Achievement testing

The Senate Education Committee revised the House version as follows:

Removes the provision establishing deadlines for school districts and community schools to submit the elementary achievement tests to the scoring company because a similar provision was enacted in Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly (the main operating budget).

Clarifies that the elementary achievement tests must be submitted to the scoring company after all of the tests have been administered for the designated testing period.

All-day kindergarten tuition and other instructional fees

The Committee added the following provisions to the bill:

Permits school districts that are not eligible for state poverty-based assistance for all-day kindergarten to charge tuition on a sliding scale for all-day kindergarten classes.

Requires the Department of Education to issue an annual report on tuition charged by school districts for all-day kindergarten.

Requires the Department of Education, by April 30, 2008, to issue a one-time report on fees charged by school districts for (1) classes or programs that are offered during the regular school day or after school and for which students earn credit or are assigned grades, (2) instructional materials, and (3) summer school.

Educator misconduct

The Committee added the following provisions to the bill:

Requires school districts, educational service centers (ESCs), community (charter) schools, STEM schools, and chartered nonpublic schools to request criminal records checks for all job applicants and employees, not merely those whose duties entail the care, custody, or control of children as in current law.

Requires private contractors hired by school districts, ESCs, and public and chartered nonpublic schools to request criminal records checks for job applicants and employees who will work in the districts, ESCs, or schools.

Requires subsequent criminal records checks every five years for school employees who are not subject to periodic post-employment records checks under other laws.

Requires that the initial and periodic criminal records checks of school employees and State Board of Education licensees include checks of FBI records as well as state records.

Prohibits hiring or continuing to employ a school employee who has been convicted of or pled guilty to certain crimes (mostly sex offenses, other offenses of violence, and drug offenses), unless the person meets the Department of Education's rehabilitation standards.

Permits the State Board of Education to revoke an expired educator license for misconduct.

Requires the Educator Standards Board to recommend a code of conduct for educators.

Directs the Department of Education, by December 31, 2007, to recommend penalties for failure to report to the Department or the State Board of Education information about educators who have committed an act unbecoming to the teaching profession or that makes them a threat to students' safety.

Other provisions

The Committee added the following provisions to the bill:

Permits the Superintendent of Public Instruction to waive the minimum number of school days in the 2006-2007 school year for a joint vocational school district that experienced delays in a state-assisted construction project.

Extends to July 1, 2008, the deadline for issuance of recommendations by the public-private collaborative commission studying the promotion of student success in conjunction with the Ohio Core curriculum.

Removes the Directors of Natural Resources and Job and Family Services from the Ohio Community Service Council and adds two public members appointed by the Governor.

Declares an emergency.

H0190-127.doc/ss 11/02/07