2012 Legislative Session Underway - We Need Your Help To Ensure Student-Centric Policies Prevail!

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Created on Monday, 30 January 2012 23:44

The 2012 Utah Legislative Session kicked off last Monday...

...with legislators celebrating School Choice Week in Utah. In partnership with National School Choice Week, Parents for Choice in Education asked Governor Herbert to declare January 23-29 School Choice Week. He did! This launched what we hope will be another legislative session packed full of reform and innovation policies for K-12 education. 

See School Choice Week album HERE

See Governor's School Choice Week in Utah Declaration HERE

The 2nd week of the session brings a celebration of National Digital Learning Day and Utah's ranking as #1 in the nation for K-12 Digital Learning! During the 2011 session, PCE in partnership with Senator Howard Stephenson and Representative Brad Daw passed the Statewide Online Education Program. The major paradigm shifts of this student-centric policy earned Utah the highest score on the 2011 Digital Learning Report Card.

Watch this video...

 

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Parents for Choice in Education in partnership with key policymakers will be working together during this 45-day session to enact specific policies crafted to:

• increase school choice options
• require clear accountability and transparency
• promote quality instruction
• empower parents
• fund for success
• promote innovative solutions for Utah students

 

 

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And the Top Picks for the 2012 Session 
in the Category of Education are... 

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Student-Based Budgeting
Sponsor: Rep. Butterfield

Funding follows the student directly to the school, allowing site-based management which empowers principals, parents, and teachers with the autonomy to make the best budgetary decisions to meet their students and school's needs.

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Teacher Effectiveness & Outcomes Based Compensation
Sponsor: Sen. Adams & Rep. Daw

Salary scale based on evaluations and quantified measures of student performance, changing the way teachers are evaluated, paid, promoted and dismissed.

Read the Deseret News Article "AP Exclusive: States weaken teacher tenure rights" - January 24, 2012

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Carson Smith  Scholarship Program Expansion
Sponsor: Sen. Adams

Seeking new solutions for funding to increase the number of participants beyond the very limited appropriation, which currently caps the program at 1% of eligible students.

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Statewide Online Education Program
Sponsors: Sen. Stephenson & Rep. Daw

Protect and strengthen the law passed in 2011 that earned Utah the #1 ranking in the nation on the Digital Learning Report Card. (Review the Report Card  HERE)

Learn more about the program & providers at:
www.choiceienducation.org

Allows students seeking high school credits to take high quality online courses from multiple course providers, better preparing today's digital natives through technology with the skills necessary to compete in a 21st century world.

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Grading Schools A-F
Sponsors: Sen. Niederhauser & Rep. Hughes

Protect and strengthen the law passed in 2011.

Provides clear accountability and transparency for student performance by grading schools A-F, based on both student proficiency and student academic growth (performance gains).

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Stay tuned for a more comprehensive list of PCE initiated & supported legislation with bill numbers as they become available.

Visit our @ the Legislature page on our website

 

 

 

 

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Action Alerts are Your Avenue to Involvement

We will periodically send out time sensitive "Action Alerts" on key bills to rally support for their passage. As a grassroots organization, the power to effect change comes from YOU, our database of parents, taxpayers, voters and citizens. When an education bill needs immediate support and action, we will call on you as constituents to contact your legislators, If it is an issue you feel strongly about, we hope you will take action. We want to engage you in the legislative process and assist you in letting your voice be heard.

 

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On the Record


If your Senator and House Representative served in the 2011 Legislative Session, you can find out how they voted on key education policies in our  2011 Legislative Report Card.

 

 

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