Requiring school districts to be in compliance with all state laws and rules and regulations to be accredited and requiring the state board of education to establish a process to challenge determinations of such compliance.
Impact
The proposed changes in HB2612 would significantly impact state education laws by restructuring funding mechanisms for public schools. The bill aims to create a more equitable funding formula that considers the specific needs of disadvantaged districts. This would lead to increased financial support for schools that serve high populations of low-income students, ultimately helping close the achievement gap and providing all students with equal opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, the bill's focus on teacher salaries and retention strategies is expected to address the critical shortage of qualified educators in many areas.
Summary
House Bill 2612 focuses on educational reforms aimed at addressing issues related to funding, teacher retention, and curriculum standards in public schools. The bill seeks to allocate additional resources to underfunded districts, enhance teacher salaries, and provide support for professional development programs. Proponents of HB2612 argue that these measures are essential for improving the overall quality of education and ensuring that students receive the necessary support to succeed academically. They believe that investing in educators and school infrastructure is vital for long-term educational success.
Contention
Despite widespread support from various educational advocacy groups, HB2612 has faced opposition from certain fiscal conservatives who argue that the bill may lead to increased state spending without clear long-term benefits. Critics also express concerns regarding how the funding allocations will be managed and whether they will truly reach the intended districts. Additionally, some stakeholders caution that without proper oversight, the implementation of new curriculum standards could lead to inconsistencies across school districts that may confuse parents and students alike.
Requiring school districts to demonstrate improvement in academic performance and be in compliance with all federal and state statutes and rules and regulations to achieve or maintain accreditation.
Requiring each school district to establish an at-risk student accountability plan and to show academic improvement in certain student subgroups and students identified as eligible for at-risk programs, prohibiting the state board of education from revising the curriculum standards in English language arts and mathematics until 75% of all students achieve proficiency and requiring school districts to comply with all state laws and rules and regulations to maintain accreditation.
Requiring the state board of education to submit annual reports to the legislature on certain statistics of students who take the statewide assessments.
Requiring the director of the budget to independently determine costs of compliance and implementation for all proposed rules and regulations and authorizing the director of the budget to disapprove proposed rules and regulations.
Establishing the Kansas blueprint for literacy and a literacy advisory committee, directing the board of regents to appoint a director of literacy education, requiring the board of regents and board of education to collaborate on a literacy micro-credential, providing university presidents and deans of education oversight over postsecondary literacy courses, requiring a plan to establish centers of excellence in reading, requiring the board of education to submit annual reports to the legislature on literacy goals; establishing the Kansas education opportunity scholarship to replace the Kansas ethnic minority scholarship, removing limits on Kansas nursing service scholarship awards and modifying the interest rate terms and repayment obligations for such awards, eliminating the requirement to subtract other aid from the state payment for the AO-K program, modifying financial limitations on Kansas hero's scholarship awards and broadening eligibility requirements for such awards.
Requiring postsecondary educational institutions to regularly review and update accreditation policies, prohibiting accrediting agencies from compelling such institutions to violate state law and providing a cause of action for violations thereof.
Authorizing school districts to levy an annual levy of up to two mills for the purposes of school building safety, security and compliance with the Americans with disabilities act and including such levy in the capital outlay state aid determination for such school districts.
Authorizing school districts to levy an annual tax levy of up to two mills for the purposes of school building safety, security and compliance with the Americans with disabilities act and including such levy in the capital outlay state aid determination for such school districts.
Substitute for SB 45 by Committee on Education - Requiring the state board of education to calculate graduation rates for all school districts for purposes of accreditation using an alternative calculation.
Schools; accreditation standards; deficiencies; permitting school districts to request a hearing on accreditation recommendations; effective date; emergency.