Parent Press: Week 6 of the 2022 Legislative Session
We have completed day 17 of the Legislative Session, and things are beginning to heat up at the State Capitol. We saw more local redistricting bills come through the Senate, including a bill to bypass the local process for the Bibb County Board of Education. A referendum on whether to create the City of Lost Mountain in Cobb County passed through the Senate and is heading to the Governor’s desk. You can read my thoughts on cityhood in last week’s newsletter, if you missed it. Despite busy floor sessions, the most notable activity was in the committees this week.
Attacks on Education
Bills restricting teachers and creating onerous complaint processes for schools continue to move through the Georgia General Assembly. What all these bills have in common is an inherent lack of trust and support for our teachers and schools. We heard testimony from students, teachers, and leaders in education this week. In addition, in our office we spoke with more teachers, and heard repeated and common sense themes:
Teachers care deeply about their students and their students’ education. They are working hard, after 2 years of unprecedented stress caused by the pandemic, to truly engage students, and they welcome parent involvement. Of course!
These bills will limit teachers’ ability to teach our country’s history, especially regarding racism and race, and our children’s ability to get a complete and honest education.
Teachers will have to tiptoe around important issues to comply with the prohibition on discussion of concepts in these bills or pre-approved lesson plans, and the result will be a less thorough and authentic discussion. To paraphrase one concerned teacher: "If teenagers get a whiff of a lack of authenticity, they will disengage."
These bills will negatively impact education.
Watch this thoughtful testimony from Lisa Morgan, President of the Georgia Association of Educators and Kindergarten teacher:
And read more from teachers and students here:
SB 449
This bill has been dubbed the ‘Parent’s Bill of Rights’ and codifies into state law burdensome reporting mechanisms to inform parents of school curriculum. These rights already exist. This is the Governor’s bill, and it is an election year stunt, but it could have consequences that limit teachers’ freedom to alter lesson plans to respond to student interest and current events. The onerous reporting mechanisms are an unfunded mandate on already strapped school districts and over-burdened teachers.
SB 449 is expected be on the Senate floor Tuesday.
SB 377
SB 377 'banning divisive concepts' from being taught in schools had a hearing on Monday. Some public comments were allowed but many citizens were not able to present their views due to time constraints. This bill instills fear in teachers and will stifle meaningful discussion through threats of funding cuts and unpredictable parental attacks. At the hearing, the primary concern echoed by the public was the blatant attack on teachers through bills such as this one and SB 449.
This bill may get another hearing this week.
HB 1084
It is possible that HB 1084 will be the "divisive concepts" bill that moves forward in the General Assembly. It is similar to SB 377. Two big differences include limiting the bans to K-12 education and the penalties imposed - instead of cutting QBE Funding as a penalty, schools could lose important Strategic Waivers that allow them flexibility to innovate. Examples of these range from classroom size waivers to specialized curriculums like International Baccalaureate (IB). 132 school districts use these strategic waivers, including the schools in our district.
Continue your advocacy against these bills and in support of teachers:
President Pro Tempore, Butch Miller
Education and Youth Committee Members
USG Chancellor
On a related note, The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted to advance Sonny Perdue as the sole finalist to be its Chancellor, despite opposition from students, professors, and other faculty members. He has made statements that he wanted to ‘bring more conservative values to the job’. As Governor, Sonny Perdue defunded education in the State of Georgia, particularly targeting HBCUs. The political nature of this appointment would not only threaten the quality of education in Georgia but could put the entire accreditation of Georgia’s University System at risk.
Read more here:
Other Bills to Watch
SB 456
SB 456 will limit abortion rights through barriers to access for women. This bill uses faulty science and misleading definitions to eliminate telehealth consultations for women seeking a pill-induced abortion. SB 456 requires a woman to conduct an in-person consultation with a mandatory ultrasound and blood test, increasing the time-spent in office as well as the cost of the visit. Further, this bill disallows access to abortion-inducing pills on college campuses.
SB 456 will likely be on the Senate Floor this week.
SB 319
''Permitless Carry' was not brought to the Senate Floor again this week. We are watching for this as well as SB 478 that limits where gun permits are required. We don't know what the next steps will be, but we are keeping an ear to the ground. Stay Tuned!
Bills Filed This Week
I filed 3 bills this week.
SB 509
SB 509 will increase transparency about dual enrollment course transferability in Georgia. This will help students identify what to take and bridge gaps in HS counseling.
SB 509 has two primary functions:
It ensures that the universal course transfer chart, which includes 28 courses that are accepted at all TCSG and USG institutions, is shared with students and high schools, and
It requires the Georgia Student Finance Commission to denote which courses are universally transferable on the dual enrollment course guide on the GA Futures website.
SB 509 is a first step that can be implemented quickly, ensuring the various entities (USG, TCSG, GSFC, DOE) work together to bring user-friendly information on course transferability to dual enrollment students.
SB 508
This bill calls for greater data collection on demographics, participation, and collegiate success rates for dual enrollment students in Georgia. This data would help us understand the participation and value of the dual enrollment program, increase access for underrepresented students, and provide information on how to better allocate program resources.
SB 513
SB 513 will remove punitive registration fees on alternative fuel vehicles. Currently, non-commercial alternative fuel vehicle owners pay an additional $200 annual registration fee. This fee is designed to cover the portion of gasoline taxes that support roads, not paid by electric car owners. However, the fee far exceeds normal vehicle use, and creates an additional financial burden and equity issue for EV ownership. We should be providing incentives to expand alternative fuel vehicle use, not barriers.
SB 513 will have a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday, February 24 at 2pm, in room 450 CAP.
Good Bills Passed This Week
SB 396
This bill seeks to create the Georgia Farm to Foodbank (F2FB) Program. This initiative will use state grants to provide Georgia Grown products straight from producers to regional foodbanks. This is a positive way to use surplus produce to help those in need and support Georgia farmers.
DeKalb County
DeKalb County Commission and BOE Redistricting
We expect the maps already passed by the House to get a vote in the Senate this week. It is unclear whether another bill by Sen. Emanuel Jones scheduling a referendum on the question of whether to eliminate the super districts on the commission will move forward. My position is that any change to the structure of the commission districts should follow a thorough County Charter review. The DeKalb Co. Charter Review Committee has a new chair, and the next meeting of the committee is scheduled for March 21, 2021. The details should be posted on the DeKalb Co. website soon.
DeKalb Joint Delegation Meeting
You can also learn more about DeKalb priorities by watching this Dekalb County House and Senate Delegations meeting held this week with DeKalb CEO, Michael Thurmond here.
DeKalb County Covid Resources:
Order 4 free at home Covid tests: www.COVIDtests.gov,
DeKalb County testing and vaccine resources:
https://www.dekalbhealth.net/covid-19-dashboard/
Questions? Please contact me at elena@elenaparent.com.