The Advocacy & Reauthorization Committee met via conference call on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at1:00PM EDT, 12:00PM CDT, 11:00AM MST & PDT, 10:00AM, 9:00AM AKDT.

Those participating on the call were: B.J. Granbery (Co-chair—MT); Mike Radke (Co-chair—MI); Melina Wright (Co-chair—IL); Margaret MacKinnon (AK); Leslie Sharp (CA); Margo DeLaune (GA); Bernell Cook (LA); Jeremy Marks (OH); Gayle Pauley (WA); Julia Martin (Brustein & Manasevit—DC), and Bob Harmon (NASTID CEO—WA).

Topics identified for the call were:

Melina reported on a recent CCSSO-sponsored conference call which featured staff members (two each) from Senator Alexander’s and Senator Murray’s offices. Gayle was also on the call. Melina will share her notes with Committee Co-chairs.

  1. Federal Update—Julia Martin (Brustein & Manasevit)
  1. Congressional updates
  2. ESEA Reauthorization
  3. Alexander/ Murray bill and markup
  4. Bill released on 4/7
  5. Markup began on 4/14
  6. Scheduled for 3 days, unlimited amendments
  7. Expected amendments on:
  8. Title I Portability
  9. 21st Century Community Learning Centers
  10. Early education
  11. Contents of bill:
  12. Largely keeps ESEA structure
  13. More State autonomy to develop/implement standards, accountability systems
  14. Codifies 1% limitation on alternate assessments
  15. Preserves MOE
  16. Changes supplement not supplant to be based on methodology only
  17. Eliminates HQT
  18. Eliminates SES requirement (choice remains, transportation optional)
  19. Maintains current assessment frequency (grades 3-8 and once in high school)
  20. Early education is an allowable use of funds throughout
  21. Replaces current Title II with four funding streams (teacher mentoring, incentive compensation, literacy, and American history/civics)
  22. Keeps current Title III largely intact, but moves accountability provisions to Title I
  23. Eliminates most individual Title IV programs, makes funding flexible
  24. Three new charter school funding streams:
  25. Facilities
  26. National activities
  27. State grants
  28. Increases transferability between titles
  29. Increased State power on waivers
  30. What to look for in debate
  31. Fate of Title I portability?
  32. Could be a poison pill – was part of President’s veto threat of House bill. If included in final Senate version, may have hard time getting floor consideration or may draw veto threat
  33. Where is administration?
  34. Where are far-right Republicans (e.g. Rand Paul, Tim Scott)
  35. If they convince conservative Republicans to abandon bill, will be harder to get enough votes
  36. Watch the clock
  37. The farther into spring/summer the debate goes, the less time for debate. If it stretches into September, reauthorization unlikely
  38. Kline bill and House floor issues
  39. Still has not reappeared on House calendar for April
  40. Likely waiting to see outcome of Senate debate before they start whipping votes again
  41. Budget progress/ sequestration update
  42. House and Senate have passed individual budget legislation
  43. Some movement to come up with one comprehensive budget package, but more likely to work off individual bills
  44. Senate budget:
  45. Mostly preserve sequestration cuts, offset in FY 2015
  46. Minimal cuts: about 1%
  47. New deficit-neutral reserve fund proposed to offset sequestration
  48. Opens door to using budget reconciliation process to repeal health care law
  49. House budget:
  50. Preserve sequestration caps for non-defense, remove for Defense spending
  51. Means reducing non-defense spending by $759 billion over next decade
  52. In short-term: minimal cuts to non-defense spending for FY 2015 (e.g. 1-2%)
  53. Asks each standing Committee to recommend at least $1 billion in additional cuts
  54. Trim spending, eliminate duplicative and “unnecessary” programs
  55. Would open the door to “reconciliation” to allow repeal of health care law
  56. Strong push to eliminate sequestration, but unclear how far that can go in this Congress
  57. Child nutrition
  58. Current law (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act) expires in September of 2015
  59. Lawmakers have begun to introduce legislation which could influence reauthorization
  60. Focus to be on reducing restrictions on meal contents, caloric maximums
  61. First hearing in House Committee on Education and the Workforce on 4/14
  62. Administration Updates
  63. New CEP/Title I guidance
  64. Updates guidance document released in early 2014
  65. Within-district allocations
  66. Instructs districts to find a “common poverty metric” in order to rank its schools and allocate funds
  67. Three suggested methods (adds one to previous guidance)
  68. Districts may conduct their own household income surveys to collect this data
  69. USDA continues to discourage because it runs counter to CEP’s purpose of reducing administrative burden.
  70. Title I funds may be used to conduct such surveys in limited circumstances
  71. Accountability: defining “disadvantaged” students group
  72. Whatever definition a State chooses to use, must use the same definition for all districts with at least one CEP-participating school.
  73. New proposed WIOA regulations (Federal Register Publication 4/16)
  74. WIOA; Joint Rule for Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop System Joint Provisions; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ED and DOL)
  75. WIOA; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (DOL)
  76. Programs and Activities Authorized by the AEFLA (WIOA Title II) (ED)
  77. WIOA, Miscellaneous Program Changes (ED)
  78. State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program; State Supported Employment Services Program; Limitations on Use of Subminimum Wage (ED).
  1. Alexander-Murray Bill - Full bill available here and summary here

(See notes in item 3.)

Brustein & Manasevit Alexander Bill Summary – Alexander - Murray Summary

Julia reported on the proposed Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) of 2015, the bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Alexander (R-TN) and Murray (D-WA) and heard questions from Committee members. Some questions will require follow-up. Julia will email additional information to Bob for distribution. The bill will be beginning to be marked up today and is set to continue through this week. Early childhood, Title I portability, and a restoration for 21st Century Schools are among the 100-plus amendments expected. Julia explained the likely process forward, although next steps are not certain, at this point. Julia will be updating this summary as new information is learned. (NOTE: The summary included in the link above has been updated since the conference call.)

  1. Update on Collaboration with CCSSO

Bob reported that the letter we sent to CCSSO resulted in an email response from Director of Federal Relations Peter Zamora. Subsequently, they have talked on the phone. Peter indicated that CCSSO is very interested in collaborating with NASTID—potentially on the current ESEA Reauthorization effort in Congress, but also on other common issues of practice and implementation (e.g., fiscal grants management, uniform grants guidance (UGG), etc.). Following discussion, the committee was in favor of inviting Peter Zamora to a discussion at the May committee meeting as a way of developing the CCSSO relationship, identifying areas of collaboration on ESEA reauthorization and common issues of practice and implementation. (NOTE: No response yet from the Committee on Education Finance (CEF).

  1. CCSSO ESEA Bill Comparison - Side-by-side comparison of ESEA Reauthorization Bills

(This information is provided to Committee members as a reference and will—with CCSSO permission—be posted to the NASTID website.)

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Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at1:00PM EDT, 12:00PM CDT, 11:00AM MST & PDT, 10:00AM, 9:00AM AKDT.

For the purposes of engaging in a CCSSO – NASTID collaboration discussion, Bob will invite CCSSO Director of Federal Relations Peter Zamora to participate in the May conference call. In the meanwhile, the Committee Co-chairs have asked that members consider areas of potential collaboration (described as “common issues of practice and implementation” in the notes. The NASTID Reauthorization Prioritiesdocument—which was sent to CCSSO—is provided as a reference for you.