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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.4672 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:20000223 Primary Sponsor:Townsend All Sponsors:Townsend, Allen, Barrett, Clyburn, Gamble, Gourdine, Hayes, Hinson, Jennings, Koon, Maddox, Martin, W. McLeod, Rice, Riser, Sandifer, Stille, Stuart, Taylor, Wilder and Wilkins Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\bbm\9274std00.doc Companion Bill Number:1164 Residing Body:Senate Current Committee:Education Committee 04 SED Date of Last Amendment:20000503 Subject:Parent Involvement in their Children's Education Act, School districts, term of, attendance, added days; parent-teacher History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 20000509 Introduced, read first time, 04 SED referred to Committee House 20000504 Read third time, sent to Senate House 20000503 Amended, read second time House 20000503 Co-Sponsor removed (Rule 5.2) by Rep. Hamilton House 20000419 Request for debate by Representative Tripp Walker Knotts Hinson Bales Littlejohn Emory Townsend Ott Woodrum Martin Maddox Allen Stille Rodgers Gourdine Clyburn Hosey Hayes J.H. Neal Govan J. Hines House 20000413 Committee report: Favorable with 21 HEPW amendment ------ 20000303 Companion Bill No. 1164 House 20000223 Introduced, read first time, 21 HEPW referred to Committee Versions of This Bill Revised on April 13, 2000 - Word format Revised on May 3, 2000 - Word format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
AMENDED
May 3, 2000
H. 4672
Introduced by Reps. Townsend, Allen, Barrett, Clyburn, Gamble, Gourdine, Hayes, Hinson, Jennings, Koon, Maddox, Martin, W. McLeod, Rice, Riser, Sandifer, Stille, Stuart, Taylor, Wilder and Wilkins
S. Printed 5/3/00--H.
Read the first time February 23, 2000.
EXPLANATION OF IMPACT:
State Department of Education (SDE)
Parent Involvement Staff Position
Section 59-28-150 (2) requires SDE to designate a staff position whose specific role would be to coordinate statewide initiatives to support school and district parent involvement. SDE anticipates the need for one Education Associate at $56,250 (including fringe benefits) as a result of this requirement. Other operating expenses, including travel, associated with this position are estimated at $5,000. One-time office set-up for a computer and furniture is estimated at $3,500.
Parent Involvement Training Development and Delivery
Under Section 59-28-150 (4) SDE would also be required to provide parent involvement and staff development training for district and school liaisons. SDE anticipates providing this training to all school liaisons over the first two years of implementation at an estimated $150,000 each year. Estimated annual cost after the second year based on turnover and new staff is $25,000.
Faculty and staff at each school would be required to receive parent involvement training in accordance with Section 59-28-160(4). SDE anticipates adopting a "train-the-trainer" delivery method to comply with the requirements of this Section and teachers would receive appropriate instruction during one of their in-service training days.
Informational Materials
SDE, in conjunction with the Education Oversight Committee, would be responsible for publishing informational materials for distribution to all parents and teachers. Estimated one-time cost associated with producing materials designed to explain the grade-level academic content standards and advice on how parents can help students achieve these standards is $25,000. Recurring annual costs thereafter for these materials is estimated at $5,000. SDE estimates annual cost associated with other printed materials mandated by Section 59-28-200(2) at $100,000, or about $90 for each of the State's 1,107 public schools.
Evaluation of Parent Involvement Efforts
Section 59-28-150(10) requires SDE to monitor and evaluate programs statewide by designing a system that will determine program effectiveness and identify best practices. Based on other comparable requirements carried out by SDE, the annual cost of this component is estimated at $125,000 which would cover all assessment, evaluation and accountability activities. Evaluations would be conducted every three years.
Education Oversight Committee (EOC)
Public Awareness Campaign
In addition to its current public awareness activities, Section 59-28-190 of the bill would require the EOC to promote the importance of parent involvement in their children's education. The EOC estimates the cost of these additional public awareness activities and its materials dissemination responsibilities under Section 59-28-210, at $50,000 annually. As noted earlier the EOC and SDE would jointly be responsible for publishing informational materials. This cost estimate is reflected above.
Parent Survey
Section 59-28-190 would require the EOC to survey parents to determine if state and local efforts are effective in increasing parent involvement. It is assumed the EOC would conduct a telephone survey annually, which is estimated to cost $35,000 including compilation of the results. The EOC also anticipates establishing an Internet based survey mechanism. One-time cost associated with this initiative is $30,000.
Commission on Higher Education (CHE)
CHE indicates implementation of this bill would have no impact on the agency.
