2012 AASA Legislative Agenda NCE 2012

1. 2012 AASA Legislative Agenda NCE 2012 Bruce Hunter Houston, TX February 17, 2012 Associate Executive Director Advocacy and Communication

2. Guiding Principles for ESEA • Allocate funds via formulas based on poverty; • Federal government should supplement, not dictate the local policies; • Connection of children’s health and personal and social development to students and families; • School systems should not be required to spend state and local funds for federal mandates.

3. Improving Standards and Accountability • Support state-developed standards, including Common Core • Oppose federally established standards • Separate accountability and instructional measures: one test cannot serve both purposes • Clear and accurate accountability measures. • Less intrusive and costly testing

4. Improving Standards and Accountability • Measure growth • Multiple measures • Individualized Education Plans guide assessment for students with disabilities • Assess ELL students in a language they understand. • Support metric that reflects total ELL subgroup

5. Improving Standards and Accountability • Emphasize rewards not punishment – build capacity. • Disaggregate student outcomes • Eliminate mandatory set-asides - SES & choice. • Three- to six-year graduation rates • Recognize alternative pathways to graduation, including GED

6. Improving Struggling Schools • Focus on 5% lowest-achieving schools • Rolling three-year averages. • Focus on building capacity. • Special consideration for alternative schools. • Implement state intervention with school districts. • Support a broad range of turn-around models.

7. Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers and Administrators • Accountability for effectiveness is a state and local responsibility. • Compensation decisions are a state and local matter. • Evaluations must be created at the local school district • Permit use of ESEA funds to encourage teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools.

8. Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers and Administrators • Distribute professional development funds by poverty. • Local flexibility in professional development • Student performance part of evaluations • multiple measures of performance • not a single test score.

9. Special Populations and Conditions • Distribute funds through formulas. • Support current law related to equitable service • Authorize a dual-language pilot program for concentrations of low-income students. • Increase funding for the extended day and year programs • Provide funds directly to LEAs.

10. Special Populations and Conditions • Fully fund the Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act (REAP) • Reauthorize REAP, • maintain federal to district funding, • update locale codes, • adjust the sliding scale, and • poverty indicator to free and reduced lunch • Full funding of Impact Aid.

11. ESEA Waivers • Oppose regulatory relief through conditional waivers. • Regulatory relief should be targeted and direct to states and districts, without policy requirements

12. IDEA • Mandatory funding for IDEA at 40 percent of the national average per-pupil expenditure. • Permit school districts to reduce local effort by up to 100 percent of federal funding increases. • Eliminate the requirement for parental consent for Medicaid reimbursement.

13. Early Childhood Education • Funding to address non-school barriers to student achievement. • Improve access to high-quality child care for poor families. • Tax incentives for employers to provide support for child care and after-school care. • Make early childhood education available to all children. • Coordinate early childhood programs regardless of funding source.

14. Health Care • Permit schools to claim reimbursement from Medicaid. • Uniform methodology for claiming reimbursement from Medicaid. • Increase Medicaid reimbursements for low-income students. • Ensure schools access to mental health services funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. • Continue the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

15. E-Rate and Instructional Technology • Raise the funding cap for E-Rate to meet demand. • Continue E-Rate as part of the Universal Service Fund. • Reduce the paperwork requirements for E-Rate. • Expand broadband to all parts of the country. • Permanent exemption from the Anti-Deficiency Act. • Include technology-related professional development (such as the ATTAIN Act).

16. Vouchers • Oppose federal funding to non-public schools. • Oppose special education vouchers. • Permit the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, to expire.

17. Seclusion and Restraint • Fund professional development regarding seclusion and restraint. • Permit engagement of parents regarding safe and appropriate seclusion and restraint in Individualized Education Plans and Behavioral Intervention Plans. • Allow monitored seclusion and restraint as an option of last resort. • Recognize distinction between use for discipline and use for safety.

18. Foster Care • Transportation costs for foster children is the responsibility of the state • Provide school districts immediate access to all relevant student data, including academic, social, emotion, criminal, and behavioral. • Delete the Franken amendment from the HELP Committee ESEA bill