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Legislative
Priorities
The Plano Independent School District
believes public education has built the foundation of our democratic society.
Students of all backgrounds and
abilities have progressed through our public schools and have had an
opportunity to grow and develop skills which made them life-long learners.
We believe that local control of schools and school programs will continue
to strengthen and improve public schools.
We believe the first priority of state government should be ensuring that
public education is adequately funded throughout the state and that districts
are provided with adequate funding to enable them to recruit and retain excellent
teachers. Additionally,
the state has an obligation to guarantee an equitable and effective means of
funding
the
education
of our
public schools
that is
not dependent on drawing down the resources of a few property rich school districts.
Plano ISD believes strongly in maintaining the authority for issues that are
truly
local.
The following links were posted during the 2004-05 school year.
Superintendent's Presentation
Plano ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Doug Otto is a founding member and
president of the Texas
School Coalition. He also serves on the board of directors for the Texas
Business and Education Coalition.
The Texas School Coalition is organized for the
purpose of bringing together independent school districts that have an interest
in improving the school funding laws for all school districts. The Texas Business
and Education Coalition was formed in 1989 to bring business and education
leaders together in a long-term effort to improve the
performance of the Texas public school system.
Dr. Otto has spoken to several school and community groups
regarding Plano ISD's "Legislative Issues." In the following PowerPoint
presentation, he outlines PISD's 2004-05
budget
cuts (due
to the financial impact of the current "Robin Hood" state school
finance system) and provides information about funds
recaptured from Plano ISD by the state (as related to the weighted average
daily attendance - "WADA").
Legislative Issues (464k
)
Principles of School Finance
The Texas Business and Education Coalition Board of Directors have adopted
a statement, Principles of School Finance, stating the coalition would support
a new system of funding Texas public school finance. In addition, the Texas
School Coalition and the Coalition to Invest in Texas Schools adopted similar
core principles. Plano ISD supports these principles.
- Equity – The
public school finance system must provide substantially equal resources
to districts regardless of their property wealth.
- Adequacy – The provision
of financial resources to school districts must be related appropriately
to the highest performance expectations
established by the state. In addition, adjustments in funding
must be made for known cost
factors.
- Capacity for Growth – The school finance system must
provide increasing resources to school districts over time
to accommodate enrollment
growth, changes
in the composition of the student population, raised performance
expectations, inflation, and other cost drivers.
- Efficiency – State
policy should encourage actions that result in improved student achievement
and increased operational efficiency.
- Local enrichment – Allow districts
to locally supplement to meet individual community’s expectations.
Financial Program
The state’s school funding program must take into account the
needs of school districts saddled with inadequate resources. To that end, the
PISD Board
of Trustees recommends that the legislature develop an Education Finance Plan
which adequately funds public schools throughout the state and reduces reliance
on a few so-called “property wealthy” districts.
Key points of
that new finance plan should include:
- Increasing the percentage of the state
budget allocated to public schools.
- Updating the Cost of Education Index.
- Reducing, if not eliminating, the “recapture” provisions
of
the current plan.
- Implementing financial incentives to reward campuses that
have demonstrated high levels of student academic growth, significantly
closed performance
gaps in the core curriculum, and performed at the highest standards established
by the state.
- Resisting funding initiatives which would erode PISD’s
ability to
maintain and enrich current educational programs.
- Appropriating adequate funds
to cover fully the cost of any new program mandated by the legislature
and providing sufficient lead time to allow
for effective planning and implementation.
- Restoring the $1,000 health care
supplement pass-through to all educators.
- Adopting a plan to provide sufficient
funding for Texas students enrolled in PISD eSchool classes as part
of their daily school schedule.
- Maintaining the equity gains of the past decade.
- Providing funds to schools
to support intervention for students identified at risk of failing at
the various checkpoints of the Student
Success Initiative (3rd grade reading, 5th grade reading and math,
8th grade reading and math,
and 11th grade exit-level tests).
- Resisting the funding
of additional charter schools, private or parochial schools in the form
of vouchers, or other aid.
Learning Program
Curriculum and instruction are the core of a school district’s
program. The Plano ISD Board of Trustees believes that the state should not
impose
unfunded educational mandates on local school districts. The board also supports
initiatives
to guarantee that all students read by the third grade while leaving the
process to the local district.
The Board also supports legislation which:
- Maintains the present student assessment and public school accountability
systems for several years, at least through 2008.
- Supports the ongoing efforts
that allow for a state testing program which provides a means for determining
accountability for student performance growth.
- Provides quality Spanish translation
for all testing documents.
- Releases per student funding for textbooks to local
districts for special needs students functioning above or below their
assigned grade level.
- Provides funds from the state to purchase computers and software
for all students and explore ways the state can support and encourage
enhanced use of
technology.
- Continue the development, promotion, and implementation of the early
childhood education initiative.
- Seeks to restore local authority to districts
for school calendar preferences with regard to start/release dates, holidays,
and professional development.
- Provides automatic admission and sophomore standing
at any public higher education institution for students completing the
IB diploma program.
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