Your Voice in Carson City - Nevada State Education Association

POWERLINE
Nevada State Education Association
March 27, 2015
Volume 15 Issue 7
Your Voice in Carson City
Senate Bill 226 – Professional Development Bill Heard
(Carson City, NV) - Thursday, March 26, Senate Bill
226 (SB226) was heard in the Senate Committee on
Education. SB 226, the Professional Development (PD)
bill is sponsored by state Senator Patricia Farley (R-Las
Vegas). Clark County Education Association President
Vikki Courtney, 5th Grade Teacher Stephanie Swain, and
CCEA Professional Learning program Director Brenda
Pearson testified in support of the bill and asked the
committee to consider recognizing NSEA and its affiliates
as providers of PD.
CCEA President Courtney (pictured below) described
how their association set a goal to help ensure teachers
receive the highest quality professional development that
supports student learning. Through their research, CCEA
learned the gaps that needed to be filled to invest in and
support educators. Funded by grants, the Professional
Learning Program was developed. “We have provided
professional development to over 2,000 educators in
Clark County,” testified Pres. Courtney. The association
worked with the District to ensure the classes CCEA
provides to educators meets the criteria of the Nevada
Academic Contents Standards as well as the Nevada
Educator Performance Framework.
Public Employees Sound Off on AB182
Wednesday, March 25, the overflow rooms in Carson City
and at the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas had to be
opened for the huge public worker turnout to oppose
Assembly Bill 182 (AB182). AB 182 was described by its
sponsor Assemblyman Randy Kirner as bringing much
needed balance, but in fact nothing could be further from
the truth. This bill is loaded with revisions to collective
bargaining laws put in place long ago to level the playing
field between public workers and local governments.
Without those protections, the relationship between
employee and employer would be anything but balanced.
NSEA President Ruben Murillo, Jr. testified in opposition
to AB 182 and asked for an amendment exempting
educators from the provisions, such as prohibiting payroll
deduction for dues. Pres. Murillo talked about how
eliminating dues deduction would starve the association
and prohibit NSEA and its associations from working
collaboratively with the business community, districts,
and parents.
“A significant portion of our resources, dues are spent in
support of our members in their practice,” said Murillo,
Jr. Pres. Murillo continued his testimony by illustrating
how educators have been working collaboratively to
improve public education through meaningful reforms,
but AB 182 misses the mark by including educators in the
problems it is trying to solve.
We need everyone to continue to speak out and speak
up for legislation. No votes were taken on AB 182 and
SB 226, but we expect a vote in the coming days. Visit
the Legislative Action Center on the NSEA website,
www.nsea-nv.org to learn more. Take action today
and have your voice heard on these bills by visiting
www.NSEAVoice.org. You will be linked directly to the
state legislative website.
NSEA BILL TRACKING FOR THE 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The following is a partial list of bills NSEA is tracking. This complete list is updated weekly and posted to nsea-nv.org in the Legislative
Action Center. NSEA’s position taken on these bills are coded as follow:
ASSEMBLY BILLS
(S) support,
(SC) support in concept,
(O) oppose.
firearms.
AB165 (SC)
AB3 (O)
Establishes the Nevada Educational Choice
2.25.15 Failed to Move out of Committee
Scholarship Program.
Revises provisions governing the Public
AB182 (O)
Employees' Retirement Board.
Revises provisions relating to collective
AB27 (S)
bargaining by local government employers.
Makes various changes regarding the licensure
AB190 (O)
of educational personnel.
Revises provisions governing public
AB30 (SC)
employees’ retirement.
Revises provisions relating to plans to improve
AB216 (SC)
the achievement of pupils enrolled in public
schools in this state.
Revises provisions governing discipline of
pupils and prohibited acts at public schools.
AB54 (O)
AB234 (S)
Revises provisions relating to local
governments existing in a severe financial
Enacts provisions related to multicultural
emergency.
education.
