Friday, June 15,
2001
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Schools make needs known to state Legislature By JOHN
THOMPSON
Although the Georgia General Assembly won't meet again until next year, the Georgia School Board Association is getting ready for the session. The association, including the Fulton County Board of Eductaion, has developed an ambitious agenda for the next term that will be presented to legislators next week. Some of the items the association is backing include: Supporting legislation to require the revenue commissioner to disapprove county digests calculated at a ratio of less than 40 percent of fair market values. Asking for additional funding for elementary and middle school counselors. Funding should be at a ratio of 1/400 for all grade levels, board officials say. Wanting an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to authorize the General Assembly to enact legislation which would allow local school systems to receive revenues from tax sources other than local property taxes. Extending the state remedial education funding to middle schools under the provisions of the Quality Basic Education program, and include evaluation of program effectiveness. Urging the General Assembly to fund at-risk and remedial summer school programs commensurate with the number of students scoring below grade level as defined by the Office of Education Accountability and those not passing the high school graduation test. Providing a measure that the tax commissioner or tax collector shall be entitled to a commission for collecting school taxes equal to the percentage that local school taxes collected represent of the total county taxes collected multiplied times the budget of the tax commissioner's office for collecting county taxes only. The association said in many counties, growth in the school digest has provided a commission for school tax collection in excess of the total cost for operating the tax commissioner's office. The amount in excess of the portion necessary to pay for school tax collection has been used to offset county government responsibility for its operation. This is a use of school tax revenue for which the statute was not intended. Asking for funding of monitors on school buses. The local school board should be authorized to determine the number of monitors needed and on which buses the monitors will be used, school officials say. The association claims incidents of student disciplinary behavior, especially at the middle school level, are increasing and divert the bus drivers' attention from the road and pose safety problems. An additional adult on the bus to monitor student behavior may prevent accidents, altercations on the bus and improve student readiness for the school day, the group argues. Urging the General Assembly to fund an instructional lead teacher program. The association said it has been shown that teachers who are mentored by peers throughout the school year can improve instructional skills. With appropriate funding, lead instructional teachers can dedicate a portion of their time to this activity to help improve instruction and student achievement. The association will deliver its recommendations June 22.
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