the bill, teachers will still receive supplements for advanced degrees within their area of certification in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement. The advanced degree provisions only apply to instructional personnel or school administrators hired on or after July 1, 2011. Therefore, teachers who are currently employed would still receive funds for advanced degrees in accordance with their bargaining agreement. The bill allows school districts to award funds for these advanced degrees, despite the fact that research studies indicate that advanced degrees have little or a negative impact on student learning.

Increases the number of tests that must be developed and given to every student every year and shifts millions of scarce dollars to pay for these new tests.

Florida’s Race to the Top agreement requires school districts to use district-selected assessments, to measure student learning growth for content areas and grade levels not assessed on state-required assessments. The bill implements the agreement but also provides additional flexibility to school districts by tying the requirement to select these assessments by the 2014-2015 school year to the Commissioner of Education’s obligation to identify question item banks, shared district assessments, or other methods to help districts prepare an assessment. In other words, if the Commissioner is unable to assist school districts in the development or selection of assessments, the school districts do not have to administer the new assessments. Florida’s successful application for the Race to the Top grant provides funding for this purpose. Finally, the requirement for school districts to have these local assessments has been in current law for over 10 years.

This reform does not provide any means of funding the new performance pay plan...except to cut or freeze existing salaries.

The bill does not cause existing salaries to be frozen or cut. Both salary schedules would be collectively bargained. The bill does not require an additional funding source for the new performance pay plan because the teachers and school administrators in the future that are paid under the new plan would not be paid under the old plan.

SB 736 gives Tallahassee more control over our local schools.

The bill provides more flexibility to the school districts than the Race to the Top grant. School districts asked to be grant recipients and are receiving funds under the grant to implement the changes required in evaluation, compensation, and employment. School districts will still collectively bargain salary schedules, develop their evaluation systems, and determine whom to hire and terminate, with the exception of the most consistently ineffective teachers.

Are there any provisions in the bill for professional development? Mentoring? Peer evaluation and review?

Yes, the bill authorizes school districts to use peer evaluation from trained evaluators as part of a teacher’s or school administrator’s evaluation to help employees improve their instruction. Current law and funds appropriated to the school district provide for professional development and mentoring. The bill retains local control over the professional development practices at the school level.

Does the bill empower principals to evaluate teachers constructively or just fire them if their students perform poorly?

Under the bill, a school principal’s effectiveness as an administrator under his or her evaluation is affected by the principal’s ability to recruit and retain “effective” and “highly effective” teachers and to help teachers improve to the “effective” and “highly effective” levels. The principal’s evaluation affects his or her pay. Accordingly, the principal has a vested interest in having the best instructional workforce.

Tell Congress To Reject Education Cuts And Invest In Our Future

2011-03-07T09:44:00.001-05:00

This week, with the deadline to avoid a government shutdown looming, the House and Senate approved a short-term continuing resolution (CR) extending the deadline for an additional two weeks. During this period, the House and Senate will have to negotiate a longer-term CR to fund programs for the rest of the fiscal year. Failure to reach an agreement could lead to a shutdown.

Negotiations will start with a dangerous proposal passed by the House last month that includes draconian cuts to education. The deep education cuts contained in the House proposal would dash the dreams of countless American students, put additional strain on state budgets already cut to the bone, and stall the engine that drives our economy. Thousands of students would lose Title I services and Head Start slots; millions of students would lose Pell Grant assistance; and thousands of education jobs would be lost. See how much your state would lose.

Take Action TODAY: Tell Congress to craft a continuing resolution that rejects the draconian House-passed education funding cuts and invests in education for our nation’s future.

Source: http://www.nea.org/home/19449.htm

Tell Congress To Reject Education Cuts And Invest In Our Future

2011-03-04T15:06:00.001-05:00

Tell Congress To Reject Education Cuts And Invest In Our Future

Take Action TODAY: Tell Congress to craft a continuing resolution that rejects the draconian House-passed education funding cuts and invests in education for our nation’s future.

36,000 Sign Petition for Workers’ Rights – Are You on the List?

2011-03-04T15:05:00.001-05:00

36,000 Sign Petition for Workers' Rights – Are You on the List?

As protests in Wisconsin over Governor Scott Walker's proposed budget repair bill enter their third week, a national online petition to support Wisconsin teachers has garnered support from over 36,000 people from around the country.

Our message is getting through, as polls continue to show support among the general public for workers' rights to be heard. But, we still need your help to ensure victory in this critical fight. We need to remind policymakers and the public that the labor movement in this country has been responsible for safety standards, the minimum wage, fair employment practices, and more. For educators, our collective bargaining rights allow us to raise concerns about class size, school safety, and other important teaching and learning conditions. Join the fight – add your name to the petition to stand up for workers' rights.

