Bill Text: GA SB184 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Teachers/School Personnel; provide requirements for reduction in force policies; sanctions

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-05-02 - Effective Date [SB184 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-SB184-Introduced.html

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11 SB184/AP

Senate Bill 184

By: Senators Williams of the 19th, Rogers of the 21st and Albers of the 56th

AS PASSED

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary education, so as to provide for improvement of teachers and retention of the most effective teachers; to establish a task force to review professional learning requirements and to make recommendations to the State Board of Education; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide requirements for reduction in force policies; to provide for sanctions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and secondary education, is amended in Part 6 of Article 6, relating to employment of certificated professional personnel, by adding a new Code section to read as follows:

"20-2-201.1.

(a) The Department of Education shall establish the Professional Learning Rules Task Force for the purposes of reviewing current State Board of Education professional learning rules, reviewing current research regarding professional learning, providing suggestions for revisions to the rules, and providing suggestions for implementation.

(b) The task force shall be composed of, at a minimum, the following members:

(1) One representative of the Professional Standards Commission;

(2) One representative of the Department of Education;

(3) One school system level professional learning coordinator;

(4) One representative from the central office of the University System of Georgia;

(5) One representative from a college of education within the University System of Georgia;

(6) One representative from a private college of education in this state;

(7) One representative from a regional educational service agency;

(8) One representative local school superintendent;

(9) One representative public school principal;

(10) One representative public school elementary school teacher;

(11) One representative public school middle school teacher;

(12) One representative public school high school teacher;

(13) One representative from the Georgia Staff Development Council; and

(14) One representative from Learning Forward (National Staff Development Council).

(c) The representative from the Department of Education shall serve as chairperson of the task force. The task force shall meet at the call of the chairperson.

(d) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.

(e) The task force shall present recommendations for professional learning rules to the State Board of Education no later than July 1, 2013. Such recommendations shall include requiring principals, school system leaders, and state leaders to ensure that teachers have opportunities for professional learning and are consistent with major research findings and best practices regarding professional learning and shall be aligned with the revised rules of the Professional Standards Commission relating to certification renewal rules requiring the demonstration of the impact of professional learning on educator and student performance. Recommendations shall be included in revisions to the State Board of Education professional learning rules and shall be adopted on or before June 30, 2015.

(f) This Code section shall be repealed in its entirety on July 1, 2015."

SECTION 2.

Said chapter is further amended in Part 7 of Article 17, relating to termination, suspension, nonrenewal, demotion, or reprimand of teachers and other school personnel, by adding a new Code section to read as follows:

"20-2-948.

(a) A local board of education shall not adopt or implement a policy that allows length of service to be the primary or sole determining factor when implementing a reduction in force. The local board shall consider as the primary factor the performance of the educator, one measure of which may be student academic performance.

(b) Any policy that does not comply with subsection (a) of this Code section shall be considered invalid and the State Board of Education shall be authorized to take action to withhold all or any portion of state funds in accordance with Code Section 20-2-243.

(c) This Code section shall not apply if a local board of education eliminates an entire program."

SECTION 3.

This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.

SECTION 4.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.