State of the States State Leaders Institute June

State of the States State Leaders Institute June 2, 2019 K. Ward Cummings Director, Government Relations

Thank Yous • Jennifer Thomsen Director, Policy Education Commission of the States 303. 299. 3633 l jthomsen@ecs. org • Heidi Mac. Donald Policy Researcher Education Commission of the States 303. 299. 3634 l hmacdonald@ecs. org • Sarah Pompelia Policy Researcher Education Commission of the States 303. 299. 3612 l spompelia@ecs. org www. aacte. org

Agenda State of the States • Political Landscape • Policy Trends www. aacte. org

Let Us Never Forget Politics Is at the Root of All Policymaking www. aacte. org

Agenda State of the States • Political Landscape • Policy Trends www. aacte. org

State Legislature Elections www. aacte. org

Gubernatorial Elections www. aacte. org

RESULT: 13 States with Divided Rule Kansas Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana New Hampshire North Carolina Pennsylvania Vermont Virginia Wisconsin www. aacte. org

Key Upcoming Races Louisiana Kentucky Mississippi www. aacte. org

Dem Control www. aacte. org

Dem Policy Trends • The 14 states totally controlled by Democrats are pushing forward an agenda of, among other things, hiking the minimum wage significantly above the federal $7. 25 per hour, banning (for minors) therapy that is designed to “convert” gay and lesbian people from homosexuality and mandating that the Electoral College votes in states go to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. www. aacte. org

GOP Control www. aacte. org

GOP Policy Trends The 22 GOP-totally-controlled states — which are home to about 136 million people — have tried to eliminate restrictions on gun rights, stop cities from becoming “sanctuaries” for undocumented immigrants and weaken the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement that targets the Israeli government for how it treats Palestinians. Republican-controlled states have also been chipping away at abortion access since the 2010 elections, which swept the GOP into power in state legislatures and governors’ mansions across the country. www. aacte. org

Surprising Policies Dems Not Pursuing • Despite national momentum in the Democratic Party for enrolling more people in Medicare-style government-run health insurance plans, only Washington has adopted a so-called public option at the state level. • Even as some of the party’s presidential candidates emphasize hiking rates on the wealthiest Americans, totally controlled Democratic states haven’t been as enthusiastic. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s push for a major tax increase on millionaires, for example, is facing strong resistance from his fellow Democrats in the state legislature. www. aacte. org

Surprising Policies GOP Not Pursuing • National Republicans, particularly the Education Secretary, are strong supporters of charter schools. But of the six states that don’t currently have laws allowing for the creation of charters, four (Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia) are totally controlled by the GOP. www. aacte. org

Top Education Legislative Priorities – Governors 2019 • School finance • Workforce development and career/technical education • Teacher issues – quality, recruiting, retaining, and better compensation for teachers • Early learning (PK-3) • Postsecondary affordability • School safety Resource: http: //www. ecs. org/state-of-the-state-addresses-2019 -currentyear/ www. aacte. org

Some Education Proposals • At least 36 governors spoke about school finance, addressing specific financial needs as well as larger changes to funding schools. • At least 35 governors highlighted accomplishments and plans related to meeting economic needs in their states through workforce development. • Governors dedicated attention to the importance of teaching quality, with at least 26 speaking about issues related to the profession. • Governors in at least 24 states addressed the needs of their youngest students through early learning initiatives. • At least 19 governors proposed postsecondary financial aid policies to address the need for more affordable higher education. www. aacte. org • At least 18 governors highlighted the importance of school safety.

State of the States • 133, 000 bills introduced so far this year. • 20, 000 bills enacted into law. • 196 vetoed. • Teacher Education Legislation – Almost 3000 bills introduced (588 enacted) • • • Financial aid for educators (loan forgiveness, scholarships) Certification standards Licensure standards Educator pipeline Governance reforms Teacher education resolutions *As of May 20, 2019 www. aacte. org

Trends – Enacted State Legislation • 588 Enacted Laws • • • Financial aid for educators – (MS, NM, IA, WA, KY, CO, MT, ND, NH) Certification standards – (WY, MS, CO, HI, MT, TX, KY, FL) Licensure standards – (CO, HI, OK, MS, WA, ND, NM, IN, VA) Educator pipeline – (CO, OK, VA, WV) Governance reforms – (AR, IN, WA) Teacher education resolutions – (PA, CA, OH, HI, TX, KS, NY, …) *As of May 20, 2019 www. aacte. org

Agenda State of the States • Landscape of State Policymakers • Policy Trends www. aacte. org

School Specific Legislative Outcomes • • • School Finance – 11, 000 bills 2, 000 enacted Workforce Development – 3, 000 bills 500 enacted Teaching Quality – 1, 700 bills 441 enacted Early Learning – 1, 500 bills 376 enacted Postsecondary Financial Aid – 638 bills 107 enacted School Safety – 8, 500 bills 1, 300 enacted www. aacte. org

School Finance • Utah: 4% of education funding used for Gang Prevention • Maryland: Primary and Secondary School Opioid Use Prevention Campaigns • Colorado: Expanded the grades eligible for Lunch subsidies • New Mexico: Permits Medical Marijuana in Schools • Maine: Prevention of Food Shaming www. aacte. org

Teacher Quality • Colorado: Non-profit schools permitted to operate induction programs • Montana: Provides a targeted tax break for teachers with student loans • Georgia: Grants provided for computer science teachers for professional development • Maryland: ‘Blueprint for Maryland’s Future’ contained 2. 5 million specifically targeting teacher prep institutions & teacher prep • North Dakota: Individuals without a teaching license may teach non-core subjects. www. aacte. org

Postsecondary Financial Aid • Texas: High school students are informed about college credits awarded for military service as a way to reduce college cost. • Wyoming: Community Colleges may confer Bachelors Degrees for applied science fields. • Nevada: Increasing opportunities for the homeless to attend and graduate from college. www. aacte. org

School Safety • New Mexico: No school security personnel may perform any other school job other than school security while armed. • Arizona: Nunchucks may be carried and used as a weapon on school grounds. • Florida: Permits more teachers to carry a weapon on campus if the local school district approves. www. aacte. org

Other Policy Trends • Dyslexia – 196 bills • Literacy – 1, 300 bills • ed. TPA – 14 bills 40 enacted 250 enacted 1 enacted – Illinois bill encouraged the State Board of Education to stop using ed. TPA as the teacher certification for licensure. The bill, which encompassed many other areas, was modified to weaken this provision. • • • Grow Your Own Teacher– 75 bills 13 enacted Accreditation – 1000 bills 185 enacted Teacher Evaluation – 2, 000 bills 300 enacted Educator Pipeline – 485 bills 83 enacted Alternative Route – 750 bills 128 enacted www. aacte. org

Dyslexia • Arizona: Preparing teachers to develop screening children in kindergarten. • 134 of state bills introduced required teachers be trained on recognizing the various signs of dyslexia. • Mississippi: Each school must have a dyslexia coordinator. www. aacte. org

Politics Is at the Root of All Policymaking www. aacte. org

Questions? K. Ward Cummings wcummings@aacte. org 202 -478 -4504 www. aacte. org