State CAPE Reports · Currently, membership stands at 10 associations. Compiling a database of schools represented by these associations is still in ... the 2006 legislative year

Council for American Private Education

13017 Wisteria Drive #457Germantown, MD 20874301-916-8460 (tel)301-916-8485 (fax)[email protected]

www.capenet.org

Voice of America’s Private Schools

Private education: Good for Students

Good for Families

Good for America

State CAPE ReportsMarch 2007

Arizona CAPE (AZ CAPE)

Membership

After two years of planning, AZ CAPE began operation in August, 2006 as

an informal organization of private / non-public school associations.

Currently, membership stands at 10 associations. Compiling a database of

schools represented by these associations is still in process. Two additional

associations and several non-affiliated non-public schools indicate they will

join AZ CAPE in fall, 2007.

Mission & Goals

Through its common commitment to quality education, AZ CAPE serves to

unify its member jurisdictions and schools while respecting their diversity.

The association is organized to provide a framework for communication and

cooperation among non-public jurisdictions and schools in the State of

Arizona, preschool through secondary. In addition, AZ CAPE strives to

maintain productive relationships with the Arizona Department of

Education, the state and federal government, and other agencies which

impact quality education.

Current Issues

School choice, marketing and development, and media relationships with

private /non-public schools are issues that AZ CAPE members currently

gather around.

Issues within the State

• Arizona is a strong school-choice state; the 2006 legislative year saw

three new school choice bills pass in the legislature. All of them face

litigation.

• The Governor is a strong proponent for universal preschool and

increased funding to public schools.

• The Legislature is a proponent for school choice efforts that include

private / non-public schools.

California Association of Private School Organizations

2007 State-CAPE Report 1. Membership The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento joined CAPSO in 2006-2007, bringing to twenty the number of current member organizations. 2. Overtime Compensation Exemption Law In August, 2006, AB 2613 was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger. The bill, which was sponsored by CAPSO, clarifies the status of private school teachers with respect to overtime compensation regulations. 3. Private School Enrollment Increases For the first time in four years, total K-12 private school enrollment in California increased, growing to 591,056 to 594,597, an increase of 1%. 4. “Weekly E-Mailer” In August, 2006, CAPSO initiated a weekly e-newsletter titled the “Weekly E-Mailer,” using Constant Contact’s web-based software. The weekly correspondence is sent to member organization contacts, some of whom forward the document to school-site colleagues. 5. Public Policy Committee - CapitolTrack A Public Policy Committee was established and tasked with the charge of developing principles to inform positions on public policy issues, pending legislation and regulatory proceedings, and to recommend action on such matters to the board of directors. CAPSO recently acquired web-based bill tracking software from CapitolTrack to follow pending legislation. 6. Bonds Case In December, oral arguments were heard by the California Supreme Court in the California Statewide Community Development Authority vs. All Persons Interested case. The case involves the (state) constitutionality of “pervasively sectarian” private schools issuing tax-exempt bonds to finance general purpose facilities. A decision may be announced just prior to the CAPE meeting. 7. CAPSO Board Retreat In June, 2006, CAPSO’s board convened a two-day retreat in Santa Barbara for the purpose of conducting organizational stock-taking and strategic planning. The retreat was planned by a sub-committee of the board and was facilitated by Jim McManus, who was subsequently named as the incoming executive director of the California Association of Independent Schools, succeeding longtime CAPSO board member and officer Mimi S. Baer.

CAROLINAS COALITION for PRIVATE EDUCATION (North Carolina & South Carolina)

(CARCOPE)

