Proposed Legislative Position Statements
2007-2008

In addition to supporting the National and Maryland PTA positions, PTA Council of Frederick County, Inc. proposes the following positions based upon three general areas of support, (I) Public Education; (II) Family Involvement; and (III) Safe and Nurturing Environment.

I. Support for Public Education
Strengthen public education for our nation's children through advocacy, promotion and engaging community members in support of public education. Therefore, the PTA Council of Frederick County, Inc. supports the following:

A. Adequate Funding: We support full fiscal implementation of the Bridge to Excellence Act and the Public Schools Facilities Act of 2004 as a means to providing adequate funding for both the capital and operating budgets. We support continuing the Bridge to Excellence Act beyond its current sunset date of June 30, 2008.

1. State Funding:
We support a collaborative relationship between our local and state elected officials that ensures an equitable distribution of state public education funding to Frederick County.

2. Local Funding of Operating and Capital Budgets:
a. We support dedicated funding mechanisms that target increased local funding of education for the FCPS operating budget.

b. We support a dedicated source of revenue for the FCPS capital budget for new capacity, renovation/modernization, and systemic maintenance/improvements.

3. BoE Operating Budget Request:
We support the reduction of class size in order to provide each student the opportunity to maximize their learning potential. We support the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers for every classroom.

B. BoE Budget Authority: We believe that the authority to determine the priority of both the operating and capital improvement budgets rests with the Board of Education.

C. Achievement Gap: We support on-going dedicated funding to address disproportionate achievement levels in the educational system.

D. Adequate School Capacity: We define "adequate school capacity" for each school as less than 100% of the state-rated capacity.

1. We support each municipality in Frederick County having an APFO (Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance) with an educational component.

2. The educational component of all APFOs should reflect capacity measurements that include existing and background enrollment numbers, as well as proposed and approved development projections.

3. We support the BoE as the governing body responsible for initiating policies that outline developer requirements to mitigate educational APFO restrictions.

4. We support the BoE policy, Developer-Funded School Construction Priorities, which sets requirements for developers proposing to fund school construction projects.

II. Family Involvement
Studies continue to show that regardless of the economic, ethnic, or cultural background, family involvement in a child's education is a major factor in determining success in school. Therefore, the PTA Council of Frederick County, Inc. supports the following:

A. Family Involvement Policy: We support the BOE policy Family/Community Involvement and support the development of regulations to implement this policy as outlined in the Master Plan and according to the National PTA Six Standards of Parent/Family Involvement.

B. Measurable Standards: We support the establishment of measurable standards for participation of FCPS schools in family involvement initiatives. We support every FCPS family being actively involved with their child's education.

C. Family Involvement Steering Committee: We support the inclusion of a Board of Education member on the Family Involvement Steering Committee. We support the Family Involvement Steering Committee to include key members of the community and community agencies who promote family involvement.

D. Family Involvement Coordinator: We support the inclusion of a full-time FCPS Family Involvement Coordinator.

III. Safe and Nurturing Environment
National PTA, and its member organizations, support initiatives that foster a safe and supportive school climate, including violence prevention measures, delinquency prevention initiatives, class-size reduction efforts, counseling programs, and health and welfare reforms that meet the needs of underserved children and families. Therefore, the PTA Council of Frederick County, Inc. supports the following:

A. Student Transportation to/from School: We support initiatives that foster a safe route to and from school, regardless of the means of transportation.

B. Child Protection: We support appropriate child protection, delinquency prevention initiatives, and gang resistance and prevention education efforts.

C. Disciplinary Accountability: We support strong disciplinary accountability for perpetrators of violent acts and bullying, as well as adequate services to address the needs of all involved students.

D. Health and Nutrition: We support policies that will address the epidemic of obesity and related chronic diseases in children and youth to include healthier food choices and ensure daily physical activity for all children.

E. Environmental Hazards: We support initiatives that strengthen the protection of children and youth on school grounds from environmental hazards in accordance with National PTA and Maryland PTA directives.

F. Emergency Preparedness: We support family involvement in FCPS emergency preparedness plans and notification efforts.