While the nation seems to have its eyes and ears on Wisconsin, attacks are happening all across the country. Teachers, school support staff, nurses, firefighters, and middle class workers and families are under relentless attack in state after state by an unprecedented, well-funded, and coordinated national campaign. But, as the fight continues, workers and their supporters are standing up and demanding to be heard. Rallies with unprecedented turnout have been held in state across the nation. Read about rallies around the nation.

ACTION ALERT

2011-03-02T07:21:00.002-05:00

ACTION ALERT

Issue: The House Majority recently passed H.R. 1, which would cut $10.6 billion, or 15.3 percent of the education budget for fiscal year 2011. This cut would eliminate the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), which is currently funded at $55 million. Other catastrophic cuts and eliminations would affect the following programs: Tech Prep State Grants, GEAR UP, TRIO, IDEA state grants, federal Pell Grants and many more.

ACTION NEEDED: We are asking you to call or e-mail your House and Senate members today with the following message:

"As a constituent of Representative/Senator ___________, I am calling/writing because I strongly oppose H. R. 1. I would like to request you, as my elected official, refuse to pass further cuts to education. Programs such as the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program are vital for our students, especially in time of economic hardship. These cuts will have a negative impact on our students."

Feel free to list any of the programs that are meaningful to you, such as:
· Elementary and Secondary School Program (eliminated)
· Integration of Mental Health Systems (eliminated)
· Safe Schools/Healthy Students (severely cut)
· Federal TRIO programs (cut)
· GEAR UP (cut)

Steps for Reaching Members of Congress:
If you don't know who your members of Congress are, go tohttp://www.contactingthecongress.org/, enter your ZIP code, and the names of your elected representatives with phone numbers and hyperlinks will appear.

If you know your members of Congress you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask for your member's office.

When you call, make sure to give your name and identify yourself as a constituent; you may need to give your home address (city/town). If you are unable to get through via phone, please go to your member's Web site (which can be found athttp://www.contactingthecongress.org/ ) and opt to send an e-mail. Be sure to let them know that you are an educator, and these cuts will have a negative impact on your work and the education of children in his/her district. Personal stories are the most meaningful.

Please widely circulate this message and encourage all educators in your building to call/e-mail their elected officials. This is timely matter; please act today! If you have any questions or have difficulty finding your elected official please contact Amanda Fitzgerald.

email: ascaaspects@schoolcounselor.org

web: http://www.schoolcounselor.org

ASCA responds to Obama administration's budget proposal

2011-03-02T07:15:00.000-05:00

ASCA responds to Obama administration's budget proposal.

http://bit.ly/fjcvgT

FGCU Office of Government Relations

2011-03-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

FGCU's Government Relations website. The purpose of the website is provide up to date information on issues that affect FGCU and our university community.

http://www.fgcu.edu/governmentrelations/index.html

The website includes:

· a brief overview of the legislative process;

· a list of current active legislation that is filed in the Florida Legislature or the United States Congress;

· current activity by the Governor and his cabinet that has an impact on the university community;

· weekly updates on current legislative activity from Tallahassee and Washington;

· a list of priorities that FGCU is asking for in the legislature;

· current news out of the Board of Governors (the State University System governing board);

· and tips and information of how to contact your legislators to express your opinion on an issue important to you.

Legislative Action Alert

2011-02-28T20:03:00.000-05:00

ACTION ALERT

Issue: The House Majority recently passed H.R. 1, which would cut $10.6 billion, or 15.3 percent of the education budget for fiscal year 2011. This cut would eliminate the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), which is currently funded at $55 million. Other catastrophic cuts and eliminations would affect the following programs: Tech Prep State Grants, GEAR UP, TRIO, IDEA state grants, federal Pell Grants and many more.

ACTION NEEDED: We are asking you to call or e-mail your House and Senate members today with the following message:

"As a constituent of Representative/Senator ___________, I am calling/writing because I strongly oppose H. R. 1. I would like to request you, as my elected official, refuse to pass further cuts to education. Programs such as the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program are vital for our students, especially in time of economic hardship. These cuts will have a negative impact on our students."

Feel free to list any of the programs that are meaningful to you, such as:
· Elementary and Secondary School Program (eliminated)
· Integration of Mental Health Systems (eliminated)
· Safe Schools/Healthy Students (severely cut)
· Federal TRIO programs (cut)
· GEAR UP (cut)

Steps for Reaching Members of Congress:
If you don't know who your members of Congress are, go to http://www.contactingthecongress.org/, enter your ZIP code, and the names of your elected representatives with phone numbers and hyperlinks will appear.

If you know your members of Congress you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121 and ask for your member's office.

When you call, make sure to give your name and identify yourself as a constituent; you may need to give your home address (city/town). If you are unable to get through via phone, please go to your member's Web site (which can be found at http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ ) and opt to send an e-mail. Be sure to let them know that you are an educator, and these cuts will have a negative impact on your work and the education of children in his/her district. Personal stories are the most meaningful.