Annual Report - March 2007

North Carolina Unlike its sister state to the south, the North Carolina private - independent - parochial school world is well represented within North Carolina state government. For more than 30 years, the position of Director, North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education (NCDNPE) has existed separately from the N.C. Department of Education. Originally, this office was directly under the governor, then more recently it resides within the Department of Administration, which is within the governor’s jurisdiction. Therefore the incumbent of this office is a permanent state employee Note that this office also has oversight of North Carolina home schools. There is a terrific web site for this office: ncdnpe.org which provides statistics, current legislative proposals and actions, and other valuable data. Enrollment in North Carolina non-public schools is @92, 860, or 10% of school age children attending some 660 non-public schools. Charter schools in North Carolina currently have a cap of 100 schools. There is a legislative initiative to raise this cap. However, the N.C. legislature, controlled by the Democratic Party, is not favorable to this increase in the cap. Likewise, the legislature does not favor vouchers or tax credits, although this current session will see further proposals in these “hot button” areas. The John Locke Foundation and an offshoot are working to “stir the waters” in favor of parental choice by 2009. The Director of the NCDNPE has heard of CAPE, but really is unfamiliar with the purposes, services, etc. of our organization. I will ensure that his office receives pertinent information on a timely basis. SOUTH CAROLINA Recent statistics indicate that enrollment in South Carolina public schools numbers over 670,000. Additionally there are about 53,000 students enrolled in non-public schools. There are 18 charter schools in the state. Now in his second term as Republican governor, and despite periodic rocky relationships with the Republican General Assembly, Mark Sanford is sticking to his guns on his signature issues of government restructuring and choice for private as well as for charter and public schools. In 2006 the legislature passed two school choice bills: One making it easier to open charter schools (the South Carolina Public Charter

School District) created a statewide charter school system; and the other created vouchers for an early kindergarten pilot program to allow low income parents to send their four year old children to almost any private or public school. (Which leaves parents wondering why the same options don’t exist for primary and secondary schools.) Also, in May 2006, the General Assembly approved a Property Tax Reform Bill which is causing considerable dismay in some quarters but much cheering in others. Essentially the bulk of funding for public education in South Carolina has been shifted from property taxes to increased state sales and use taxes. (While the full ramifications have yet to be felt, clearly the economic gap for South Carolinians will be widened.) The governor’s efforts to restructure state government through increased central- ization of power in the governor’s office, i.e., to change statewide election of nine constitutional officials (such as the State Superintendent of Education) to appointment by the governor has met considerable resistance in the General Assembly. A school choice advocacy group, “South Carolinians for Responsible Govern- ment,” (SCRG) exercises considerable influence in the political debates on choice and has attracted much criticism due to financial support from out of state backers. In the fall 2006 election a Republican pro-choice candidate for State Superintendent of Education was defeated by Democrat Dr. Jim Rex, who supports choice only for public education. The final vote was the closest in South Carolina history -- only 455 votes statewide separated the two candidates! Dr. Rex, a former college president, has relied upon a transition team headed by former U.S. Secretary of Education / former Governor Dick Riley. The team endorsed widespread public school choice between schools within a district and across district lines, to be phased in over a three year period. (Space availability, curriculum variety, and logistics yet to be defined.) Such a choice plan, according to the transition team,would “keep the public’s money in the public sector.” Rex also will create a new “Office of Innovation and School Choice” within the State Department of Education while promoting more charter schools and magnet schools, and establishing virtual learning opportunities. And he will be “accommodating” to home schooling while ensuring standards and criteria are maintained. The day after Dr. Rex announced his comprehensive plans, legislators unveiled their proposal for private school choice (much like choice plans in previous sessions) but including a new initiative to create a rural infrastructure bank to rebuild poor schools. (Recall the “Corridor of Shame” television special two years ago.) Under this year’s choice proposal poor students would receive up to $4,500. in scholarships to attend private schools; more affluent families could receive a $1,000. tax credit; and parents of home schooled children could claim a $500. tax credit. Choice proponents express

some doubts about passage of this bill this session, but believe that with persistence South Carolina families will eventually benefit from such legislation. James K. Rumrill

THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF ACADEMIC NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS (FAANS) 2006-2007