Summary
Since this legislation does not specify a funding source, the impact on the General Fund of the State is at the discretion of the General Assembly. A projected cost of implementation schedule based on the estimates described above is as follows:
Cost Component FY 2000-01 FY 2001-02 FY 2002-03 FY 2003-04
Staff Position - SDE 64,750 61,250 61,250 61,250
Training - Liaisons, etc. 150,000 150,000 25,000 25,000
Informational Materials
- SDE & EOC 125,000 105,000 105,000 105,000
Evaluation - - 125,000 -
Public Awareness
Campaign - EOC 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000
Parent Survey - EOC 65,000 35,000 35,000 35,000
Total Program Cost $454,750 $401,250 $401,250 $276,250
Incremental Cost
Over Previous Year $(53,500) $ - $(125,000)
SPECIAL NOTES:
Local school districts would be required to incorporate proven parent involvement practices into existing policies and efforts; adopt policies that clearly define expectations for parent involvement; and include information about parent involvement in the district's annual report. In addition, Section 59-28-170 (A) (1) states that school districts shall consider several initiatives including designating a staff person to coordinate parent involvement activities. The cost to the local school districts is anticipated to be minimal.
Section 59-28-220 of the bill requires that recommendations be made concerning employer tax credits related to employee release time for parent-teacher conferences and for workplace policies that improve children's academic standing. Any potential reduction in revenue would depend on the type of tax credits actually approved by the General Assembly.
Approved By:
Don Addy
Office of State Budget
TO AMEND TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO EDUCATION, BY ADDING CHAPTER 28 SO AS TO ENACT THE "PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION ACT" INCLUDING PROVISIONS TO ESTABLISH A FRAMEWORK FOR ENCOURAGEMENT OF INCREASED PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN, FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT TRAINING FOR EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL STAFF, FOR PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THEIR CHILD'S ACADEMIC SUCCESS, FOR EFFORTS TO INCREASE PARENT-TEACHER CONTACTS, AND FOR EVALUATION OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT EFFORTS; TO AMEND SECTION 59-1-420, RELATING TO THE LENGTH OF THE SCHOOL TERM, SO AS TO ADD TWO ADDITIONAL SCHOOL DAYS TO BEGIN WITH SCHOOL YEAR 2002-2003 AND TO PROVIDE THAT THESE DAYS MUST BE USED FOR FURTHER PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES; AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL CONSIDER ENACTING EMPLOYER TAX CREDITS TO ENCOURAGE WORKPLACE POLICIES FOR PARENT RELEASE TIME FROM WORK FOR PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES AND PARTICIPATION IN OTHER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
Amend Title To Conform
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 59-28-100. This chapter may be cited as the 'Parental Involvement in their Children's Education Act'.
Section 59-28-110. It is the purpose of the General Assembly in this chapter to:
(1) heighten awareness of the importance of parents' involvement in the education of their children throughout their schooling;
(2) encourage the establishment and maintenance of parent-friendly school settings; and
(3) emphasize that when parents and schools work as partners a child's academic success can best be assured.
Section 59-28-120. The Governor shall require state agencies that serve families and children to collaborate and establish networks with schools to heighten awareness of the importance of parental influence on the academic success of their children and to encourage and assist parents to become more involved in their children's education.
Section 59-28-130. The State Board of Education shall:
(1) require school and district long-range improvement plans required in Section 59-139-10 to include parental involvement goals, objectives, and an evaluation component;
(2) recognize districts and schools where parental involvement significantly increases beyond stated goals and objectives; and
(3) establish criteria for staff training on school initiatives and activities shown by research to increase parental involvement in their children's education.
Section 59-28-140. The State Superintendent of Education shall:
(1) design parental involvement and best practices training programs in conjunction with higher education institutions and the pre-K through grade 12 education community, including parental program coordinators, which shall include:
(a) practices that are responsive to racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity, and are appropriate to various grade-level needs;
(b) establishment and maintenance of parent-friendly school settings;
(c) awareness of community resources that strengthen families and assist students to succeed; and
(d) other topics appropriate for fostering partnerships between parent and teacher;
(2) work collaboratively with the Commission on Higher Education to incorporate parental involvement training into teacher preparation and principal preparation programs consistent with the training provided in subsection (1) of this section.
Section 59-28-150. The State Superintendent of Education shall:
(1) promote parental involvement as a priority for all levels from pre-K through grade 12, with particular emphasis at the middle and high school levels where parental involvement is currently least visible;
(2) designate a Department of Education staff position whose specific role is to coordinate statewide initiatives to support school and district parental involvement;
(3) collect and disseminate to districts and schools practices shown by research to be effective in increasing parental involvement at all grade levels;
(4) provide parental involvement staff development training for district and school liaisons, as needed;
(5) provide technical assistance relating to parental involvement training to districts and schools;
(6) sponsor statewide conferences on best practices;
(7) identify, recommend, and implement ways to integrate programs and funding for maximum benefit to enhance parental involvement;
(8) enroll the Department of Education as a state member of national organizations which promote proven parental involvement frameworks, models, and practices and provide related services to state and local members;
(9) promote and encourage local school districts to join national parental involvement organizations; and
(10) monitor and evaluate parental involvement programs statewide by designing a statewide system which will determine program effectiveness and identify best practices and report evaluation findings and implications to the General Assembly, State Board of Education, and Education Oversight Committee.
