ECS
From the ECS State Policy Database
2003 State Policies / Activities

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3442 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org

The following summary includes policies enacted in 2003. This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. To view the documents, click on the blue triangle next to the topic of interest. To view all, press the button located at the top labeled "Expand All."

Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date].

State Status/Date Level Summary
+ Accountability
+ Accountability--Accreditation
+ Accountability--Measures/Indicators
+ Accountability--Reporting Results
+ Accountability--Rewards
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--No Pass No Drive
+ Accountability--Sanctions/Interventions--Takeovers
+ Accountability--School Improvement
+ Adult Basic Education
+ Assessment
+ Assessment--Accommodations
+ Assessment--End-of-Course
+ Assessment--Formative/Interim
+ Assessment--High Stakes/Competency
+ Assessment--NAEP (NAEP Results and NAEP Organization)
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Alternative Education
+ At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention)--Drugs/Alcohol
+ Attendance
+ Attendance--Compulsory
+ Attendance--Statutory Ages (Upper and Lower)
+ Attendance--Truancy
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+ Career/Technical Education--Career Academies/Apprenticeship
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Closings
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Cyber Charters
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Finance
+ Choice of Schools--Charter Schools--Research
+ Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment
+ Choice of Schools--Magnet or Specialized Schools
+ Choice of Schools--Vouchers
+ Civic Education
+ Civic Education--Character Education
+ Civic Education--Pledge of Allegiance
+ Class Size
+ Curriculum
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+ Curriculum--Arts Education
+ Curriculum--Drivers Education
+ Curriculum--Environmental Education
+ Curriculum--Financial Literacy/Economics Ed.
+ Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language
+ Curriculum--Health/Nutrition Education
+ Curriculum--International Education
+ Curriculum--Language Arts--Writing/Spelling
+ Curriculum--Mathematics
+ Curriculum--Multicultural
+ Curriculum--Physical Education
+ Curriculum--Science
+ Curriculum--Sex Education
+ Curriculum--Social Studies/History
+ Demographics
+ Demographics--Enrollments
+ Desegregation
+ Economic/Workforce Development
+ Equity
+ Federal
- Finance
MISigned into law 12/2003P-12Provides for multisection school aid supplemental appropriations.
Title: S.B. 556
Source: http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=2003-SB-0556

ARRule Adoption 11/2003P-12Establishes rules identifying and governing the Arkansas Fiscal Assessment and Accountability Program. http://arkedu.state.ar.us/pdf/ade%20158%20fiscal%20assessment.pdf
Title: ADE 158
Source: Arkansas State Web site

NYNovember 2003 11/2003P-12Constitution Amendment: Asks voters to eliminate school districts that are coterminous with, or partly within, or wholly within a city having less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants, from the entities subject to a general constitutional debt limitation. http://www.elections.state.ny.us/2003_statewide_ballot_questions.pdf
Title: Constitutional Amendment # 2
Source: New York State Web site

OHDid Not Pass 11/2003Postsec.Constitutional Amendment that authorizes state and local governments to issue bonds and provide other financial assistance to support "science and technology based research and development purposes," including biomedical and other research, new product development and commercialization, capital formation, operating costs, and support for public and private institutions of higher education, research organizations, institutions or facilities, and private sector business and industry, as may be provided for by state or local law, but excluding purposes already provided for in Section 15 of Article VIII of the Ohio Constitution. http://serform.sos.state.oh.us/sos/results/2003/issue/lang.htm and http://election.sos.state.oh.us/Results/CountyBreakdownOracle.aspx
Title: State Issue 1
Source: Ohio State Web site

MISigned into law 10/2003P-12Provides for school districts to be able to submit all reports required by state directly to one state agency; provides that the state budget director shall appoint an advisory committee; relates to the school budget; Makes provisions for circumstances when the applicable intermediate district determines that a specified pupil count submitted using the single record student database cannot be audited by the intermediate district.

http://www.michiganlegislature.org/documents/2003-2004/billenrolled/senate/pdf/2003-SNB-0365.pdf
Title: S.B. 365
Source: www.michiganlegislature.org