FAANS is comprised of 23 non public school associations of which 13 are approved as accrediting member associations. These associations represent about 300,000 students and 1,000 non public schools. Member organizations aggressively petitioned the Florida Legislature to forestall a proposed rule change by the Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) to deny varsity level athletic eligibility for one year to any high school student transferring schools after grade nine. The student could participate at the junior varsity level. The consensus among FAANS member organizations was that this rule change would negatively impact non public schools by discouraging new registrations at the high school level, would infringe upon faith-based programs in situations where families, due to recent religious decisions and commitments, desired a religious school setting for the high school levels, and, in addition to violating the general consensus of why junior varsity level competition is offered would place older and larger student-athletes in junior varsity competition. The consensus also viewed the change in the transfer rule to be opposed to the prevailing ethos in the Legislature and Governor's Office favoring school choice. State law allows a student to transfer once each year and retain full athletic eligibility if that transfer is enacted prior to the first day of his or her school year. The rationale for the transfer rule was an attempt to deal with reported athletic recruiting by public and non public schools. The Legislature appointed a thirteen-member task force to study the issue. Five non public school persons, all with FAANS affiliation, were appointed to the task force. Four were appointed as opponents of the proposed rule change and one was appointed as a proponent. This issue was one in which FAANS operated, not with a unanimous opinion, but with a consensus. After three months of study the task force recommended to the Legislature that: 1) the FHSAA be instructed to not implement the new transfer rule; 2) that the transfer rule was in violation of existing state statutes; 3) and that several other proposals to more effectively deal with illegal athletic recruiting be implemented by the FHSAA. Included in the latter was the recommendation to redefine what constitutes illegal athletic recruiting so as to avoid First Amendment issues by not identifying parent to parent and student to student conversations about their schools and programs as recruiting, which had been included in the old definition of illegal recruiting. A second issue dealing with high school athletics involves a new rule by the FHSAA requiring member schools to be accredited. Initially as the issue was being formulated, only the regional accrediting association was included in the list of approved accrediting associations. Through dialogue between FAANS officers and the FHSAA Commissioner, the new proposal being considered by the FHSAA annual representative assembly will also include FAANS member accrediting associations. The non public schools of Florida continue to benefit from the ability to participate in the two statewide scholarship programs involving school choice, the McKay Scholarship

Program for children with special learning needs, and the Coporate Tax Scholarship Program enabling children of low income families to attend schools of their choice. By action of the 2005 Legislature FAANS was listed as an approved accrediting agency by which nonpublic school programs could participate in the Voluntary Pre Kindergarten Program without state licensure or compliance with the Gold Seal Program. Each of these programs is a part of the Florida Legislature's support for statewide school choice. In 2006 FAANS implemented a new and improved web site (www.faans.org) resulting in better communication between member organizations, the Legislature, the Florida Department of Education, and better facilitated communication with inquirers seeking information about Florida's large network of non public schools. FAANS continues to have a good working relationship with the Legislature and the Florida Department of Education. It also continues as a member-driven organization without a paid staff in the nation's fourth largest state population, and with member associations in all 67 of the state's counties. Dr. Ken Wackes, President, 2005-2007 FAANS [email protected] 352-601-3880

Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools Last year at our annual meeting, we discussed the needs of the KAIRS Organization. The primary purpose of our organization is to promote and advocate the Independent and Religious schools in our state. KAIRS membership expressed a need to communicate better with the Kansas State Department of Education especially in assisting with quality services for students attending KAIRS schools. Shortly after last year’s annual meeting, the Executive Committee met with Kansas State Department of Education officials to discuss ideas on how to better serve the needs of Kansas students attending private religious schools. This past summer, the Kansas State Department of Education underwent some reorganization and created a Division for School Innovations. Within the department, Staci Warren was assigned as a liaison to private parochial and other non-public schools. This model follows the federal model from the U.S. Department of Education which also is a Division of School Innovations. Our KAIRS organization has been a proponent of creating such a position. We hope that the bridge of communication will remain strong with the Kansas Department of Education. KAIRS sponsored workshops have been focusing on planning and development. We have had two excellent workshops: Public Relations and Estate Planning. In April we will be focusing on Strategic Planning. Future Issues This year we were able to reproduce a broadcast of our quarterly meetings through available technology. KAIRS might consider a network where schools connect through the available technology, sharing resources, professional development, and possible staffing. Public policy will continue to be a main focus. A major goal is school accreditation. Many states across the nation offer alternative accreditation, especially for private schools. Dialogue between KAIRS and the Kansas State Department of Education should continue. Tax incentives and scholarship programs also need to be researched as a possible public policy issue to support parents in supporting their child’s education in the State of Kansas. There are some tax incentives for educational savings accounts that will also help parents attending private schools. We plan to sponsor a workshop in the fall 2007. KAIRS is an organization that has great potential in networking within our State of Kansas. We also need to start networking with other states that have similar organizations like KAIRS. Going beyond our comfort zone may also support our organizational goals.

Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission

Report On State Issues and Highlights

2007 CAPE Report

1. The Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission (KNPSC) has adopted a revised

accreditation process, which features school improvement components and yearly

reviews. The new process was implemented two years ago and is being well

received by the membership. A series of workshops, in advance of schools going

through the process, have been held every year across the state to educate

principals and site visitors about changes and future expectations.

