Resolutions and Votes Taken at the Delegate Assembly

PROPOSED RESOLUTION 1: Submitted by the Everett School Committee

RELATED TO SHARING OF INFORMATION ON STUDENTS ATTENDING CHARTER SCHOOLS WITH THE SENDING SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Therefore, be it resolved….
That the Department of Education and / or the charter school will provide the names, addresses and dates of birth of all pre-enrolled and actual charter school students to the sending district on October 1st, March 1st and the last day of school in addition to all required enrollment reports.

APPROVED AS PRESENTED BY VOICE VOTE


RESOLUTION 2: SPONSORED BY THE HUDSON SCHOOL COMMITTEE - REGARDING THE INCLUSION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TRANSPORTATION COSTS IN THE CIRCUIT BREAKER

Thereby, be it resolved:

that the calculation of circuit breaker aid should include the cost of transportation for both in-district and out-of-district students and that the circuit breaker funding be increased to ensure that districts receive 75% of their expenditures above four times the foundation budget for those students who qualify under the circuit breaker.

APPROVED AS PRESENTED BY VOICE VOTE

RESOLUTION 3: REGARDING MASC’S PUBLIC POLICY AGENDA ON SEVERAL ITEMS
THESE RESOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF MASC

BE IT RESOLVED:

the Massachusetts Association of School Committees affirms its advocacy positions on the following matters of public policy, calling upon the legislature to:

1. Provide adequate state funding for publicly governed schools, a state tax rate that sustains adequate funding, and sufficient fiscal authority for local school committees.

2. Reorganize the State Board of Education, and remove the prohibitions against sitting school committee members and practicing public school educators from serving on the board.

3. Direct 100% of state Medicaid reimbursements to school districts that are providing the services to be retained by those districts.

4. Enact a moratorium on new charter schools and charter school expansion until issues of funding and governance are resolved, and establish a rigorous accountability program for charter schools that provide an accurate, comparable measure of student achievement with non-charter schools.

5. Restore to School Committees the right which they enjoyed until April of 2004 to approve School Improvement Plans.

6. Develop a variety of assessment instruments so that no single test determines the fate of a student; evaluate the impact of the MCAS on teaching and learning; and assess the impact of MCAS, including the effect on school drop out rates, on certain vulnerable categories of students, including, but not limited to vocational students, disabled students, and English Language Learners.
7. Restore to school districts greater flexibility in serving English Language Learners.

SEVERAL AMENDMENTS TO THE RESOLUTION WERE PROPOSED. THE AMENDMENTS WERE DEFEATED. RESOLUTION THREE WAS PASSED AS ORIGINALLY PRESENTED.


RESOLUTION 4: regarding the foundation budget

BE IT RESOLVED:

the Massachusetts Association of School Committees calls upon the legislature to:

· Urge the legislature to convene an “adequacy study group” for the expressed purpose of determining an accurate level of the Foundation Budget that will reflect the true cost of educating a child in Massachusetts.

· Revise the Chapter 70 formula with the appropriate changes in order that the Foundation Budget will reflect the actual cost of educating a child in each Massachusetts city, town, and regional school district.

The resolution was approved after reversing the order of the paragraphs without objection. they now appear in the final approved order.