Please widely circulate this message and encourage all educators in your building to call/e-mail their elected officials. This is timely matter; please act today! If you have any questions or have difficulty finding your elected official please contact Amanda Fitzgerald.

email: ascaaspects@schoolcounselor.org

web: http://www.schoolcounselor.org

SB 736 Scheduled for Full Senate Floor Vote

2011-02-27T21:13:00.000-05:00

Source: FEA Newsletter

Urgent Legislative Alert
February 25, 2011

SB 736 Scheduled for Full Senate Floor Vote

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Senate Bill 736, the so-called Teacher Quality legislation, is on the fast track. Florida legislators have scheduled a senate floor vote on the bill for Wednesday, March 9 (the 2^nd day of the regular legislative session).

This is the bill that will tie all teacher pay to student test scores, even though the state still does not have a tested and proven evaluation system in place.

It will dramatically increase the number of FCAT-style tests, costing the state and local school districts hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, without a way to pay for them.

It will label teachers, highly-effective, effective, needs improvement and unsatisfactory, but it doesn't not address remediation or any support for teachers who need assistance.

It prohibits local school boards from considering advanced degrees and special training when determining a teacher's salary.

And, it will subject all new teachers to be fired without explanation or just cause.

Tallahassee politicians tried to takeover our schools last year. Working together we stopped them. Now, we need to stand up against this repeat assault on Florida teachers and our schools.

Contact your legislator NOW, and tell them this bill is flawed. It needs to be fixed and funded!

We must get their attention. It is important to continue contacting your senator next week (February 28 - March 7) when they return home prior to the start of the Legislative session.

Email or call to make an appointment to meet with your senator face-to-face. Urge them to Stop the Attack on Florida Teachers!

If you don't know your senator's name or how to contact them, go to http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find. Fill in your address and city to locate your senator's name and contact information.

Download flyer to share with a friend

Florida Legislative Session overview

2011-02-27T13:25:00.000-05:00

Today’s Education Policy & Program Development Update may be found in PDF form at http://grants.leeschools.net/update/pdf/FY2011/EPPDU_2011_02_22.pdf

This update includes coverage of:

· -- Federal budget deadlock
-- Governor's budget proposal
-- Draft Race to the Top procedures
-- New education accountability dashboard

SB 736

2011-02-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

On February 15, the Budget Subcommittee on Education prek-12 Appropriations voted 8 to 1 to submit a committee substitute to SB 736. The PDF is online at:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0736/Amendment/248470/HTML

Take Action (PUTV Sign up) | FEA

2011-02-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

Take Action (PUTV Sign up) | FEA

ALERT: SB 736 is Schedule for Floor Vote

Stop the Attack on Teachers

Senate Bill 736, the so-called Teacher Quality legislation, is on the fast track. Florida legislators have scheduled a senate floor vote on the bill for Wednesday, March 9 (the 2nd day of the regular legislative session).

This is the bill that will tie all teacher pay to student test scores, even though the state still does not have a tested and proven evaluation system in place.

It will dramatically increase the number of FCAT-style tests, costing the state and local school districts hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, without a way to pay for them.

It will label teachers, highly-effective, effective, needs improvement and unsatisfactory, but it doesn't not address remediation or any support for teachers who need assistance.

It prohibits local school boards from considering advanced degrees and special training when determining a teacher's salary.

And, it will subject all new teachers to be fired without explanation or just cause.

Tallahassee politicians tried to takeover our schools last year. Working together we stopped them. Now, we need to stand up against this repeat assault on Florida teachers and our schools.

Contact your legislator NOW, and tell them this bill is flawed. It needs to be fixed and funded!

We must get their attention. It is important to continue contacting your senator next week (February 28 - March 7) when they return home prior to the start of the Legislative session.

Email or call to make an appointment to meet with your senator face-to-face. Urge them to Stop the Attack on Florida Teachers!

If you don't know your senator's name or how to contact them, go to http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find. Fill in your address and city to locate your senator's name and contact information.

Subcommittee proposed changes to SB 736

2011-02-22T15:00:00.001-05:00

On February 15, the Budget Subcommittee on Education prek-12 Appropriations vote 8 to 1 to submit a committee substitute to SB 736.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0736/Amendment/248470/HTML

SB 736 and House PCB KCOS 11: Teacher Quality

2011-02-22T10:09:00.001-05:00

Source: Florida Education Association

Legislative Alert
February 2011

Dear SELETA,

SB 736 and House PCB KCOS 11: Teacher Quality

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This Wednesday (February 23), Florida legislators in the House and Senate are voting on two anti-teacher education reform bills.

Teachers must show their opposition to proposed legislation that will increase student testing and eliminate due process if approved by the legislature.