2. Because the KNPSC adopted a new and higher fees structure in 2004, the

commission has been able to hire it’s first Executive Director. Dr. Charles

Wittenberg, an education professor at Spalding University in Louisville, was hired

in July of 2006. The headquarters of the Commission was moved from Covington

to Louisville at that time.

3. In collaboration with the Catholic Conference of Kentucky and the Kentucky

League for Educational Alternatives, the KNPDC is working to have the General

Assembly pass legislation to create a pool of funds from the business community

to be used by both the public and private schools of the state. The Education

Improvement Tax Credit Act would allow up to $50 million dollars to be set aside

for student assistance, technology and other advance education projects.

The funds would be generated by offering a 50% tax credit to Kentucky

corporations and banks on contributions, up to $150,000 for the first year. The

new funds would be split between the public and private schools on a 60/40 basis.

The Kentucky Education Association is expected to mount strong opposition,

even though the legislation would provide millions of new funds to the public

schools. The proposal will be introduced in the General Assembly during the

2008 regular session. This proposal is similar to the law already so successful in

Pennsylvania. Informational breakfast meetings are being held in all part of

Kentucky to educate legislators and business leaders about the benefits of the

proposal.

4. The KHSAA has failed to exclude the private schools from state tournament play,

so now they are attempting to have passed regulations which would greatly

restrict the right of middle school parents to seek the kind of school they want for

the child because if the child is not in a feeder middle school to the local high

school, the student would lose the right to play athletics for two years. This is

being opposed by the CCK and the KNPSC which appeared before the Kentucky

Board of Education to express our opposition and concerns.

State CAPE Report Michigan

Submitted by Glen Walstra MANS Convention - 2006 - Called to Serve We are pleased to report that our 2006 MANS Convention held in Grand Rapids in mid October was our most successful convention yet. Registration numbers exceed 5,300 and we were able to sell 216 Exhibit Booths. Our speakers included two keynoters, six featured speakers and over 140 sectional leaders. I will have a program for all of you when we meet in March. In addition, I will work on a financial report for those of you who continue to have interest in conventions as both a professional development experience and an opportunity to enhance revenue for your organization. Marketing Program After two day training seminars for over 800 school leaders over the past three years, we have nudged the Marketing Committee and our Parent Network Leadership Council into a joint venture to offer marketing seminars to parents. In November of 2006, we held the last refresher seminar for school leaders and in early December of 2006, we offered our first parent seminar. The response was better than anticipated, both in terms of the number of people who participated and their overall enthusiasm. On March 21, we will offer the second of our parent seminars and will continue to make these available in different areas of the state in the coming year. New Executive Director At our March Board Meeting, our Executive/Search Committee plans to formally present their choice for our new Executive Director. Because formal approval has not yet been given by our full Board, I will wait to give you more details when we see each other in Washington D.C. My retirement date remains at August 1 of this year. Accreditation with Distinction As is true with so many good efforts, we need at times to introduce new ways to raise the bar for excellence a bit higher. That has been true of our new Accreditation with Distinction program. Schools were looking for new ways to promote their uniqueness and this was an excellent way for us to help them. MANS Energy Programs Our energy programs continue to enjoy success and help us emphasize another way we can serve our schools in a very practical way. With prices stabilizing a bit, we have

moved back to trying to get schools to conserve their energy usage. Experience has shown us that using innovative technology in lighting, thermostat control, and occupancy switches can produce a consistent three year pay back. We still have trouble getting schools to invest so we are giving thought to providing financial backing to a school which is willing to join us in an Extreme Makeover Project. We could then use this success story to motivate other schools to make the necessary changes to save our natural resources, make good improvements in their physical plants, and save money. Needless to say, this idea may be a little too far "off the wall." We' ll wait and see.

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������� Our mission is to advance independent and private education as an advocate and resource for our students and school communities.

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Seven education organizations have signed on to work collaboratively to represent nonpublic education to policy makers and regulators. The founding organizations are the Association of Christian Schools International, Islamic Schools League, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Minnesota Association of Independent Schools, Minnesota Catholic Conference, Minnesota Independent School Forum and the Minnesota Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Together, these seven associations represent 400 schools or eighty percent of Minnesota’s private schools. MISF manages the day-to-day operations and represents the organization to the national CAPE board. MISF has informally represented Minnesota nationally at CAPE meetings for 10 years. ������� ������ �����

• MISF and Minnesota CAPE have formed a support group to move tax credit legislation. The newly formed “Coalition for Kids” includes school organizations and business support groups such as the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Business Partnership. We have found democratic legislators to author these bills,

which include an increase to the personal (parent) tax credit for education and a corporate tax credit to persons and corporations who donate to a scholarship granting organization (SGO).

