MINUTES OF THE

ENHANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION TASK FORCE

Monday, November 12, 2001 - 8:30 a.m. - Room 129 State Capitol

Note: A list of others present and a copy of materials can be found at http://image.le.utah.gov/imaging/history.asp or contact the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1. Call to Order

Sen. Stephenson called the meeting to order at 8:46 a.m.

MOTION: Rep. Dillree moved to approve the minutes of November 1, 2001. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Wright and Rep. Throckmorton absent for the vote.

• Consider Proposed Legislation Eliminating Mandates on School Districts

Ms. Constance Steffen, Research Analyst, gave an overview of the bills, "State Board of Education Rules and Reports," "Repeal of Education Mandates and Programs," and "Student Education Plans." Superintendent Steven Laing, Utah State Office of Education (USOE), responded to questions from the committee.

Ms. Beverly Sorenson, founder of Artworks for Kids, spoke in favor of providing arts programs in elementary schools. She explained the pilot program established by the Legislature that matches private funding. She emphasized that it will require collaboration by schools, the community, and the Legislature to make the program successful.

Mr. Robert Stermer, Principal of Todd Elementary School in Roosevelt, explained that in his and other schools with high at-risk populations in the Uintah Basin, the grant provided by the Legislature has helped the children with their basic learning skills. He encouraged continued support from the Legislature for arts programs. He expressed concern that if the funds were put into a block grant, they would not always be used for the arts, but for other needs.

Ms. Tina Daniels, music specialist at Todd Elementary School, emphasized how music, art, dance, and drama have a big impact on children's learning. She also emphasized how important the arts are for rural schools who have high numbers of at-risk students.

Mr. Lloyd Frandsen, Director of Artworks for Kids, spoke of the commitment being made to obtain private funding to continue this program. He stated that eliminating direct funding would undermine the program. A CD ROM and information were distributed demonstrating how music can impact children.

Ms. Judy Weeks, Granite School Board, explained what private funding sources and amounts have been received to match state funds. She indicated that additional funds were also donated for an evaluation of the program.

Ms. Sorenson stated she would be hesitant to participate as a donor if she were not sure the funding was going directly to the arts.

MOTION: Rep. Morgan moved to amend "Repeal of Education Mandates and Programs" by deleting the repeal of the Arts in Elementary Schools Pilot Program in lines 396-397. The motion passed with Sen. Stephenson, Sen. Wright, Rep. Throckmorton, Rep. Dayton, and Rep. Dillree voting in opposition and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

MOTION: Rep. Dillree moved to adopt the amended "Repeal of Education Mandates and Programs" as a committee bill. The motion passed with Sen. Julander, Rep. Jones, and Rep. Morgan voting in opposition and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

MOTION: Rep. Dayton moved to adopt "State Board of Education Rules and Reports" as a committee bill. The motion passed unanimously with Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

Sen. Julander noted that Utah's model for the SEP (Student Education Plan) is being used by other states. She expressed concern that districts will lose the guidance they need if SEPs and SEOPs (Student Education/Occupation Plan)are not mandated by the State.

Ms. Victoria Purcell, Oakwood Elementary, stated that SEPs give the districts a vision toward the future of each student and are very important.

Ms. Marian Gardner, Education Commissioner for the PTA, stated the PTA has three resolutions that support this mandate.

Ms. Judy Peterson, parent and school counselor in Granite School District, stated that SEOPs support individual meetings with students, which are especially important for a mobile student population.

Ms. Sandy Amal, secondary guidance specialist in the Salt Lake City School District, stated that the student plan is the heart of the comprehensive guidance program and it brings accountability to professionals of the State.

Ms. Diane Davis, director of comprehensive guidance in Davis School District, stated that the SEOP is the vehicle used to help individual students prepare for UPASS (Utah Performance Assessment System for Students). Following UPASS, information from the SEOP helps to further guide the student's education.

Ms. Maryann Thurgood, counselor in Davis School District, stated that students are nervous about their future and about UPASS. The SEOP provides a process for students to be prepared with confidence.

Ms. Carol Peterson, parent and counselor, spoke of how SEOPs have helped all students from the gifted and talented to those with special needs. She also expressed concern that district administrators would not continue the program if it were not mandated.

Mr. Kevin Branch, secondary guidance specialist in Jordan School District, stated that students who are able to take advantage of advanced placement and concurrent enrollment programs are made aware of those programs through the SEOP. He stated it would be a great risk if SEOPs were not mandated at the state level.

