Day 37 - 3/31/2008

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With just three more days to go until Sine Die, much of the activity today was on the floors of the House and Senate.
 
The House passed SB 196 which would provide for scholarships for the children of persons killed or disabled as a result of combat wounds and would also provide that the grant of such scholarships shall be contingent on funding.  The bill will now be presented to the Governor.
 
The Senate passed several bills that will have an impact on kids.  HB 1159 provides for an income tax credit for parents who adopt a foster child. HB 152 would allow home-schooled students to be eligible for the HOPE scholarship. HB 1054, the Children and Family Services Strengthening Act of 2008, passed the Senate Floor 50 to 0.
 
HB 1209 would provide that local school systems may enter into a contract with the State Board of Education for increased flexibility in exchange for increased accountability. Local school systems can also opt for the status quo. If the school system elects for increased flexibility (from laws, rules and regulations), then that school system must develop a three-year strategic plan setting out its vision and mission for improving school performance – delineating current performance data, grade levels and demographic data for each school within the school system; performance goals, including both improvement and achievement; and performance measures and benchmarks for evaluating improvement and achievement and monitoring progress toward yearly performance goals. There are contractual requirements as well and a requirement that the Office of Student Achievement must monitor the local school system's progress towards meeting its performance goals in the strategic plan. HB 1209 passed the Floor of the Senate 30 to 20.