• MISF developed an illustrated presentation for the Minnesota public and legislature, drawing focus to the great contributions that Minnesota Private Schools provide to 87,000 students and their families.

• MISF continued work on the issue of special needs students attending Minnesota’s 532 private schools.

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Need-Based Scholarships Every year, MISF raises funds for scholarships to benefit students from low-income families. In 2005–2006, MISF raised $488,000 for these need-based scholarships, further reducing the barriers to a quality education. With this funding, approximately 400 students from low-income families, including nearly 100 students of color, received scholarships.

Math and Science Education Initiative: Grants Help Achieve Successful Results. MISF’s Math and Science Education Initiative received five grants totaling $350,000 to fund math and science programs in MISF schools.

3M Corporation donated two digital projectors for each school and 150 overhead projectors to K-8 schools. For the last two years MISF has distributed over $500,000 to member schools to improve Math & Science Education.

Examples of accomplishments reported by schools included the

use of ripple tanks and wave generators to study the basics of wave energy. This clearly increased comprehension among students. The number of students involved in math increased when technology was integrated in the math curriculum. The use of interactive white boards allowed more students to work through problems in front of their peers, thus bringing more creativity to the classroom. Teachers were able to attend national and Minnesota mathematics conferences and workshops.

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Since MISF began its Multicultural Education program, more schools have a multicultural point-person, and many have elevated the position to diversity dean or vice president responsible for mission. Schools have gone from having culturally isolated events to being strategic about diversity offerings and professional development.

As a result of MISF’s diversity initiative, the student-of-color population for member high schools increased by 30 percent in the last five years. Working collectively, MISF has made a concerted effort to increase this number. It has also helped schools bring curriculum to a point of cultural and gender equity and is making these schools user friendly to all cultures.

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MISF/Minnesota CAPE now shares office suite space with the Minnesota Private College Council. This adds perceived prestige, saves dollars in sharing resources, and offers program coordination such as Math & Science teacher seminars held at Minnesota’s private colleges.

MoCAPE A State Affiliate of the Council for American Private Education

TO: State CAPE Network Members FROM: Ray Wicks RE: State Report - Missouri DATE: March 7, 2007 CERTIFICATION DATA COLLECTION

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE) implemented on-line updating for educator certification, and created a parallel reporting system for private and religious school educators. State officials have been cooperative, although there have been some implementation problems because governance and organizational structures differs from that of public school districts. TITLE I

There has been no further activity regarding districts included in the Title I by-pass. MoDESE officials continue to monitor Title I services in the two districts that were allowed to withdraw from the by-pass. IDEA

MoDESE continues to be cooperative on implementing private school provisions of IDEA 2004. All of the relevant Federal regulations have been included virtually verbatim in the proposed State Plan. The comment period for the State Plan has just concluded and State Board of Education consideration is expected in April. The private and religious school community requested some modifications to the Plan, which would formalize certain timelines and procedures MoDESE voluntarily implemented in July, 2005.. VIRTUAL SCHOOL

The Missouri General Assembly created and funded a Virtual Instruction Program for K-12 students. The legislation specifies that it is open to all public, private, religious, and home school students of the State. There will be a certain number of state-funded "seats" and an unlimited number of tuition-based seats. Selection for the tuition-free state-funded "seats" will not include a preference or proportionality based on the student's present school choice. The Director of the program has been proactive with private and religious school leaders. The application window is in May and the program will begin in August. LEGISLATION

Bills filed in both houses of the General Assembly propose creation of a scholarship tax credit program. Nearly a third of House members on both sides of the aisle co-sponsored one bill, which moved quickly through committee and could be debated this week. Indications are the Governor would sign the bill if passed, although it would likely face a Blaine amendment constitutional challenge in state courts. LITIGATION

Last year, Saint Louis University received approval for limited public funding of a new athletic facility for its midtown campus. A suit has recently been filed that challenges the constitutionality of this funding, citing the Blaine amendment provisions in the state constitution. Should this reach the state Supreme Court, regardless of the outcome, it will likely have implications for K-12 private and religious schools. STATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

This Spring, members of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) will consider a proposal to remove private and religious schools from its organization. A few years ago, MSHSAA implemented a 135% multiplier for these schools, as part of on-going claims by some public schools officials of recruiting and other allegedly unfair practices by some private and religious schools.

