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Issue 17 · January 14, 2013
A rundown on
state legislative proposals and enacted laws that prohibit
employers and educational institutions from demanding social media
login information and passwords.
The new Pay As You Earn repayment plan became effective
on December 21, 2012. It gives low-earning student loan borrowers
another option for successfully paying back their education loans.
A study by the National Council on Teacher Quality
found that inadequately funded teacher pension plans impose
financial and opportunity costs on teachers too.
Prospective students were enticed with big salaries and
plentiful opportunities when they graduated from an expensive law
school, but their hopes did not pan out. The law school's marketing
tactics didn't break the law but they weren't exactly candid
either, a court found.
The National Association of School Nurses made a
dramatic statement about the special role of school nurses in
crisis prevention and response.
Addressing educator licensure, preparation program
approval, and data collection, analysis, and reporting are three
policy approaches that the Council of Chief State School Officers
believes will improve the readiness of teachers and principals for
the demands of their jobs.
"H" for health has been added to the acronym
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) -- and the state
of Virginia is supporting education in the full breadth of these
disciplines to prepare the state's workforce for the jobs of the
future.
Every administrator and every teacher should have a
copy of the how-to School Crisis Guide: Help and Healing in Time of
Crisis.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals
enumerated many reasons why educators packing heat will only make
gun violence more likely.
Research on adolescent mental health provides insight
into why some young people react to societal pressures by becoming
violent and what therapeutic and social interventions are most
effective in preventing tragedies.
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School
massacre, schools along the entire educational spectrum are
instituting tighter security, enhanced law enforcement presence,
and psychological services for students, teachers, and parents. The
Department of Homeland Security provides resources for school
safety measures.
New Year's
Resolution: Learn!
Click for more details and to
register ...
Student
Athletics in Secondary Schools: Practical and Legal Issues
Thursday,
January 17, 2013 @ 1 PM Eastern
Aside from their manifest benefits, secondary school athletics
involve risks and liabilities. This webinar will cover athlete
injuries, liability issues, Title IX, sexual abuse, traumatic head
injuries, waivers and informed consent forms, and how to deal with
it all.
A Series of Four
Webinars During 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 @ 1 PM
Eastern (first session)
Educational entities (and employers of all stripes)
have until January 1, 2014, to come into compliance with the health
care reform law's "shared responsibility" requirements.
There is a LOT to do between now and then. Join this webinar group
to figure out, in four sessions throughout the year, where you are
and what you need to do to be ready in time. The other three
sessions are scheduled for April 23, July 23, and October 22, 2013.
School
Bullying: How to Build a Bully-Free Campus and Staff
Thursday,
January 24, 2013 @ 1 PM Eastern
About one-third of students are bullied each year, and even adults
can be bullied in a school setting (remember the school bus monitor
who was brought to tears by her young tormentors). This briefing
will examine the nature of bullying and describe the steps that
visionary schools are taking to become no-bully zones.
Thursday, January 31, 2013 @ 1
PM Eastern
Economic hardship, natural disasters, immigration
issues, family problems ... there are a lot of reasons for students
to experience homelessness. Even in these worst of circumstances,
homeless children must be educated. Get a solid grounding in your
school's statutory and legal responsibilities and how to deal with
transportation, fee waivers, nutrition, and other issues.
RELAX -- Webinars on CD Option!
What if you have a time conflict and can't participate
in a webinar of interest on its scheduled date and time? Don't
worry. You can still take advantage of our CD option. Soon after
completion of each webinar, the program will be available on CD. Click
here for the complete listing and future
ordering information.
Taxpayers Claim Unequal
Treatment in State Per-Pupil Funding Formula
Two taxpayers in Illinois sued the state superintendent
of education, the state board of education, and the governor
because of the state's reliance on an education funding formula
that, they claimed, imposes substantially greater burdens on
taxpayers who reside in districts where property values are low
than it does on similarly situated taxpayers who reside in
districts where property values are high. This disparity, they
claimed, violates the equal protection clause of the Illinois
constitution.
The school funding formula seeks to guarantee a minimum
level of funding per pupil through a combination of state financial
aid and local resources. For the 2009-10 school year (when the
lawsuit was filed), the "foundation level" per pupil was
$6,119. The amount that the state contributes in aid to schools to
sustain the minimum level of funding is calculated using an average
daily attendance figure and an "available local
resources" figure. The plaintiffs offered themselves as
examples of the disparate impact of this formula on taxpayers who
live in "property-poor" school districts. To contribute
to local resources, they each paid annual property tax rates that
were higher than the rates paid by taxpayers in
"property-rich" school districts. Because of the way the
formula worked, students in "property-poor" districts
also received substantially less in per-pupil instructional funds
than those who attended school in "property-rich"
districts.
In response to the lawsuit, the school officials and
governor filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the plaintiffs
lacked standing to challenge the education funding statute. Among
their arguments was that the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS),
which penalize schools for unsatisfactory student performance, does
not eliminate local control of schools or the ability to tax
property at different rates. The trial court granted the motion to
dismiss, finding that the two taxpayers lacked standing to bring
their action because the variations in tax assessment rates were
the result of local decision-making and could not be firmly
traceable to the defendants. The court also ruled that the action
against the board of education was barred by the state Lawsuit
Immunity Act.
The Illinois appellate court affirmed, also noting that
the Illinois School Code does not force school districts to impose
certain property tax rates in order to contribute local resources
to the per-pupil funding amount. The appellate court also observed
that the plaintiffs had not alleged that students in their
property-poor school districts had failed to meet the ILS, nor had
the state imposed or threatened penalties against the schools.
On appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, the plaintiffs
had no more luck. They tried to press their argument that they are
being treated unequally because of the state's funding formula. But
the court affirmed that the plaintiffs lacked standing because the
education funding statute is simply a funding statute, and not a
taxing statute, and it does not require school districts to
actually tax at any certain rate in order to receive general state
aid. Therefore, the funding system had no direct effect on the
plaintiff's disparate tax rates, and they could not show that they
were directly injured by the defendants. Read the Illinois
Supreme Court ruling in Carr et al. v. Koch,
State Superintendent of Education et al., filed on
November 29, 2012.
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