AB55 (SC)
Revises provisions relating to the licensure
Are You Getting Our Texts?
of certain teachers and other educational
personnel.
We have a goal to sign up
3,000 members to the NSEA
AB93 (S)
Text Message Program.
Revises provisions relating to the continuing
education required to renew certain licenses.
Signing up is easy!
AB94 (S)
Grab your cellphone.
Authorizes a registered voter to elect to
Type this message:
receive a sample ballot by electronic mail.
@NVLEG15
AB109 (O)
Send it to this number/recipient:
Requires an employee organization to
prepare an annual report concerning the
23559
dues, expenditures, compensation and other
finances of the employee organization.
You’ll get a text whenever we
need our more than 24,000 NSEA
AB120 (O)
members to take action.
Clarifies rights of public school pupils regarding
That’s all there is to it. Sign up today
the free exercise of religion.
to
get with the program and help make
AB148 (O)
a difference this legislative session.
Revises provisions governing concealed
NSEA BILL TRACKING FOR THE 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The following is a partial list of bills NSEA is tracking. This complete list is updated weekly and posted to nsea-nv.org in the Legislative
Action Center. NSEA’s position taken on these bills are coded as follow:
AB249 (O)
Makes various changes relating to collective
bargaining.
AB280 (O)
Revises provisions relating to relations
between local governments and public
employees.
AB290 (S)
Revises provisions governing certain pupils
who are limited English proficient and provides
funding for programs and services for such
pupils at Zoom and other middle schools and
junior high schools.
AB291 (S)
Makes an appropriation for school districts to
provide early childhood education programs.
AB339 (O)
Revises provisions governing the composition
of the boards of trustees of county school
districts.
AB376 (S)
Revises provisions relating to charter schools.
AB378 (O)
Makes various changes relating to education.
AB394 (O)
Revises provisions relating to education.
AB411 (S)
Provides for funding for repair and
improvement of school facilities.
AB412 (S)
Revises provisions relating to public financial
administration.
AB483 (O)
Makes various changes relating to the
compensation of certain public school
employees.
(S) support,
(SC) support in concept,
(O) oppose.
ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION
AJR5 (O)
Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution
to authorize the governor to reduce or veto
appropriations or authorizations to expend
money.
SENATE BILLS
SB91 (S)
Provides for the donation of unclaimed
property by the owner for educational
purposes.
SB100 (S)
Revises provisions relating to education
provided to children in a hospital or other
licensed facility that provides residential
treatment to children.
SB126 (S)
Revises provisions relating to education.
SB133 (S)
Authorizes the reimbursement of teachers for
certain out-of-pocket expenses.
SB168 (O)
Revises provisions relating to collective
bargaining by local government employers.
SB203 (S)
Revises provisions relating to elections.
SB211 (S)
Revises provisions governing public schools.
SB212 (SC)
Revises provisions governing discipline of
pupils and prohibited acts at public schools.
SB220 (S)
Requires instruction on financial literacy in
public middle schools and junior high schools.
SB226 (S)
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Government Relations Division.
Revises provisions relating to education.
SB236 (S)
Revises provisions relating to Advisory Council
on Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics.
SB237 (S)
Makes certain changes relating to education.
SB252 (S)
Revises provisions governing the state business
license fee.
SB302 (O)
Establishes a program by which a child
enrolled in a licensed private school may
receive a grant of money in an amount equal
to a certain percentage of the per-pupil
amount apportioned to the resident school
district of the child.
SB332 (S)
Makes an appropriation to the Clark County
School District to carry out a program of peer
evaluations of teachers.
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTIONS
SJR7 (S)
Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to
provide certain rights to voters.
SJR9 (S)
Expresses support for continued enforcement
action against voting discrimination.
SJR12 (S)
Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to
limit the total amount of property taxes that
may be levied on real property.
For the latest information on bills currently before the Legislature, visit the
Legislative Action Center on the NSEA website, www.nsea-nv.org or the Nevada
Legislature website, www.leg.state.nv.us.