465 State Street Albany, New York 12203 518-434-6195

N.Y.S. CN.Y.S. C oalition for oalition for Independent and Religious Independent and Religious SchoolsSchools

AAgudath Israel of America

Association of Christian Schools International

Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York

Lutheran Schools Association

NYS Association of Independent Schools

NYS Catholic Conference

NEW YORK STATE REPORT TO CAPE

FEBRUARY 26, 2007

Budget Overview

Governor Spitzer released his first Executive Budget proposal for the 2007-08 fiscal year – totaling approximately $120 billion. His proposals for public schools include a record increase in state aid, amounting to $1.41 billion. This increase is coupled with several accountability provisions to ensure that the education funds are spent wisely. Tuition Tax Deductions A key component of the Governor's plan also calls a tuition tax deduction of $1,000 per student enrolled in grades k-12 in public, independent or religious schools – worth an estimated $25 million. However, because deductions reduce taxable income, the actual savings for families is substantially less. A $1,000 deduction is equivalent to approximately $60 to $80 per child. Below is an outline of the other appropriations that support independent and religious schools.

- Mandated Services Aid (MSA): is maintained at last year’s level of $87.5 million. However, the State Education Department and the Division of Budget have acknowledged their obligation to reimburse schools for their additional expenses in complying with the Comprehensive Attendance Program (CAP). The level of and process for reimbursing schools for CAP is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.

- Computer Hardware Aid: Governor Spitzer’s 21-day amendments to his budget proposal include students in independent and religious schools within the state’s computer hardware aid program. Unlike aid for textbooks, library materials and computer software which all have "flat" per pupil allocations, aid for computer hardware is based on the wealth of the school districts in which the independent or religious school is located. While the state-wide average is just over $12 per student, students in wealthier districts will generate a bit less and students in poorer districts will generate a bit more.

- Academic Intervention Services (AIS): is continued at last year’s level of $1 million.

- Textbook Aid: in increased by 95 cents per pupil, for a level of support of $58.25 per pupil.

- Software Aid: is maintained at last year's level of $14.98 per pupil.

- Library Materials Aid: is increased by 25 cents, for a level of support of $6.25 per pupil.

- Learning Technology Grants (LTGs): is continued at $3.29 million, which should fund 50 to 60 projects.

- Teacher Centers: are maintained at $37 million.

- Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK): is increased by $99 million, for a total of $395 million. An estimated $8 million has been used for contracted pre-kindergarten services in the state's religious and independent schools.

- School Bus Driver Training: Maintained at $400,000 for driver training coordinated by the School Bus Driver Institute and SED. Representatives from the SBDI indicated willingness to train drivers of buses owned by independent and religious schools in order to help such drivers comply with safety and training requirements.

465 State Street Albany, New York 12203 518-434-6195

- Charter Schools: The Governor proposes raising the cap on Charter schools by 150, bringing the maximum allowable total to 250.

Parental Choice

Empire State Child Credit The new Empire State Child Credit, enacted in 2006, provides New York State taxpayers with a credit equal to 33 percent of the taxpayer’s allowed Federal child tax credit, currently set at $1,000 per school age child (ages 4-16). This amounts to a $330 tax credit for each child of parents who earn up to $110,000 (who file joint tax returns) as well as of single parents earning up to $75,000 (who file separate tax returns). For those earning more than these amounts, the value of the credit is reduced depending on income and the number of school-aged children. For those earning $17,000 and below, they may claim a refundable tax credit of $100 per child. The new credit may be claimed beginning in the 2006 tax year. . This program was adopted as a compromise between those of us seeking education tax credits and the public school teachers’ unions which fiercely opposed education tax credits. The program is worth an estimated $600 million.

Special Education Legislation will be introduced in the 2007 session to implement the reauthorized federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), specifically as it relates to the shifting of responsibility of providing services for children enrolled in independent and religious schools from the school district in which the child resides to the district in which the school he or she attends is located. State legislation enacted in each of the previous two years has postponed the shift of responsibility to the “district of location” will begin in the 2007-08 school year. In addition, this measure will set forth an arrangement of shared fiscal responsibility between the school districts of residence and location.

