Although the

Georgia General Assembly won't meet again until next year, the Georgia

School Board Association is getting ready for the session.

The association,

including the Fulton County Board of Eductaion, has developed an ambitious

agenda for the next term that will be presented to legislators next week.

Some of the

items the association is backing include:

Supporting

legislation to require the revenue commissioner to disapprove county digests

calculated at a ratio of less than 40 percent of fair market values.

Asking for

additional funding for elementary and middle school counselors. Funding

should be at a ratio of 1/400 for all grade levels, board officials say.

Wanting an

amendment to the Georgia Constitution to authorize the General Assembly

to enact legislation which would allow local school systems to receive

revenues from tax sources other than local property taxes.

Extending

the state remedial education funding to middle schools under the provisions

of the Quality Basic Education program, and include evaluation of program

effectiveness.

Urging the

General Assembly to fund at-risk and remedial summer school programs commensurate

with the number of students scoring below grade level as defined by the

Office of Education Accountability and those not passing the high school

graduation test.

Providing

a measure that the tax commissioner or tax collector shall be entitled

to a commission for collecting school taxes equal to the percentage that

local school taxes collected represent of the total county taxes collected

multiplied times the budget of the tax commissioner's office for collecting

county taxes only.

The association

said in many counties, growth in the school digest has provided a commission

for school tax collection in excess of the total cost for operating the

tax commissioner's office.

The amount

in excess of the portion necessary to pay for school tax collection has

been used to offset county government responsibility for its operation.

This is a use of school tax revenue for which the statute was not intended.

Asking for

funding of monitors on school buses. The local school board should be

authorized to determine the number of monitors needed and on which buses

the monitors will be used, school officials say.

The association

claims incidents of student disciplinary behavior, especially at the middle

school level, are increasing and divert the bus drivers' attention from

the road and pose safety problems. An additional adult on the bus to monitor

student behavior may prevent accidents, altercations on the bus and improve

student readiness for the school day, the group argues.

Urging the

General Assembly to fund an instructional lead teacher program.

The association

said it has been shown that teachers who are mentored by peers throughout

the school year can improve instructional skills. With appropriate funding,

lead instructional teachers can dedicate a portion of their time to this

activity to help improve instruction and student achievement.

The association

will deliver its recommendations June 22.

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