Mr. Rob Brems, Associate Superintendent, USOE (Utah State Office of Education), clarified that Superintendent Laing was asked to list unfunded mandates. Mr. Brems emphasized that Superintendent Laing fully supports the SEP and SEOP programs, but listed this issue because it is an unfunded mandate.

MOTION: Rep. Dayton moved to adopt "Student Education Plans" as a committee bill. The motion passed with Sen. Julander, Sen. Peterson, Rep. Jones, Rep. Morgan, Ms. Cannon and Ms. Richards voting in opposition.

3. Local School Board Powers and School Termination Procedures

Mr. Blake Ostler explained "Local School Board Employer Powers" and recommended amendments.

MOTION: Sen. Stephenson moved to amend the bill as follows:

Page 3, Line 76: After "shall" insert "have discretion to"

Page 3, Line 77: After "which" delete "duty" and insert "discretion"

The motion passed unanimously with Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

Ms. Ellen Wallace, Vice-President, Utah School Boards Association, stated that the School Boards Association addressed and approved this bill on Friday, November 9, 2001. She noted that the information still needs to be disseminated to the local school boards.

Mr. Winston Gleave, Utah School Boards Association, stated the Board has been considering the issues addressed in the bill for several years. He stated that at regional meetings across the state where the issues have been presented, there has been support, though not unanimous support.

MOTION: Sen. Julander moved to advance to the next item on the agenda.

SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Rep. Johnson moved to refer the bill to the Education Interim Committee. The substitute motion passed with Sen. Peterson voting in opposition and Rep. Dillree and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

4. Consider Proposed Legislation, "School and School District Size Task Force"

Ms. Steffen explained that the bill creates a legislative task force that would review and make recommendations on the ideal size of schools and the most cost effective way to create smaller school districts.

Mr. Gary Carlston, USOE, explained that the Legislature had directed the State Office to create a task force to study school district and school size. He stated that a written report was given to the Education Interim Committee a year ago and is available. He said that the task force considered whether school size affected student achievement. He noted that the study indicated there was not much information regarding district size, but there was information supporting smaller schools.

MOTION: Sen. Stephenson moved to refer the bill to the Education Interim Committee for consideration. The motion passed with Ms. Richards voting in opposition and with Rep. Dillree and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

5. U-PASS (Utah Performance Assessment System for Students) Administration

This item was not discussed.

6. State Core Curriculum

Ms. Steffen explained that the proposed legislation, "Core Curriculum Amendments," requires the State Board of Education to consult with teachers and parents in establishing the core curriculum. It also states that the core curriculum and UPASS must be aligned with each other.

Ms. Bonnie Morgan, USOE, noted that parents and teachers, along with business and industry, are providing input to the advisory, steering, and writing committees. She stated that they are making efforts to narrow the core.

MOTION: Sen. Walker moved to adopt "Core Curriculum Amendments" as a committee bill. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Dillree and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

7. Retention of Educator Licenses

Rep. Throckmorton explained that the proposed legislation, "Retention of Educator Licenses," would eliminate the 100 hours/100 points rule, but would still allow for the different levels of licensing.

Ms. Susan Kuziak, UEA (Utah Education Association),stated that the UEA would oppose removing the requirement for continuing education for educators to renew their licenses. She stated that on-going learning for educators is critical for quality teaching.

Supt. Laing clarified that because state agencies have been asked to cut budgets, the USOE discussed the possibility of making relicensure self-supporting through fees charged for renewal. No action was taken on that issue. He stated that teacher license renewal requirements are minimal and do not create a hardship.

Ms. Sarah Meyer, Granite District School Board, stated that she has kept her license through continuing education for 23 years since she last taught and asserted that teachers need to keep abreast of new information.

Ms. Bonnie Palmer, Utah School Boards Association, stated that school boards find there is a clamor from teachers to participate in classes. She stated that students need well-trained, up-to-date teachers.

MOTION: Rep. Morgan moved to move to the next item on the agenda. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Julander, Rep. Dillree and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote.

Mr. Dee Larsen, Associate General Counsel, distributed and reviewed information regarding the constitutionality of elected school board members. The information included a legal memorandum with the conclusion that the Utah Constitution requires the State School Board members to be elected, but the Legislature has latitude to determine qualifications of candidates and election procedures.

8. Driver's Education

Because of time constraints, this report will be mailed to task force members.

9. Other Business

Sen. Stephenson noted that mandates suggested for repeal were recommendations from the USOE and that there are many more that will be considered next year.

10. Adjourn

MOTION: Sen. Peterson moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Julander, Rep. Dillree, Rep. Johnson, and Ms. Cannon absent for the vote. Rep. Throckmorton adjourned the meeting at 12:45 p.m.