Please join us this Wednesday at the State Capitol for the public hearings on Senate Bill 736 and its House version PCB KCOS 11.

The Senate Budget Committee hearing begins at 9 AM. The House hearing for the K20 Competitiveness Committee begins at 10:15 AM.

If you can't make it to Tallahassee, please call or email your legislator and the members of both committees TODAY to express opposition to SB 736 and its House companion.

Senate Budget Committee members Click the members tab.

House K20 Competitiveness Subcommittee members

If you prefer to call:

Erik Fresen, chair of the House Competitiveness committee (850) 488-4092, or
JD Alexander, Chair of the Budget committee (850) 487-5044

Click here to find your local legislator. Look for the

Florida State Legislative Directory link on the lower right side of the page.

Anti-public education groups have started to mobilize in support of these flawed bills. It is important that all teachers have a voice in the hearings.

Contact Information

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phone: 850-201-2800 or toll-free 1-888-807-8007

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More To Do, But Less Capacity To Do It

2011-02-17T15:26:00.000-05:00

More To Do, But Less Capacity To Do It: States' Progress In Implementing the Recovery Act Education Reforms

Today, the Center on Education Policy released a report based on an October 2010 survey of state education officials, which discusses state education budgets, implementation of initiatives to support the four American Recovery and Reinvestment Act reform assurances, state education agency capacity, and Race to the Top. The full report, More To Do, But Less Capacity To Do It: States' Progress In Implementing the Recovery Act Education Reforms, is posted on CEP’s Web site (www.cep-dc.org) and can be downloaded free-of-charge.

http://www.cep-dc.org/cfcontent_file.cfm?Attachment=KoberRentner%5FFullReport%5FMoreToDoButLessCapacityToDoIt%5F021711%2Epdf

FSCA Membership is Advocacy

2011-02-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

Advocacy is a theme that runs throughout the vision, mission, work plan, and organizational structure of the Florida School Counselor Association. For instance, the FSCA mission guides us in all that we do and continually reminds us of our purpose:

The Florida School Counselor Association (FSCA) expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systemic change at the state level. FSCA empowers professional school counselors with the knowledge, skills, linkages, and resources to promote student success in the school, the home, the community, and the world.

The five FSCA goals also include advocacy throughout, both for students and for the profession, as a central theme:

Timely, relevant information exists that supports professional school counselors and student advocacy.

Legislative policy exists that supports professional school counselors and child advocacy.

Leaders at local and state levels champion and lead change initiatives.

The advocacy committee, one of a few standing FSCA committees (see http://www.fla-schoolcounselor.org/legislation.htm) continues to provide the leadership and platform that is clear in it’s purpose:

The goal of the FSCA advocacy platform is to address the needs of all students, to promote professional excellence for school counselors, and to advocate for closing the achievement gap between groups of students in our state.

This is no coincidence because advocacy is a core and central component for any professional association. You should know that the Florida School Counselor Association is uniquely positioned to advocate for school counselors in our state. First, FSCA is the only professional association/organization that has its sole focus on school counseling. It’s all we think about and it’s all we do. This acute focus has helped FSCA to stay on track to becoming a more effective and influential advocate in our state. It also turns out that being highly focused has resulted in FSCA being able to provide school counselors with more highly relevant and useful professional development, networking opportunities, information, resources, and tools.

Also, FSCA is unique in that we are the official division of the American School Counselor Association. Such an association with ASCA means that FSCA benefits from the combined strengths of both organizations. Over the years, FSCA has benefitted by attending the national Delegate Assembly, collaborated on the development of important position statements and documents affecting Florida school counselors, attended the national leadership development institute, attended national advocacy and public policy training, and received timely resources and guidance. This is important because when ASCA helps us do our job better, FSCA helps you do your job better.

However, FSCA cannot do it alone. We continue to seek out other organizations with common purpose in which to collaborate and partner. And of course, we need members to stand behind and stand up for each other and for the profession. One way to do this is to get the word out about the importance of advocacy and especially about membership. When you join FSCA, you provide the support and confidence we need to more strongly advocate in Tallahassee, among all the school districts, and among all our stake holders. You can advocate in a big way by recruiting just one more school counselor to become a FSCA member. The FSCA membership has grown over 100% per year over the last three years (almost at 1000 now) although we need even greater participation to help meet some very rigorous professional goals.

Another way to advocate is to use the resources and tools available on the FSCA web site to help advocate by writing, calling, and presenting to school Board Members and our law makers in both Florida and in Washington, D.C.

As president of the Florida School Counselor Association, I am very proud of our progress although not satisfied. Until every child can effectively participate in a comprehensive school counseling program, FSCA will not rest. We will continue to advocate and follow the important vision and mission, especially advocating for the difference we make in the lives of children. With your help, we can do this in an even bigger and better way.

Chris Smith, M.Ed..

President

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