Summary of Key K-12 Bills

In compiling legislative voting records for 2014, the Friends of ASBA considered 12 policy bills affecting K-12 public education and identified by Governmental Relations staff of the Arizona School Boards Association.

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Vouchers

HB 2291/ SB 1236 (empowerment scholarship accounts; expansion) – Lesko/Yee
This bill would have expanded the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program to over 600,000 students. ASBA opposed; Failed on House Third Read on a 27-31-2 vote and Senate Third Read on a 12-16-2 vote.

Standards

SB 1310 (schools; common core; prohibition) – Melvin
This bill would have repealed Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards and required Arizona to withdraw from the PARCC assessment consortium. ASBA opposed; Failed on Senate Third Read on a 12-18 vote.

HB 2316 (schools; local control; student privacy) – J. Pierce
This bill would have prohibited ADE, the SBE, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction from adopting federally mandated educational standards, curricula, or instructional approaches. ASBA opposed; Governor vetoed.6 Friends of ASBA, a sister organization of the Arizona School Boards Association

Funding

HB 2703 (2014-2015; general appropriations) – Kavanagh
This is the Fiscal Year 2015 General Budget Bill. ASBA opposed; Chapter 18, 2014 Laws.

HB 2711 (higher education; budget reconciliation; 2014-2015) – Kavanagh
This included implementation language on district-sponsored charter schools. ASBA supported the clean-up language, while opposing the loss of the ability for districts to charter; Chapter 16, 2014 Laws.

SB 1488 (K-12 education; budget reconciliation; 2014-2015) – Biggs
This is the Fiscal Year 2014 K-12 education budget and policy bill. ASBA supported; Chapter 3, 2013 1st Special Session.

HB 2521 (school calendar; 200 days; funding) – Boyer
This bill would have allowed individual schools labeled D or F to offer 200-day calendars with increased funding. ASBA supported; never heard in Senate Education.

SCR 1003 (initiatives; referendum measures; periodic reauthorization) – Crandell
This referendum would have put on the November 2014 General Election Ballot a Constitutional change to limit an initiative or referendum authorization to expend state monies to eight years, with reauthorization every eight years thereafter and would require Prop. 301 be put on the 2016 General Election Ballot for reauthorization. ASBA opposed; Failed on Senate Third Read reconsideration on a 15-14-1 vote.

Local Control

SB 1254 (election dates; school bonds; overrides) – Crandell
This bill would have required districts to only hold bond and override elections in even years. ASBA opposed; failed Senate Third Read on a 13-16-1 vote.

SB 1287 (schools; ballot language; review) – Yee
This bill would have established a process to invalidate district override and bond election results if the ballot language is not approved by the Director of the Arizona Legislative Council. ASBA opposed; never heard in House Education.

SB 1094 (school employees; paycheck deductions; authorization) – Yee
This bill would have prohibited third-party deductions from school district employee paychecks without annual authorization and subjects the governing board or superintendent that knowingly deducts payments to at least a $10,000 civil penalty per violation. ASBA opposed; failed on Senate Third Read on a 13-16-1 vote.

HB 2596 (election day; teacher in-service day) – Ugenti
This bill would have required teacher in-service days to be conducted on election days and require schools to be made available for use as a polling place upon request of the county elections officer. ASBA opposed; failed Senate Government and Environment Committee on a 0-5-2 vote.