1. Legislative Update
November 24, 2015

2. Tuition Tax Credit / Voucher
Proviso for private school tuition tax credit for exceptional needs students for school year
Scholarship Funding Organizations established to manage contributions from individuals and businesses
Could be move to codify for school year
SCSBA Belief
SCSBA opposes any state or federally-mandated efforts to directly or indirectly subsidize elementary or secondary private, religious, or home schools with public funds.
SCSBA Rationale
No evidence to confirm increase in student achievement
Vast majority of scholarships awarded to students who are already enrolled in private school
State is not funding public schools at level required by law

3. No Child Left Behind
Congress rewrote 2002 law this summer
Conference committee approved compromise
Full Bill ready for lawmakers to read by November 30th
House could vote as early as December 2nd
Bill Highlights
Continue testing requirement, but states will decide whether or how to use student performance to assess teachers, students, and schools
Encourages caps on total amount of time students spend taking tests
Reduces Federal role in education
Barred from mandating standards
No federal sanctions for underperforming schools

4. Other Issues to Tackle Uniform school board elections and training
Education funding reform
Teacher pay and performance
Transportation

5. Our Aiken County Schools are Succeeding!
Playoffs?... Don’t talk to me about playoffs….
Midland Valley
Silver Bluff
Ridge Spring-Monetta
Good Luck!!!!
Our Aiken County Schools are Succeeding!