NMApproved by voters 09/2003P-12Proposed amendment to the Constitution to provide for a limited additional distribution from the permanent funds to provide more money for the Public Schools to implement and maintain Educational Reforms and for other permanent fund recipients. http://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/SpecSum.pdf and http://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/CA2.pdf
Title: Constitutional Amendment 2 (SJR6-2003)
Source: New Mexico State Web site

CTSigned into law 08/2003P-12Concerns the general budget and revenue implementation; makes provisions regarding funding for children requiring special education; amends provisions regarding re-evaluation or withdrawal of consent in special education cases; makes grants to regional educational service centers. http://www.cga.state.ct.us/2003/act/Pa/2003PA-00006-R00HB-06806SS2-PA.htm
Title: H.B. 6806
Source: Connecticut Legislative Web site

LASigned into law 07/2003P-12
Postsec.
Requires total dollar amount of reductions to appropriations from the Louisiana Education Quality Support Fund resulting from budget adjustments to avoid a deficit to be apportioned equally between the appropriations to the board of regents and the state board of elementary and secondary education. http://www.legis.state.la.us/bills/byinst.asp?sessionid=03RS&billid=HB573&doctype=BT
Title: H.B. 573
Source: www.legis.state.la.us

FLSigned into law 06/2003P-12
Postsec.
Relates to the termination of trust funds; terminates specified trust funds within the Education Department; provides for disposition of balances in and revenues of such trust funds; prescribes procedures for termination of such trust funds; declares findings of Legislature that specified trust funds within the said Department are exempt from termination requirements of certain provision of State Constitution. http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2003/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s0818er.pdf
Title: S.B. 818
Source: StateNet

FLSigned into law 06/2003Postsec.Creates the University Concurrency Trust Fund within the Education Department; provides for sources of funds and purposes; exempts the trust fund from service charges; provides for annual carry forward of funds; provides for future legislative review and termination or re-creation of the trust fund; provides legislative intent regarding identifying the trust fund and its source of revenue; amends 1013.63. http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2003/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s0816er.pdf
Title: S.B. 816
Source: Florida Legislative Web site

LASigned into law 06/2003P-12Repeals provision allowing only one parent-teacher association or booster club for each school. http://www.legis.state.la.us/bills/byinst.asp?sessionid=03RS&billid=HB162&doctype=BT
Title: H.B. 162
Source: www.legis.state.la.us

OHSigned into law 06/2003P-12Funding Formula:

Eliminates the requirement that the General Assembly recalculate the base funding amount every six years.

Eliminates school districts ability to calculate their student enrollment on a three year rolling basis.

Requires the Department to develop a new method for determining school district attendance rates.

Decreases the annual inflation factor in the funding formula from 2.8% to 2.2%.

Vouchers:

Increases the amount of the Pilot Scholarship Program (Cleveland Vouchers) from $2,500 to $3,000.

Allows for 9th and 10th graders to qualify for the Cleveland Vouchers and increases the amount of private tuition that parents can be required to pay in addition to the funds provided by the voucher.

Charters:

Requires the state to pay charter schools, instead of school districts, for each enrolled student. In addition states are to subtract funding for each student who leaves a district school to attend a charter school.
Title: H.B. 95
Source: Digest of Enactments 2003

MDSigned into law 05/2003P-12Establishes in Allegany County a licensing procedure for specified for-profit businesses and qualified organizations to sell paper gaming devices and for persons to sell paper gaming devices to licensees; authorizes the board of county commissioners to impose specified paper gaming taxes on licensees; establishes a special gaming fund, a continuing, nonlapsing fund that may be used only to benefit fire and rescue departments and to pay for specified school costs. http://mlis.state.md.us/2003rs/bills/hb/hb1000t.rtf
Title: H.B. 1000
Source: mlis.state.md.us

