2012: The Year of Education Reform?

1. 2012: The Year of Education Reform? Norwalk PTO Council January 23, 2012 State Representative Gail Lavielle 143rd district

2. Where We Are Today • Country’s largest achievement gap • Persistent state budget concerns • Complex funding system with many real and perceived inequities

3. The Process • December:Governor’s guidelines • January – early February • Various groups submitting legislative agendas • Task force reports • Legislative proposals from Education Commissioner Pryor and from legislators • February 8: Opening Day of session, governor’s proposals • February – March:Education Committee deliberations • April – May:Committee referrals and House and Senate floor votes

4. Sources of Ideas & Proposals • Executive branch: governor, Commissioner and SDE • Legislators • State Board of Education • Task forces: ECS, vo-tech schools, achievement gap • Education professionals: CAPSS, unions • Advocacy and professional groups: Council for Education Reform, ConnCAN, CBIA, CCM, etc.

5. Governor’s Guidelines • Enhance access to high-quality early education opportunities • Authorize intensive interventions & enable the supports necessary to turn around lowest-performing schools & districts • Expand availability of high-quality school models, including traditional schools, magnets, charters, etc. • Unleash innovation by removing red tape and barriers, especially in high-performing schools & districts • Ensure the very best teachers and principals, working in a fair system that values their skill & effectiveness over seniority & tenure • Deliver more resources, targeted to districts with the greatest need – provided they embrace key reforms that position students for success

6. Areas of Common Ground • Pre-school & kindergarten • Community approach • Rigorous training, recruiting, and evaluation of teachers and administrators, and effective development • Need for longitudinal assessment data • Better coordination of K-12 with higher education system • Preserving and enhancing choice (school, schedule, curriculum) • Reform of funding system • Revising the roles of SDE, SBE • Reviewing mandates on high-performing schools • Chart of accounts

7. Among the Major Questions • Tenure and dismissal procedures • Allocation of state funds • Need for additional funds • Charter school funding

8. ECS Task ForceInterim Recommendations • Increase ECS funding, establish predictability, use adequate data • Fund performance incentives tied to student achievement, district & school accountability, and transparency in spending • Equitable funding for magnet schools • Fair funding for choice programs • More access to pre-school and kindergarten • Fairer approach to funding programs for special needs, ELL, & gifted students

9. Bullying Law: 2011 Session • Expanded bullying definition: enumerated classes, cyberbullying • Increased school responsibility: bullying specialist, all employees must report • Safe school climate plans: reporting deadlines, no retaliation, police reporting • Training: Annual for most employees and first-year teachers, immunity for good faith reporting • Biennial assessment, SDE resources, safe school climate teams, published plans this month

10. Norwalk • ECS inequity • Relatively high property values (town wealth) • Otherwise similar to larger urban environments • Top performer: trend lines exceeding the state’s • Common Core Standards preparation • Community involvement: Norwalk ACTS

11. I Welcome Your Input Representative Gail Lavielle Legislative Office Building Room 4200 Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860-240-8700 Fax: 860 240-0207 E-mail: gail.lavielle@cga.ct.gov Web: www.replavielle.com