Newspaper Page Text
Page 8C
iReporter
February 14, 2018
How will new state laws affect local schools?
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Superintendent Dr.
Mike Hickman updated
the Monroe County
school board on 24 bills
introduced in the Georgia
legislature so far this ses
sion at the board’s Feb.
3 training session. He
told board members of
nine House bills and one
Senate bill that, seem to
have momentum to pass
and will affect school sys
tems.
House Bill 273 would
require recess for stu
dents kindergarten
through 5th grade.
Hickman said that.
Monroe County elemen
tary schools provide
recess, but. the amount, of
time required in the bill
may impact, local schools.
Teachers who take away
recess as a punishment,
may no longer be able to
do so.
“Now the state is really
getting into minutiae,”
said board chair Nolen
Howard.
House Bill 655 would
require posting of the
phone number to report,
abuse to DFAC-S at. speci
fied places in school facili
ties. Hickman said this
bill has good intentions
but. has some problems
from the large number
of postings it. mandates,
likely encouraging some
calls provoked by situ
ational anger instead of
reasonable concern.
House Bill 672 allows
school security officers
to use radar in school
zones. Board members
thought, this was already
the case, and Hickman
said the bill is likely to
pass. House Bill 673 calls
for hands-free devices
for cell phones, includ
ing bus drivers. Reading
texts while driving is also
prohibited in the bill.
Monroe County bus driv
ers are allowed to use cell
phones but. are directed
to pull off the road when
using them. Assistant
Superintendent. Jackson
Daniel said that, there
are places in the county
where bus radios do not.
get. reception, and cell
phones help fill the gaps
in communication.
School board members work in groups to assess how well they are functioning as a school board at their Feb. 3 work session.
Left to right are Stuart Pippin, Priscilla Doster, Judy Pettigrew, Supt. Dr. Mike Hickman, Nolen Howard, J.P. Evans andTechnol-
ogy director Valerie Mercer. (Photo/Diane Glidewell)
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Hickman said that bus
drivers not. looking at. cell
phones while driving is a
“no brainer” and was dis
cussed at. the bus driver
training meeting the pre
ceding week. He expects
the legislation to pass and
expects legislation requir
ing seat, belts on school
buses to come up soon.
House Bill 722 requires
that, schools be accred
ited for at. least. 10 years
before they can be includ
ed in dual enrollment,
curriculums with public
schools. Hickman said the
intention is to insure that,
only reputable institu
tions are included in dual
enrollment..
House Bill 728 cre
ates Public Education
Innovative Fund
Foundations to help
Georgia’s neediest, schools.
House Bill 319 calls
for a constitutional
amendment, permitting
ESPLOST taxes to be
used for school mainte
nance and operations.
Hickman said he does not.
think the bill will pass
as it. is, but. legislators
are looking at. amend
ing ESPLOST so that.
10-15 percent, of the taxes
collected can be used
for maintenance and
operations. Presently,
a school system must,
specify capital projects
for which it. will use the
tax money before putting
an ESPLOST resolution
before voters. Daniel, who
works with school financ-
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es, said that, he likes the
separation between funds
for capital projects and
funds for regular mainte
nance and operations.
Senate Bill 337 deals
with a child’s testimony
regarding sex abuse. It.
lets a counselor or other
adult, in an appropriate
position testify on behalf
of the child.
House Bill 778 would
put. CTAE (Career,
Technical and Agriculture
Education) under the
Technical College system
of Georgia instead of the
Department, of Education.
Funding will move, and
the Technical College sys
tem will provide the pro
grams to the high schools.
‘This is huge,” said
Hickman. “In a nutshell,
it is moving a pot of
money.”
House Bill 788 will
break the link between
neighborhoods and
schools, allowing a stu
dent. to enroll in a school
if someone in the school’s
attendance zone authoriz
es a parent, or guardian to
use that, person’s address
to establish residency. It.
will blur residency lines
for schools. Hickman said
that, as few as 10 more or
less children at. a school,
especially in the lower
grades, will change staff
ing needs.
There are other bills
that, have been introduced
this session that, would
have an effect, on schools,
but. that. Hickman thinks
are less like to come up
for a vote this year. House
Bill 26 would raise the
dropout, age from 16 to 17,
and House Bill 482 estab
lishes vouchers under
the Georgia Education
Scholarship Act. Hickman
said this has come up
for several years. House
Bill 524 would give tax
credit, to organizations
that, support, public edu
cation technology with
gifts. Hickman said this
one sounds great, but.
has some problems with
specifying what compa
nies would be eligible and
dealing with companies
that, market, technology to
schools.
The Regional
Educational Service
Agency (RESA) that,
includes Monroe County
supports House Bill 633,
which would allow retired
teachers to work full time
and draw their full retire
ment.. Now they can only
work a 49 percent, sched
ule at. a public school and
still draw retirement., but.
they can work full time at.
a private school.
“We have a teacher
shortage. We are lucky
here, but. it’s a problem in
bigger systems like Bibb,”
said Hickman. ‘There’s a
huge pool of retired folks.
They often retire at. 52
or 53... It’s hard to use a
teacher half a day.”
House Bill 667 comes
from controversy over the
Peach County-Calhoun
game and asks that.
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instant replay be required
for high school football
championships. It would
involve a large cost, if
games were hosted any
where but. Mercedes Benz
stadium where technol
ogy for instant replay is
available.
Hickman said House
Bills 700, 702 and 706
involve shifting funds
around dealing with loans
and funeral service ben
efits. House Bill 713 tries
to set. reasonable grade
requirements for home
schooled students to be
eligible for the HOPE
scholarship. House Bill
718 deals with absences
of military dependents.
House Bill 898 is cre
ated by lawmakers who
feel Georgia needs to
do its own accreditation
rather than relying on
AdvancedEd. What, rela
tionship the state accredi
tation agency will have
with AdvancedEd, who it.
will answer to and who
will control funding is not.
clear.
Senate Bill 188 wants
local boards to have a
policy on drugs that, affect,
a person’s mental state;
Senate Bill 330 wants to
expand agriculture educa
tion, especially to elemen
tary schools; Senate Bill
354 would make active
duty military tuition at.
technical colleges in-state.
Hickman said agriculture
education in elementary
school is a great, idea, but.
the bill does not. address
funding.
There are several weeks
remaining in the 2018
legislative session, with
time for bills to arise,
change or die. Hickman
told the board he expects
non-cont.roversial bills
like those dealing with
safety to pass while many
others will not. become
law this year but. will
come back in the future.
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