H 3326 General Bill, By  House Education and Public Works
 A Bill to enact the "South Carolina Educational Improvement Act of 1984" which
 includes provisions to impose certain additional beer, wine, and alcoholic
 liquor taxes and to provide for the use of these taxes imposed; to freeze the
 salaries of judges of this State paid from state funds and provide for the use
 of the funds saved thereby; to amend Section 59-39-100, Code of Laws of South
 Carolina, 1976, relating to high school diplomas, so as to provide that twenty
 units shall be required for a student to receive a high school diploma; to
 provide that in order to participate in interscholastic activities students in
 grades nine through twelve must have passed at least four courses with an
 overall passing average in the preceding semester; to provide that all
 secondary schools shall offer a clearly defined college preparatory program;
 to provide that the State Department of Education and all school districts
 shall emphasize certain problem solving skills in curricula at all levels; to
 amend Section 59-19-90, as amended, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976,
 relating to school trustees, so as to implement rules for student behavior; to
 amend Section 59-65-90, relating to pupil attendance, so as to require that
 pupil absences in excess of ten days must be acted on by the district board of
 trustees; to provide an instructional day of not less than six hours for
 secondary and elementary students and limit class interruptions; to amend
 Section 59-35-10, as amended, relating to kindergartens, so as to require
 five-year-olds to attend either public, private, or church-related
 kindergartens, and to permit child development centers to be established for
 children who are not less than four years of age; to amend Section 59-63-20,
 as amended, relating to age requirements to attend public schools, so as to
 provide that four-year-olds may attend optional child development programs; to
 amend the 1976 Code by adding Section 59-1-430 so as to prohibit make-up days
 on Saturday; to provide certain programs for talented students and handicapped
 students and to provide certain vocational training programs; to amend Act 631
 of 1978, as amended, relating to the Basic Skills Assessment Program, so as to
 provide that beginning with school year 1985-86 the eleventh grade examination
 in basic skills shall no longer be given and instead exit exams be given in
 the tenth grade with remedial programs for students failing the exam, to
 provide that passage of this exit exam shall be a condition of graduation from
 high school for those students who enter the tenth grade during school year
 1989-90 and thereafter, to provide for implementation of a childhood
 development program for four-year-olds with significant readiness deficiencies
 and certain other remedial instruction programs, and to establish standards of
 student achievement in science; to provide that promotions shall be based on
 academic achievement; to allow the State Board of Education to adjust the
 amount of instructional time required in each of the subjects in the State's
 defined minimum program; to provide that colleges develop programs to extend
 tutoring opportunities to students; to provide that the importance of the
 teaching profession shall be emphasized by the Governor's Schools for Talented
 Students; to amend Act 187 of 1979, as amended, relating to the training,
 employment, and evaluation of teachers and public educators, so as to empower
 the State Board of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to
 administer a loan program for in-state residents to attend a college for the
 purpose of becoming teachers and provide for the forgiveness of a portion or
 all of this loan under certain conditions, to authorize the granting of a
 provisional teaching certificate to a person who has expertise in an area of
 critical need, to require that approval standards for teacher education
 programs shall be upgraded by the State Board beginning with school year
 1984-85, to require the State Board to designate selected colleges which shall
 have the responsibility of developing centers of excellence in teaching
 education programs, to provide that student teachers in addition to one
 semester of student teaching must also participate in other field experiences
 and teacher development techniques, and to provide that the State Board and
 the Commission on Higher Education shall require state-supported colleges and
 universities offering graduate degrees in school administration to increase
 the entrance requirements for admission to these programs; to amend Act 163 of
 1977, as amended, relating to the South Carolina Education Finance Act, so as
 to provide that beginning with fiscal year 1985, the State Board of Education
 shall annually adjust the state's minimum salary schedule for teachers so that
 the average teacher salary in this State for a particular year equals the
 average teacher salary of the other southeastern states as determined by the
 Board, to revise the formula whereby funds are allocated to school districts
 employing instructional staff members with Class 1 Certificates or higher, to
 revise the name and contents of the annual school report required by the
 Education Finance Act, and to change the name of School Advisory Councils to
 School Improvement Councils and further provide for their duties; to provide
 for a cap on the compensation of personnel employed to implement the
 provisions of this Act and to provide exceptions; to require the State Board
 to develop a Teacher Incentive Program including provision for Teacher
 Incentive Bonuses; to provide that the State Board shall develop a program for
 the in-service training of teachers; to provide that, beginning with fiscal
 year 1985-86, teachers, principals, and supervisors shall be eligible for
 certain tuition reimbursement; to amend Act 436 of 1982, relating to the
 length of the school term, so as to lengthen the term from one hundred
 eighty-five days to one hundred ninety days and provide for the use of the
 additional five days; to amend Section 59-21-20, as amended, relating to the
 General Assembly appropriating funds for state aid for teachers' salaries
 based on a term of one hundred eighty-five days, so as to increase such term
 to one hundred ninety days; to provide that the State Board shall develop
 programs designed to reduce the paperwork required of teachers and shall also
 develop a competitive grant program for teachers; to provide that the teacher
 evaluation system mandated by Act 187 of 1979 shall be fully implemented by
 school year 1984-85; to require newly hired principals to be assessed for
 instructional leadership prior to appointment; to require school
 administrators to successfully participate in administrative seminars every
 two years; to provide that the State Board shall develop compensation programs
 for school principals whereby principals who demonstrate superior performance
 and productivity will receive additional financial rewards and compensation;
 to require an annual evaluation of school administrators; to provide for
 certain other training and evaluation of prospective and current school
 administrators; to require that all school board members presently appointed
 be elected in nonpartisan elections; to establish incentive grant and
 competitive grant programs for schools and school districts; to provide for
 the annual monitoring of the provisions of this Act; to amend Section 59-5-60,
 relating to the powers of the State Board of Education, so as to authorize the
 State Superintendent of Education to intervene in the affairs of a local
 school district under certain conditions where the quality of education in
 that district is seriously impaired; to establish criteria designed to
 increase parent, community, and business involvement in the public schools; to
 provide certain state funding for improvements to school buildings and to
 authorize the use of this funding in other designated ways; to amend Section
 59-21-320, relating to state aid for school capital improvements, so as to
 increase the rate of state aid from thirty dollars per pupil to eighty dollars
 per pupil beginning with fiscal year 1989-90; to authorize the State Board
 andthe Commission on Higher Education to promulgate regulations to implement
 the provisions of this Act under their jurisdiction; to require local school
 districts after the effective date of this Act to maintain at least the same
 level of financial support provided during fiscal year 1983-84; to amend
 Section 11-35-40, relating to the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement
 Code, so as to make certain provisions therein apply to the school districts
 of this State, and to provide that the provisions of Section 12, Part II, of
 Act 517 of 1980, relating to statutory spending limitations, shall not apply
 to the provisions of this Act.
   01/11/84  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-356
   01/11/84  House  Referred to Committee on Ways and Means HJ-360