Legislative
Update:
September 13, 2004
If you are interested in being informed and taking action on these or other key educational issues, please provide your contact information to one or more of the following:
Pleasanton PTA Council: contact Legislative Representative, Debbie Look at look49@comcast.net and ask to be included on the Legislative Alert email list. These will be issued as the need arises and will provide you with the information needed to send letters or make calls to key legislators.
California State PTA:
If you would like to receive the Legislative Alerts directly from the State PTA, send your contact information to legislation@capta.org
National PTA:
To join the member-to-member network, which will update you on key national educational issues, go to the national website at:
http://www.pta.org/ptawashington/index.asp
Tips:
· Letters (mailed or faxed) are generally more effective than email
· Include the bill or issue and your position in the subject line of your letter or email (e.g. RE: SB 1912 (Ashburn) SUPPORT)
·
PUSD is in the process of forming the 7 sub-committees that
will work on implementing the District’s new Strategic Plan. The sub-committees are: Student Achievement; Innovation &
Creativity; Interpersonal Communication; Global Orientation; Personal
Development; Environmental Awareness; and Lifetime Planning. If you are interested in applying to serve
on one of these committees, contact Jill Coats in Dr. Casey’s office at
426-4333 or jcoats@pleasanton.k12.ca.us
SB 311 Class Size Reduction (Sher)
· PTA supports
· We had sent letters earlier in the year and resent to Governor, Assembly members Corbett, Houston & Dutra, and Senator Figueroa
· Sent another letter to all of these individuals on August 24th
· Has passed both houses and is going to Governor for signing or veto
· We sent out a legislative alert but did not take action as a Council as we did not have an official position on this issue
· State PTA supports
· Failed passage
· We are supporting as it relates to our resolution on protecting children with severe allergies
· Jamie and her son testified in Sacramento and we sent letters to all the members of the education and health committees as they considered the bill
· Passed Senate 28-0 and Assembly 72-0
· Now has been sent to Governor for his signature or veto
· We faxed a letter urging him to sign these measures on September 7th
· Is an urgency measure, so if he signs it, it goes into effect immediately
A number of bills were put forward as a result of the settlement of the Williams lawsuit:
· Offers grants to schools scoring in the 1st-3rd decile on API to conduct a one-time comprehensive assessment of school facilities needs and would reimburse school districts for emergency repairs as needed
· Now has been sent to Governor for his signature or veto
· Is an urgency measure, so if he signs it, it goes into effect immediately
· Requires County Superintendents to annually review the sufficiency of instructional materials, assignment of teachers and the condition of school facilities in API 1-3 decile schools. This information would be added to the School Accountability Report Card and would require school districts to correct deficiencies
· Passed in August 2004 & has been sent to Governor for his signature or veto
· Is an urgency measure, so if he signs it, it goes into effect immediately
AB 3001 (Dymally) re:
Teacher Quality
· Addresses teacher qualifications issues
· Passed in August 2004 & has been sent to Governor for his signature or veto
· Is an urgency measure, so if he signs it, it goes into effect immediately
· Establishes voluntary access to preschool for all 3 & 4 year olds by the year 2015
· Passed in August 2004 & has been sent to Governor for his signature or veto
3.
National Issues
· 1/3 of all public schools in the U.S. are in need of extensive repair or replacement
· the average public school building is 42 years old
· 14 million students attend schools that need major repair or replacement
· NEA estimates that it would take $322 billion to bring the nation’s existing schools into overall good condition
· Facility conditions impact student performance
· More than half of U.S. schools have deficiencies adversely affecting indoor air quality which can result in fatigue; nausea; headaches; allergic illnesses; rashes; eye, nose and throat irritation; asthma and other respiratory symptoms; cancer; and central nervous system & internal organ damage
· Effective facilities provide barrier-free access for individuals with disabilities, are free of health and environmental hazards, offer adequate space to alleviate overcrowding, provide appropriate space for education-related services, and are equipped with appropriate technology for classroom and instructional use
· Legislative Action:
· PTA is urging all members to contact their U.S. senators and representatives to urge them to take action on this critical issue
· America’s Better Classrooms Act (H.R. 717, H.R. 930, S.856) would issue more than $25 billion in bonds for school modernization and new construction projects nationwide
· Qualified Zone Academy Bond (S.8) programs would help states and school districts modernize their facilities through federal income tax credits.
· Our Federal representatives are Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, Representative Pombo (11th) or Representative Stark (13th)
· You may contact them through the National PTA Website at www.pta.org (it will allow you to send an auto email to your representatives on this issue, however, Feinstein’s office has responded to me that she does not accept auto-generated emails).
· There is also information on the national website on downloading postcards or other relevant material on this issue at www.pta.org/members/respub/order/legact.pdf As this is on the members section of the website, you will need to input your username and password (found on the back of your PTA membership card).
This legislative bulletin will be posted on our Council website at www.pleasantonpta.org. Please feel free to direct your members to the site or, if you would like an electronic version to send out to your members or to post on your own website, please contact me at look49@comcast.net and I will be happy to send it to you.
Debbie Look