HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1166        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 506

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Chris Walsh

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to mandated reports and data submissions required of local school districts.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1166        FILED ON: 1/14/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 506

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to mandated reports and data submissions required of local school districts.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. A special commission is hereby established to investigate and study mandated reports and various data submissions required of local school districts. The investigation and study shall include, but not be limited to, examining the extent to which local school districts are required to prepare and submit reports and data that are mandated by state and federal laws and agency regulations and shall examine their benefits to improving student achievement. The commission shall identify the mandated reports and data which are duplicative or redundant and propose recommendations that may, but are not restricted to, eliminate, modify, or otherwise revise them.

The commission shall consist of 9 members as follows: the house chair of the joint committee on education, or a designee; the senate chair of the joint committee on education, or a designee; the minority leader of the house, or a designee; the minority leader of the senate, or a designee; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be selected from 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, 1 of whom shall be selected from 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, 1 of whom shall be selected from 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives; 1 of whom shall be the Secretary of Education, or his designee, and 1 of whom shall be the State Auditor, or her designee. The commission shall report to the general court the results of its investigation and study and its recommendations, including but not limited to, the requirement that there be a financial and programmatic audit of any proposed regulations or directives of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that shall include a determination of the costs associated with their implementation on an annual basis before such mandates are imposed and provided further, that no regulations, directives, or mandates shall be promulgated, by the Department unless the full costs of compliance are provided to local school districts, charter schools and educational collaboratives, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the Clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate on or before December 31, 2013.