11 Arizona education bills to watch

Measures cover recess, college entrance exams

Every year, Arizona legislators introduce more than 100 bills aimed at changing education in Arizona.

Most of them never make it to the governor’s desk.

But a cluster of education bills this year still have a fighting chance to become law.

They include requiring high school juniors to take the SATs or ACTs at no cost to them, creating “report cards” for the state’s public schools and create a voluntary program for high school students to learn about personal finances.

Here’s a look at 11 bills that will impact Arizona students and teachers.

These bills have been approved by a House or Senate committee — a hurdle not cleared by the majority of bills introduced.

Requiring college entrance exams

Instead of taking the state’s AzMERIT standardized test, high-school juniors would be required to take the SAT or ACT college entrance exams at no cost, regardless of whether they plan to go to college, if House Bill 2037 is signed into law.

Supporters say the bill would help students who plan to attain a postsecondary education and addresses the lack of incentive juniors have in taking the AzMERIT exam. High schools have struggled since AzMERIT’s 2015 debut to get their oldest students to take the

exam seriously, mainly because the test has no academic consequence for them.

Sponsor: Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek. Status: Passed House Education Committee.

‘Report cards’ for Arizona schools

Senate Bill 1411 would expand the state’s school letter-grade accountability system to include a “dashboard” of performance indicators that would each be graded on an A-F scale.

The current grading system, which debuted last year, is mostly based on AzMERIT test scores. School officials and advocates have supported a “report card” system that would give parents and teachers more valuable indicators of school performance beyond test scores.

The state has explored a dashboard system in the past, but encountered roadblocks because the state does not reliably collect from schools many of the data points that could be used for such a system.

Sponsor: Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake. Status: Passed Senate Education Committee.

Teaching students about personal finance

SB 1442 would establish the State Seal of Personal Finance Proficiency Program, a voluntary program for schools and students aimed at teaching practical personal finance literacy to Arizona students.

The State Board of Education would create the requirements and new personal finance courses for the program. Students who complete the program would have it recognized on their high-school diploma. Sponsor: Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix. Status: Passed Senate Education Committee.

Classroom supplies for teachers

HB 2373 would appropriate $8.7 million to the Arizona Department of Education to distribute to public district and charter schools for a new “classroom teacher supply assistance” account. Schools would then evenly distribute that money to their classroom teachers to cover the cost of buying classroom supplies and materials.

The legislation aims to lift some of the financial burden for teachers, many of whom say they spend hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars a year for essential classroom supplies for their students. The amount of money appropriated to the Department of Education for classroom supply assistance would increase to $14.5 million in 2021.

Sponsor: Rep. Kirsten Engel, D-Tucson. Status: Passed House Education Committee.

Mandating school recess

SB 1083 would require Arizona schools provide at least two recess periods per day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Many parents have long lobbied the state Legislature to mandate recess time because schools for the most part have cut back on play time in favor of more classroom instruction minutes. Parents say more recess time promotes students’ well-being and would lead to better student achievement.

Some school officials argue more time in the classroom is necessary given the high-stakes testing required by the state.

Sponsor: Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake. Status: Passed Arizona Senate.

Protecting student athletes

HB 2088would require schools notify a student’s parent or guardian if officials suspect the student sustained a concussion during a practice or game.

Currently, schools have to immediately remove students who may have suffered a concussion from any athletic activity, and parents and guardians have to sign forms acknowledging the risks of concussions.

Some schools may already have such a policy, but explicit notification to parents is currently not required by law. Sponsor: Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek. Status: Passed Arizona House.

Extending $643 million education tax

HB 2158 would continue the education sales tax that brings in about $643 million a year to Arizona schools for another eight years.

The tax, which voters passed in 2000 as Proposition 301, is set to expire in mid-2021. Business leaders and education advocates have warned inaction would send schools off a “fiscal cliff.”

State leaders, including Gov. Doug Ducey, have been silent on the current effort to extend the 0.6 cent-perdollar education-funding sales tax. But the legislation appears to have the bipartisan support necessary for advancing the legislation.

A mirror bill in the Senate has been endorsed by 57 state lawmakers.

Sponsor: Rep. Doug Coleman, R-Apache Junction. Status: Passed House Education Committee.

Reining in school tuition tax credits?

SB 1467 would significantly reduce the growth of the state’s costly private-school tax credits for low-income students while expanding the pool of eligible students. The response to the bill has been divisive so far. Supporters say it would rein in the cost of the state’s ballooning tax-credit program, which cost $140 million in 2015. Opponents have expressed skepticism over provisions that would expand aspects of a program they say already siphons too much state money away from Arizona’s public schools.

Sponsor: Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler. Status: Passed Senate Finance Committee.

Teaching about marijuana, alcohol

HB 2398 would require schools annually provide at least two hours of health education to students in grades 5-12 about the “negative health effects” of using or abusing tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, opioids and prescription drugs.

Under the legislation, the Department of Education would be responsible for developing the curriculum for the required health education.

Sponsor: Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff. Status: Passed House Health Committee.

Making child abuse resources visible in schools

HB 2343 would require all district and charter schools to post “in a clearly visible location in a public area” a sign that contains the telephone number hotline for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. The sign would also be required to include instructions to call 911 for emergencies and information on the state’s Department of Child Services.

Under Arizona law, educators are required to report any instances of suspected child abuse and neglect. Sponsor: Rep. Drew John, R-Safford.

Status: Passed Arizona House.

Teaching English language learners

HB 2435 would overhaul how Arizona schools are required to teach English language learners, including removing the much-debated stipulation that ELL students be taught a minimum of four hours of English language development per day.

The legislation has been championed by various education advocacy groups, which have long said the state’s framework for teaching ELL students has proven ineffective. Arizona has one of the nation’s lowest graduation rates for students who are English language learners.

Sponsor: Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix. Status: Passed House Education Committee.