Eight bills tackle school concerns

Erin Neff

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 | 9:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Assembly Education Committee members got their homework assignments Monday with the introduction of eight bills covering everything from courses to be taught to limits on privatization.

Assembly Bill 506 limits the number of administrators in the Clark County School District to one per 352 pupils. The district currently has one administrator for every 273 pupils. AB506 would set the administrator-pupil ratio at 1 to 311 in Washoe County.

The limit would apply to those listed on the salary schedule as administrators and would include the district and school level, including principals and vice principals.

Assembly Bill 512 deals with privatization agreements between school districts and contractors for certain educational services and appears to be aimed at Edison Schools in Clark County.

It prohibits a school district from entering into contracts for private companies to run schools unless the contractors have performed similar agreements successfully or earned a profit in each of the preceding five fiscal years.

The bill prohibits such a contract if the contractor has a record of unsatisfactory performance in similar contracts or any unsatisfied judgments or claims. It also bans charter schools from hiring such contractors.

A San Francisco-area school board tried to oust Edison Schools from running a school there and the company's performance has been criticized in Philadelphia.

AB512 also establishes criteria by which a school district may enter into such agreements and requires the Legislature or a Legislative Commission subcommittee to approve contracts.

Assembly Bill 510 requires the state Board of Education to prescribe a course to prepare pupils for the high school proficiency exam and college entrance exams.

Assembly Bill 508 calls for the Clark and Washoe school districts to establish a pilot program to provide foreign language instruction in elementary schools.

The program would provide instruction in Spanish and French, as well as cultural studies, to pupils in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Assembly Bill 507 would revise rules on the transfer of some community college credits toward the requirements for four-year degrees by allowing the transfer of all credits earned in a course toward the award of an associate's degree in the person's major or minor.

Three other education bills were introduced Monday.

AB 511 was referred to the Ways and Means Committee, All of the other bills were referred to the Education Committee for study.