[Ohiogift] OAGC Advocacy Alert

[anngift at aol.com]

Advocacy Update –5.10.13 – Senate Education Finance Subcommittee Heads into Last Week– The Ohio Senate Education Finance Subcommittee continuedhearings on Amended Substitute House Bill 59 over the past week with invitedtestimony.   Next week the committee will have open publictestimony at 10:00 AM on May 14 and 15. A witness slip is available at www.oagc.com/?q=statebudget andall testimony must be emailed 24 hours in advance to Stephen Nielson at snielson at ohiosenate.gov . Thehearing is in the South hearing room of the Ohio Senate building.   The committee needs to hear from parents and educators about what has happened to gifted under the free-for-allgifted funding system we’ve experienced over the past four years.  It is really important for them to know thatthe executive budget solution for gifted students is unacceptable as there isno accountability for the funds at all. If you would like or be willing totestify, please contact me at anngift at aol.com.  


As I have shared, despiteoverwhelming support from the education community for the House educationfunding formula changes, the Ohio Senate may go with the executive budget planrather than the House funding plan. Regardless of the overallfunding formula selected by the Ohio Senate, gifted advocates must convince theSenate to maintain the House changes to the gifted funding and accountabilitycomponent.  Gifted advocates need to continue to contact their ownsenator and the following individuals. The message is simple: 


. Please maintain thechanges to the gifted funding formula included in the House bill including thefunding provided for gifted units at ESCs. These changeswill provide for a stable and predictable method of funding after a period oftremendous instability for gifted funding and gifted services. The executivebudget’s original proposal did not provide for the accountability andtransparency of funding needed for this population. 


. The gifted coststudy included in the amended substitute bill could allow us to better developa funding formula where funds could follow the gifted child.


. Please continue towork to improve the accountability for the gifted subgroup. The amendedsubstitute improves on the accountability measures, but there is more work tobe done to ensure that appropriate accountability measures are in place forthis student population. 
Please add your ownpersonal story about why gifted education is important to you and your family.OAGC’s updated legislative platform is now available at www.oagc.com/?q=statebudget. 


To find your ownsenator, please click the following link and scroll to “Find Your Senator.” http://www.ohiosenate.gov/senate/index
Other Senate ContactsNeeded: 
 
  
  
Senator
  
  
  
Email  Address
  
  
  
Senate  Office Phone Number 
  
 
 
  
  
Scott Oelslager –  Senate Finance Chair
  
  
  
oelslager at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-0626
  
 
 
  
  
Randy Gardner (R) –  Chair, Senate Finance Education Subcommittee
  
  
  
gardner at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-8060
  
 
 
  
  
Peggy Lehner (R) –  Vice Chair 
  
  
  
lehner at ohiosenate.gov   
  
  
  
614-466-4538
  
 
 
  
  
Bill Beagle (R)
  
  
  
beagle at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-6427
  
 
 
  
  
Cliff Hite (R)
  
  
  
hite at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-8150
  
 
 
  
  
Jim Hughes (R)
  
  
  
hughes at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-5981
  
 
 
  
  
Gayle L. Manning  (R) 
  
  
  
manning at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-644-7613
  
 
 
  
  
Joe Uecker (R)
  
  
  
uecker at ohiosenate.gov  
  
  
  
614-466-8082
  
 
 
  
  
Chris Widener (R) 
  
  
  
widener at ohiosenate.gov 
  
  
  
614-466-3780
  
 
 
  


  


  


 
 
  


  


  


 
 
  


  


  


 

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/ohiogift/attachments/20130510/001c3e21/attachment.html>