HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3676        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2875

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Alice Hanlon Peisch

_________________

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 establishing an educational mandate task force.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

1/20/2017

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

 

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

 

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

 

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

 

Michael S. Day

31st Middlesex

 

Paul Brodeur

32nd Middlesex

 

RoseLee Vincent

16th Suffolk

 

James M. Murphy

4th Norfolk

 

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

 

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

 

Kathleen O'Connor Ives

First Essex

 

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3676        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2875

By Ms. Peisch of Wellesley, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2875) of Alice Hanlon Peisch and others for legislation to establish a task force (including members of the General Court) to identify and review state laws, regulations and administrative directives that prescribe requirements for school districts.  Education.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 456 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act establishing an educational mandate task force.

 

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.  There shall be an educational mandate task force to review existing state mandates placed on public schools and districts in the Commonwealth. The task force shall consist of 11 members: the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, or their designees, who shall serve as the co-chairs of the task force; a member of the general court appointed by the senate minority leader; a member of the general court appointed by the house minority leader; the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, or a designee; and 6 persons to be appointed by the secretary of education, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association, 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Elementary School Principals’ Association, and 1 of whom shall be selected from a list of 3 persons nominated by the Massachusetts Administrators of Special Education.

The task force shall: (i) identify and review the state laws, regulations, and administrative directives that prescribe requirements for school districts, including those that require school districts to prepare and submit reports and data to the department of elementary and secondary education; (ii) identify the state laws that require the department of elementary and secondary education to submit reports to the legislature based on information it must obtain from school districts; and (iii) develop recommendations to streamline, consolidate, or eliminate such mandates or reporting requirements that are outdated, or duplicative of or inconsistent with current laws, regulations or practices. In developing its recommendations, the task force shall consider the feasibility of creating a single master reporting form to prevent duplicate information from being reported by school districts more than once yearly. Such recommendations shall also include a process for ensuring that new state laws or regulations do not duplicate existing reporting requirements.

The first meeting of the task force shall take place within 60 days of the effective date of this act. The task force shall file a report containing its findings and recommendations, including legislative recommendations, if any, with the clerks of the house and senate not later than12 months following the first meeting of the task force. Prior to issuing its recommendations, the task force shall conduct at least one public hearing to receive testimony from members of the public.