Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

January 10, 2007

Legislative Initiatives in 2007

   As 2007 moves swiftly ahead, there are several legislative initiatives to alert District III residents about at the local, state, and federal levels. As your District III Gwinnett County Public Schools Bard member, I will be actively involved in each of these and I want to share information with our readers about these initiatives.

1. District Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

   A new format is underway for accreditation of grades K-12 in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Beginning in 2007, a county-wide accreditation plan is underway with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) district accreditation visit scheduled for February 5-8, 2007. 

   According to SACS CASI, “This district-wide initiative provides a systemic approach to achieving results through improvement is an integrated process that supports accountability requirements; serves to strengthen efforts to meet such requirements; and provides recognition for the system and its schools, students, teachers, and the community.”

   Between February 6-8, 2007, the SACS CASE Team will conduct District interviews with Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, Board of Education members, members of the Superintendent’s Cabinet, principals, members of the PTA Executive Council, the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, and officials of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. Visits to schools will be conducted on February 7, and follow-meetings will be held on February 8, 2007.

   SACS CASI will review Board of Education leadership, determine how this leadership sets a tome for academic and other programs for the District, and look for, among other key components, the alignment between the vision the school district is seeking to achieve and the Board’s involvement in formulating the vision.

2. Legislative Program for 2007 Session of Georgia General Assembly.

   The Gwinnett Board of Education held its annual meeting with members of the Gwinnett Delegation to the General Assembly to discuss the school system’s priorities for funding during the 2007 Legislative Session. The following were the key requests of the Board of Education on its K-12 continuing positions: 1) maintain local control of public education related to curriculum, student discipline, school calendar, and local revenue sources; 2) maintain a safe and secure environment for teaching and learning; 3) revise efforts to provide contracts for classified employees; 4) oppose collecting bargaining; and 5) fully fund the Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula as set forth in state statute until another foundation formula replaces it, thus protecting the K-12 education appropriation from further austerity reductions.

   In the area of flexibility of administration of the school system, 6) eliminate or curtail existing unfunded or under-funded state mandates, and prohibit new ones; establish a mandatory, minimum 12-month waiting period prior to the implementation of any state education legislation, and require a clear and complete description of its potential fiscal, operational, and programmatic impact on local schools and school districts; and delay implementation of mandated class-size reductions in grades 9-12; and apply expenditure test for direct instruction at the system level.

   In other areas, 7) increase state funding for facility maintenance and operations; 8) fund at the $200 million level for Regular Entitlement and the $100 million level for Exceptional Growth; 9) increase and supplement the full cost of teacher salary increases, including benefits, from State funding sources; 10) increase QBE funding to address instructional costs for consumable materials and supplies, textbooks, and replacement of instructional equipment; 11) provide mid-term adjustments for Training and Experience of all certificated personnel employed by the system as of the most recent month for which data are available; and 12) revise the formula for state transportation funding to include students who live outside a one-mile radius of their home school. 

3. Federal Relations Network of the Georgia/National School Boards Association.

   At the Federal level, the “No Child Left Behind” legislation is in the process of being considered for a six-year renewal. As part of the Annual Federal Legislative Network of the Georgia and the National School Boards Association, I serve as an elected representative of the Gwinnett Board of Education and participate in the annual meeting and conference of these organizations in Washington, D.C. 

   The Federal Relations Network drives the NSBA’s Federal advocacy program which includes testimony before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, dialogue with the Executive Branch, communications with Congress and the Administration on issues that affect school boards. Dissemination of information about impending federal action on key issues, and the mobilization of the Federal Relations Network

   As part of the FRN visit to Capitol Hill, I will meet with our Seventh District U.S. Congressman John Linder, our senators from Georgia, and other members of the Georgia Delegation to provide information on two Federal programs as they impact Gwinnett County Public Schools: 1) the “No Child Left Behind (NCLB)” program and the “Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)” program. 

   As District III School Board member, it is an honor and privilege to represent the communities of Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Duluth, Berkeley Lake, and parts of Peachtree Ridge in these important initiatives at the local, State, and Federal legislative levels. If you have questions about these or other initiatives, please contact me. 

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