Section 59-28-160. Each local school board of trustees shall:
(1) consider joining national organizations which promote and provide technical assistance on various proven parental involvement frameworks and models;
(2) incorporate, where possible, proven parental involvement practices into existing policies and efforts;
(3) adopt policies that emphasize the importance, strive to increase, and clearly defined expectations for effective parental involvement practices in the district schools;
(4) provide for all faculty and staff, no later than the 2002-2003 school year, parental involvement orientation and training through staff development with an emphasis on unique school and district needs and after that, on an ongoing basis as indicated by results of evaluations of district and school parental involvement practices and as required by the State Board of Education;
(5) provide incentives and formal recognition for schools that significantly increase parental involvement as defined by the State Board of Education;
(6) require an annual briefing on district and school parental involvement programs including findings from state and local evaluations on the success of the district and schools' efforts; and
(7) include parental involvement expectations as part of the superintendent's evaluation.
Section 59-28-170. (A) Each school district superintendent shall consider:
(1) designating staff to serve as parent liaison for the district to coordinate parental involvement initiatives and coordinate community and agency collaboration to support parents and families;
(2) requiring each school to designate a faculty contact for parental involvement efforts to work collaboratively with the district coordinator and network with other school faculty contacts;
(3) requiring each school principal to designate space within the school specifically for parents which contains materials and resources on the numerous ways parents and schools can and should partner for a child's academic success; and
(4) encouraging principals to adjust class and school schedules to accommodate parent-teacher conferences at times more convenient to parents and, to the extent possible, accommodate parents in cases where transportation and normal school hours present a hardship.
(B) Each school district superintendent shall:
(1) include parental involvement expectations as part of each principal's evaluation;
(2) include information about parental involvement opportunities and participation in the district's annual report; and
(3) disseminate to all parents of the district the expectations enumerated in Section 59-28-180.
Section 59-28-180. Parent involvement influences student learning and academic performance; therefore, parents are expected to:
(1) uphold high expectations for academic achievement;
(2) expect and communicate expectations for success;
(3) recognize that parental involvement in middle and high school is equally as critical as in elementary school;
(4) ensure attendance and punctuality;
(5) attend parent-teacher conferences;
(6) monitor and check homework;
(7) communicate with the school and teachers;
(8) build partnerships with teachers to promote successful school experiences;
(9) attend, when possible, school events;
(10) model desirable behaviors;
(11) use encouraging words;
(12) stimulate thought and curiosity; and
(13) show support for school expectations and efforts to increase student learning.
Section 59-28-190. The Education Oversight Committee shall survey parents to determine if state and local efforts are effective in increasing parental involvement. This information shall be used in the public awareness campaign required by the Education Accountability Act to promote the importance of parental involvement. The campaign shall include:
(1) advice for parents on how to help their children be successful in school and the importance of nurturing their children's skills and abilities;
(2) requests to employers, state agencies, entities, community groups, nonprofit organizations, and faith communities that work with children and families to distribute and display parent advice and other pertinent parent information;
(3) promotion of the benefits of increased productivity, loyalty, and sense of community which result from parent-friendly workplace policies;
(4) ideas and encouragement to employers to adopt parent-friendly workplace policies and to provide information on the importance of parents to a child's academic success;
(5) recognition of businesses and employers where parent-friendly policies have been adopted; and
(6) recognition of agencies and faith communities that have supported and increased parental involvement.
Section 59-28-200. The Education Oversight Committee and the State Superintendent of Education shall develop and publish jointly informational materials for distribution to all public school parents and to teachers. The informational materials for distribution shall include:
(1) an explanation of the grade-level academic content standards and advice on how parents can help their children achieve the standards, and the relationship of the standards to the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT); and
(2) printed information about the standards and advice relative to parental involvement in their children's education for visible display and use in every public school K-12 classroom.
Section 59-28-210. The Education Oversight Committee shall disseminate the informational materials prepared pursuant to Section 59-28-200 to all districts and schools.
Section 59-28-220. The Education Oversight Committee, in cooperation with representatives of the Department of Commerce, the Department of Revenue, and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, shall develop recommendations for employer tax credits as incentives to:
(1) provide parent-employee release time for parent-teacher conferences or attendance at their children's academic-related events without loss of pay; and
(2) develop workplace policies which enable parents to improve their literacy, assist their children with academics, and become more involved in their child's education as a result of employers working with local school officials.
Recommendations shall be reported to the Senate Finance and Education Committees, House Ways and Means Committee, and the House Education and Public Works Committee no later than January 1, 2001."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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