South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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S. 1311

STATUS INFORMATION

Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Senators Leatherman, Anderson, Alexander, Bryant, Campbell, Campsen, Ceips, Cleary, Courson, Cromer, Drummond, Elliott, Fair, Ford, Gregory, Grooms, Hawkins, Hayes, Hutto, Jackson, Knotts, Land, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, Martin, Massey, Matthews, McConnell, McGill, O'Dell, Patterson, Peeler, Pinckney, Rankin, Reese, Ritchie, Ryberg, Scott, Setzler, Sheheen, Short, Thomas, Vaughn, Verdin and Williams
Document Path: l:\s-res\hkl\038eduf.mrh.doc

Introduced in the Senate on April 17, 2008
Introduced in the House on April 29, 2008
Last Amended on April 24, 2008
Currently residing in the House Committee on Education and Public Works

Summary: Public Education Funding Effectiveness and Fairness Panel

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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   4/17/2008  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-4
   4/17/2008  Senate  Referred to Committee on Finance SJ-4
   4/23/2008  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Finance SJ-25
   4/24/2008  Senate  Committee Amendment Amended and Adopted SJ-76
   4/24/2008  Senate  Amended SJ-76
   4/24/2008  Senate  Read second time SJ-76
   4/24/2008  Senate  Unanimous consent for third reading on next legislative 
                        day SJ-76
   4/25/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/25/2008  Senate  Read third time and sent to House SJ-1
   4/29/2008  House   Introduced and read first time HJ-6
   4/29/2008  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works HJ-6

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

4/17/2008
4/23/2008
4/24/2008
4/25/2008

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT AMENDED, ADOPTED AND AMENDED

April 23, 2008

S. 1311

Introduced by Senators Leatherman, Anderson, Alexander, Bryant, Campbell, Campsen, Ceips, Cleary, Courson, Cromer, Drummond, Elliott, Fair, Ford, Gregory, Grooms, Hawkins, Hayes, Hutto, Jackson, Knotts, Land, Leventis, Lourie, Malloy, Martin, Massey, Matthews, McConnell, McGill, O'Dell, Patterson, Peeler, Pinckney, Rankin, Reese, Ritchie, Ryberg, Scott, Setzler, Sheheen, Short, Thomas, Vaughn, Verdin and Williams

S. Printed 4/24/08--S.    [SEC 4/25/08 3:30 PM]

Read the first time April 17, 2008.

            

A JOINT RESOLUTION

TO ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING EFFECTIVENESS AND FAIRNESS PANEL, TO PROVIDE FOR THE PANEL'S MEMBERSHIP, POWERS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES, TO PROVIDE THAT THE PANEL MUST CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE STATE FUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLING AND SUBMIT A REPORT OF ITS RECOMMENDED CHANGES, AND TO PROVIDE FOR PROCEDURES GOVERNING THE CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATION RESULTING FROM THE PANEL'S RECOMMENDATIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    (A)    There is created the Public Education Funding Effectiveness and Fairness Panel to be comprised of thirteen members representing the geographic regions of the State and must be representative of the ethnic, gender, rural, and urban diversity of the State, appointed as follows:

(1)    four members representing the business community. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman, and the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman shall each appoint one member;

(2)    two members that are members of a local school board. The Senate Majority Leader and the House Majority Leader shall each appoint one member;

(3)    two members that are a superintendent of a local school district. The Senate Education Committee Chairman and the House Education and Public Works Committee Chairman shall each appoint one member;

(4)    two members that are a teacher or principal in a local school district. The Senate Minority Leader and the House Minority Leader shall each appoint one member;

(5)    one member that is an elected county official and one member that is an elected municipal official. The Governor shall appoint each member; and

(6)    the State Superintendent of Education, or his designee, to serve ex officio.

Members of the General Assembly, Education Oversight Committee, and the State Board of Education may not be appointed to the commission. Members of the commission must have substantial experience in fiscal management or policy.

(B)(1)    Appointments must be made by July 1, 2008, at which time the State Superintendent of Education or his designee shall call the first meeting. The first meeting must occur on or prior to August 1, 2008. The panel shall organize itself by electing one of its members as chairman and such other officers as the panel may consider necessary. Thereafter, the panel must meet as necessary to fulfill the duties required by this act at the call of the chairman or by a majority of the members. A quorum consists of seven members.

(2)    The panel shall study and propose to the General Assembly changes regarding the distribution of education funds to the public school districts of this State. The panel's study must be a detailed, comprehensive, and careful evaluation of the effectiveness and fairness of public school funding. The panel shall recommend changes to the current funding system to ensure a stable and consistent funding distribution mechanism across the districts of the State that is insulated to the extent possible from the vagaries of population, including the growth or decline of the student population in a school district, property value, the poverty index, and other variables, if necessary, and provide a secure and consistent amount of funds to the district. The panel shall develop criteria for assessing the effectiveness of current funding and report the criteria to the General Assembly within six months of the effective date of this act.

(3)    The panel shall prepare a report of its recommendations, including proposed legislation, and submit the report to the General Assembly by January 1, 2010. Upon submission of the report required by this subsection, the panel shall terminate.

(C)    The panel may:

(1)    hold public hearings and receive testimony from any witness who may assist the panel in the performance of its duties,        (2)    utilize the services of any state agency or political subdivision, and upon request, any state agency or political subdivision shall cooperate fully with the panel and provide the panel with any information the panel deems necessary, and

(3)    adopt rules of procedure the panel considers appropriate.

(D)    The panel may enter into contracts to provide expert analysis and assistance and to conduct any study the panel determines is necessary from funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose.

(E)    A member serves without compensation, but is allowed the usual per diem and mileage as provided by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees while on official business to be paid by the member's appointing entity. The panel may engage or employ staff or consultants as may be necessary and prudent to assist the panel in the performance of its duties and responsibilities. Staffs of the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways & Means Committee, the Education Oversight Committee, and the Department of Education shall be available to assist the panel in its work, as determined by the panel. Any other expenses incurred by the panel shall be paid equally from each respective house's approved account subject to the approval of the respective Operations and Management Committees.

(F)    Any legislation proposed by the panel may be introduced in substantially similar form in either or both houses by one or more of the appointing authorities listed in subsection (A)(1) and (2). An amendment is germane to legislation proposed by the panel only if the amendment seeks to make a technical change necessary to effectuate the purpose of the particular provision to be amended. An amendment that seeks to add, delete, or substantively change the legislation proposed by the panel may only be adopted or concurred in by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in each respective house.

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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