News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (Darrin Strike, Superintendent West Fork C.S.D.) West Fork School Board Sets 2014 Legislative Priorities The West Fork school board set its legislative priorities for the 2014 session of the Iowa Legislature at the July 18, 2013 school board meeting. West Fork school board participated this year in the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) legislative policy process by talking about the impact of state policy on the district and voting on legislative resolutions for the next legislative session. Each school board prioritizes up to five resolutions. The school board determined that the following priorities for 2014 are critical to students and taxpayers in the school district: • Supports the use of physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) funds for the maintenance and repair of transportation equipment that can be purchased or financed with PPEL funds. (Under current code, school transportation can be purchased out of PPEL our Capital Projects funds and the cost of maintenance and fuel are general fund expenses. West Fork CSD encompasses 314 square miles of Northern Iowa geography and could benefit by not relying on our general fund for these expenses.) • Supports reform of Iowa’s K-12 education system that: o Is research- based; o Is focused on student achievement; o Includes comprehensive assessments to measure the full range and rigor of the Iowa Core; o Maintains oversight and control by locally elected boards of directors; o Does not “repurpose” existing education funds; and o Does not impose new mandates unless they are fully funded • Supports continued progress in the development of rigorous content standards and benchmarks consistent with the Iowa Core focused on improving student achievement, including the following state actions: o Provide and fund technical assistance to help school districts fully implement the Iowa Core o Develop or obtain high –quality summative and formative assessments, aligned to the skills students should know and be able to do to succeed globally and locally. o Include and fund all the components of successful standards systems: assessments aligned to high expectations, improved and aligned instruction and quality professional development • Supports returning to three-year school board member terms with less than a majority of the school board elected in any one year. • Supports the repeal of the mandatory school start date, while offering incentives to school districts to provide extended days and / or innovative calendars. School districts receiving these incentives will evaluate and determine the impact on student learning when establishing the start day for school. The grassroots IASB legislative process involves all school board members in Iowa. Together, school leaders make a difference. Resolutions submitted by school districts will be reviewed by the IASB Board of Directors before being debated and adopted by the IASB Delegate Assembly at its annual meeting on Nov. 20 in Des Moines. West Fork will have a school board member representing the district at the meeting.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:26:31 +0000