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PE Mandate and School Consolidation Bills Postponed

By David Wood posted 04-11-2019 08:30

  
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PE Mandate and School Consolidation Bills Postponed

We want to begin by thanking everyone who responded to our Call to Action on these two bills; especially, yesterday, in a span of about 30 minutes, 200-plus witness slips were signed in opposition to Floor Amendment 1 to SB 1189, the physical education mandate bill. 

That overwhelming response, along with all the calls, emails and personal conversations that administrators and school board members had with legislators, was truly a tipping point in the bill's sponsor, Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, decision not to call the amendment and announce she wants to continue to work on a resolution. Thank you to all. 

Likewise, the same appreciation goes for those who reached out to lawmakers on Senate Floor Amendment 1 to SB 1838, the school consolidation bill. 

Both bills were put on hold in the Senate Education Committee yesterday by the bill sponsors. While it doesn't mean the fight is over, yesterday was a positive sign that our voices are being heard.

Before we go any further, we want to encourage you to thank your local legislator if he or she has shown a willingness to listen and is supportive of your concerns on these issues. It's always good for them to hear appreciation when it's fitting. 

As for the fate of the legislation moving forward, the deadline to pass legislation out of the chamber of origin is Friday. But as you know, the term deadline as it relates to the legislature, isn't set in stone. 

Holmes indicated she intends to hold meetings throughout May to find a resolution with the opponents. Those conversations could carry over into next session, she acknowledged at yesterday's Senate Education Committee hearing. 

However, there is still time for lawmakers to act on the corresponding HB 2234, sponsored by state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago. Both PE mandate bills would strip away flexibility granted as part of the bi-partisan education funding reform law in 2017.

While we don't oppose the idea of students getting physical education, SB 1189 would have been a significant unfunded mandate, costing some school districts millions of dollars to comply and possibly forcing districts to cut other subjects. 

The bill requires students in kindergarten through 12th grade to engage in a physical education course. Minute requirements would be:

  • 150 minutes per week for elementary schools.
  • 225 minutes per week for middle, junior and high school.
  • 3 days per week at the high school level.

The bill also limits the PE waiver to two years, and it may only be renewed two times (not to exceed a total of six years), except for schools on the financial warning list. The bill would take effect July 1, 2019.

Again, thank you for your support on this. We will continue to monitor it closely in the House and make sure your concerns are heard. 

As we mentioned earlier, the PE mandate bill wasn't the only development from a whirlwind of an afternoon Tuesday. 

Senate Floor Amendment 1 to SB 1838, sponsored by Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, was also postponed in the Senate Education Committee. The legislation, if passed, would create the 20-person School District Efficiency Commission, charged with making recommendations to put the question to voters via referendum to consolidate. The merger of elementary and high school districts into unit districts would take priority over the merger of multiple unit districts. 

The corresponding HB 3053, sponsored by state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, sailed through the House on a vote of 109-0. However, yesterday was a sign that Senators have a lot more concerns with the concept as currently constructed.

Both bills aim to reduce the statewide total number of school districts by no less than 25 percent through the reorganization of districts into unit districts. If 11 of 20 members vote to adopt the report for it to proceed, the proposition of reorganization shall be filed with the appropriate regional office of education. 

The ROE is then tasked with getting the notice of the proposition published in the newspaper and deciding if it is proper and complies with the election code or not. At Tuesday's hearing, state Sen. Andy Manar questioned the role of the regional superintendent laid out in the bill.

He wasn't the only legislator with concerns. State Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria, also voiced trepidation, which is why the sponsor ultimately postponed the bill.

As previously discussed in this blog, it's important to remind you as you speak with your local legislators on this topic that forced consolidation can be a massive unfunded mandate for affected schools - a theme this legislative session. 

That's because elementary and high school districts often have different pay scales, and when they merge, their current collective bargaining agreements are dissolved. 

What happens next, during new negotiations, is the district on the lower wage scale (which is always the elementary district because it has less EAV and can't afford to pay teachers as much) gravitates toward the higher wage scale. In some instances, the salary jump could be more than $20,000 per elementary teacher. 

That's why the state developed an incentive program for school districts to consolidate. The largest incentive is to pay the differences in salaries for four years between what teachers were getting paid under their old salary schedule compared to the new salary schedule. 

This can be very costly. In Jan. 2012, a task force commissioned by former Gov. Pat Quinn found it would actually cost the state more than $3 billion over four years to merge all of Illinois' high school-only and elementary-only school districts because of this.

Therefore, what happens with the incentive program is critical. If it's scrapped, the cost would fall solely on school districts. We will continue to oppose and monitor this issue and let you know if anything changes. 

Meanwhile, in the House yesterday, representatives voted 79-31 to approve HB 2078, sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Collinsville, to increase the minimum salary of public school teachers over five years, beginning at no less than $32,076 for the 2020-21 school year.

We continue to oppose this bill, as well as corresponding Senate Bill 10, in their current form. However, we want you to be aware a possible supplemental appropriation to fund these salary increases has been mentioned. Given the fiscal situation of the state, though, this will be a tough sell.

To close, lawmakers, after Friday's deadline, will be away from Springfield for two weeks before they return after Easter break. That will leave them with 21 days to craft a budget, vote on an array of revenue increases proposed by the governor, vote on a constitutional amendment regarding transitioning to a graduated income tax, plus the bills we discussed and many others. 

It should be a very interesting stretch to end this spring session to say the least. 

We leave you with this. When speaking to legislators, make sure they are aware of all the unfunded mandates that have been presented to schools this session, including raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour over six years yet.

Share what programs you would have to eliminate or what personnel you would have to cut to pay for them. Run the numbers, if possible, and share the overall financial impact. They need to hear it.

Yesterday's committee hearing proved it can make a difference.

Thanks for your support and thanks for reading. 

Sincerely,
Davod Wood
Governmental Relations Specilaist
Illinois Association of School Business Officials
&
Diane Hendren
Director of Governmental Relations
Illinois Association of School Administrators
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