PEBC supports SB19-010 Professional Behavioral Health Services For Schools. The bill allows grant money to be used for behavioral health care services at recipient schools and specifies that grants may also fund behavioral health services contracts with community providers. Sen. R. Fields, Rep. B. McLachlan, and Rep. D. Valdez are the prime sponsors of the bill.
PEBC supports SB19-009 Financial Incentives For Rural Educators. Under existing law, the department of higher education (department) annually awards up to 40 stipends of not more than $2,800 to students enrolled in teacher preparation programs who agree to teach in a rural school or rural school district. The bill removes the limit on the number of stipends and increases the amount to $4,000. Sen. N. Todd, Rep. B. McLachlan, and Rep. J. Wilson are the prime sponsors of the bill along with 55 other legislators who have co-sponsored the bill.
PEBC supports HB19-1002 Leadership Professional Development For School Principals. The bill creates the school leadership pilot program (program) to provide professional development for public elementary, middle, and high school principals. Rep. B. McLachlan, Rep. J. Wilson, and Sen. R. Zenzinger are the prime sponsors of the bill.
PEBC supports HB19-1171 Expand Child Nutrition School Lunch Protection Act (voted to support in FY18 session). Current law specifies an annual appropriation for the child nutrition school lunch protection program (program) to provide lunches at no charge to children in state-subsidized early childhood education programs administered by public schools or in kindergarten through fifth grade who would otherwise have to pay for a reduced-price lunch. The bill requires the general assembly to make an appropriation for the program but removes the specified amounts, clarifies that all students in sixth through eighth grade participating in the federal reduced price school lunch program are eligible for the program, and extends the grades of eligibility for the program to students through the twelfth grade. Rep. D. Michaelson Jenet, Sen. R. Fields, and Sen. K. Priola are the prime sponsors of the bill.
PEBC supports HB19-1194 School Discipline For Preschool Through Second Grade (voted to support in FY18 session). The bill allows a state-funded, community-based preschool program, school district, or charter school (enrolling entity) to impose an out-of-school suspension or expel a student enrolled in preschool, kindergarten, or first or second grade only under specified circumstances. Rep. C. Larson, Rep. S. Lontine, Sen. R. Fields, and Sen. K. Priola are the prime sponsors of the bill.
