Omnibus Education Reform - SB 451

The Legisature attempted to pass a single piece of legislation providing for sweeping changes to the education syatem.  The bill was amended and changed frequently.  Various iterations of this bill included the following:  Creating Education Savings Accounts (ESA’s), creating charter schools, setting a minimum for school funding, expanding access to transferring schools, allowing private- and home-schooled students to participate in public school athletics, providing a bonus for teacher attendance, providing additional funding for math teachers, expanding mental health, placing police in every school, removing teacher seniority, paycheck protection, and pay raises for teachers and school service personnel.  ESA's and charter schools are problematic because they take money away from an already-underfunded public education system, can be used to fund parochial educaiton and schools that do not comply with all federal and state protections for students.  Law enforcement in schools is dangerous because it perpetuates the school-to-prison pipeline by treating behavior that can and should be handled in the school as criminal conduct.