NESigned into law 05/2003P-12The Public Elementary and Secondary Student Fee Authorization Act does not limit the ability of a governing body to request
donations of money, materials, equipment, or attire to defray costs if the request is made in such a way that it is clear that the request is not a requirement. The act does not prohibit a governing body from permitting students to supply materials for course projects. A governing body may require students to furnish minor personal or minor consumable items for participation in extracurricular activities. Also, In in regard to extracurricular activities, the option student shall be treated similarly to other students who transfer into the school from another public, private, denominational, or parochial school. http://www.unicam.state.ne.us/Legal/SLIP_LB249.pdf
Title: L.B. 249
Source: http://www.unicam.state.ne.us

IDSigned into law 04/2003P-12Increases the amount of money the Endowment Fund Investment Board shall make available from the Public School Permanent Endowment Fund for purposes of purchasing notes; provides that the amount of debt guaranteed by the credit enhancement program shall not be greater than 3 times the amount made available by the Public School Permanent Endowment Fund. http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/H0322.html#daily
Title: H.B. 322
Source: Idaho Legislative Web site

IDSigned into law 04/2003P-12Amends existing law to authorize the State Board of Education to set up and regulate deferred compensation programs for certain eligible employees; and to provide rulemaking authority. http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/S1084.html#billtext
Title: S.B. 1084
Source: Idaho Legislative Web site

SCSigned into law 04/2003P-12Revises the manner in which matriculation and incidental fees may be charged by school districts including provisions to exempts students eligible for free lunches from these fees. http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess115_2003-2004/prever/3274_20030325.htm
Title: H.B. 3274
Source: http://www.scstatehouse.net

MSSigned into law 03/2003P-12Allows the Mississippi Transportation Commission to enter into an agreement with the state forestry commission for the general supervision and management of timber on selected portions of the rights-of-way of the interstate highway system and those completed segments of four-lane highways in the state.  Seventy-five percent (75%) of any money collected from the sale of timber on rights-of-way, less any expenses associated therewith, must be deposited into the Education Enhancement Fund. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2003/html/SB/2100-2199/SB2102SG.htm
Title: S.B. 2102
Source: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us

WVSigned into law 03/2003P-12Creates exemption for purchases of back-to-school clothing and school supplies by consumers during three-day period in August 2003. http://129.71.164.29/Bill_Text_HTML/2003_SESSIONS/Regular_Session/Senate/S_BILLS/SB100-199/RS_2003_SB100Frm.htm
Title: S.B. 107
Source: West Virginia Legislature

WYSigned into law 02/2003P-12Provides a sales tax exemption for school fundraising activities.
Title: H.B. 161
Source: StateNet

+ Finance--Adequacy/Core Cost
+ Finance--Bonds
+ Finance--District
+ Finance--Equity
+ Finance--Facilities
+ Finance--Federal
+ Finance--Funding Formulas
+ Finance--Litigation
+ Finance--Local Foundations/Funds
+ Finance--Lotteries
+ Finance--Performance Funding
+ Finance--Private Giving
+ Finance--Resource Efficiency
+ Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures
+ Finance--Student Fees
+ Finance--Taxes/Revenues
+ Finance--Taxes/Revenues--Alternative Revenues
+ Governance
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+ Governance--Ethics/Conflict of Interest
+ Governance--School Boards
+ Governance--School Boards--Training
+ Governance--Site-Based Management
+ Governance--State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies
+ Health
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+ Health--School Based Clinics or School Nurses
+ Health--Suicide Prevention
+ Health--Teen Pregnancy
+ High School
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+ High School--Dual/Concurrent Enrollment
+ High School--Exit Exams
+ High School--GED (General Education Development)
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+ Instructional Approaches--Grading Practices
+ Instructional Approaches--Homeschooling
+ Instructional Approaches--Homework/Study Skills
+ Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools
+ Leadership
+ Leadership--District Superintendent
+ Leadership--District Superintendent--Compensation and Diversified Pay
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Certification and Licensure
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Compensation and Diversified Pay
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Evaluation and Effectiveness
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Preparation
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Recruitment and Retention
+ Leadership--Principal/School Leadership--Tenure
+ Minority/Diversity Issues
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+ Minority/Diversity Issues--Hispanic
+ No Child Left Behind
+ No Child Left Behind--Adequate Yearly Progress
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+ Online Learning--Digital/Blended Learning
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+ P-16 or P-20
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