The Education Alliance for Children in New York State (TEACH NYS)

The Education Alliance for Children in New York State (TEACH NYS) has celebrated its first anniversary. The initiative is designed to support families and the education of all children in New York State and to ensure that the students, teachers and administrators of independent and religious schools have equitable and sufficient educational resources. TEACH NYS continues to raise funds to conduct public information and media campaigns as well as advocacy activities to support these goals. The alliance, which has been formed by a group of leading lay individuals from various faith communities, the business sector and other walks of life, will comprise two separate structures: a 501(c)(3) and a 501(c)(4). A separate Political Action Committee called “Parent and Children Committee” (PACC) was also formed. TEACH NYS has been instrumental in developing broad support for education tax credits. I addition to our customary supporters, those supporting Education Tax Credits now includes:

• Governor Spitzer; • several Democratic county chairman; • six AFL-CIO affiliated unions; • NYS Business Council; • Retail Council of NYS; and • Growing list of Democratic legislators.

2006-7 Oregon Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS) Report This has been a “no problem” year for the Oregon private school community. We continue to use our positive approach and our established communication lines to make friends and prevent problems before they occur. The Governor declared February 1 as Oregon Private Schools Ap-preciation Day, and the Oregon State Board of Education issued a resolution in support of the Governor’s proclamation. We celebrated this at the Capital and at a big legislative dinner. This is a year of major changes at the executive and legislative level. Governor Kulongoski (Dem) was re-elected in the fall, and he recently appointed the past president of the Oregon Edu-cation Association and the Portland Association of Teachers as his senior policy advisor focusing primarily on K-12 education. The Legislature now has a Senate Democratic majority of 18 out of 30 seats, and a House Democratic majority of 31 out of 60. The Oregon Legislature normally convenes every other year, but both houses adopted recommendations that they finish their regu-lar session by June 30, and convene for a short time next year for budget matters. This will be a major change in how the Legislature operates. The Oregon Legislature works on a committee system, and only bills that have been referred back to the floor by a committee with a “do pass” recommendation can be voted upon. No amendments are allowed on the floor. A new change, also recommended by the study, has the Legislature meeting only briefly one or two days a week until committees start referring bills to the houses for a vote. This gives the committees more time to fully consider more bills. As if that weren’t enough, each legislator can trump any committee chair with a request that up to two bills per legislator must have a hearing if a legislator so requests. For the first time, the Oregon Legislature is fully on-line, so all committee hearings can be viewed over the Internet in both real-time and on demand. The last step being worked on is al-lowing long-distance testimony over the Internet, with web-cams, etc. To add to all of that, the House adopted new rules which severely limit gifts, including meals of more than $10, and this made OFIS jump through many hoops until the House Clerk approved our dinner as exempt because the entire House was invited and they all were asked to speak. Legislation under consideration that affects private schools directly is limited to a bill to reim-burse private schools for costs incurred for driver training. Other changes are being proposed to high school graduation requirements for all students. As noted last year, in a major reversal of position, the Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction recently acknowledged that the current major school reform effort that has been in place for the last 17 years isn’t working and needs to be abandoned. Laws to abolish that law are likely to be passed. Educational funding is a huge topic, with huge parent and student protests asking for even more than the Governor requested. Because of problems within the education system and the major funding issues, private schools are not on the Legislature’s radar. There is still plenty to do to maintain Oregon’s current cli-mate that is favorable to private education. Our main goal at this point is to maintain good communication with all state agencies and officials that relate to or work with private schools, teachers and administrators.

Information about OFIS: The Oregon Federation of Independent Schools is the voice of private education in Oregon, rep-resenting private preschool and K-12 schools in Oregon. Governed by a board of directors re-flecting the diversity of Oregon's private schools, OFIS works to ensure that Oregon private schools are able to operate with a minimum of government influence or control so parents can choose from a wide range of educational options for their children. OFIS conducts programs and meetings throughout the year, publishes its Oregon View newsletter and e-mails notices to keep its members informed of developments and news affecting private schools. Subject to under-writer approval, member schools are offered preferred insurance rates based on lower client ac-quisition costs. OFIS members receive a complimentary CAPE Outlook subscription. At OFIS’ request, Oregon Private Schools Appreciation Day has been proclaimed by the Gover-nor every year since 1991, often affirmed by the Board of Education and/or one or both houses of the Oregon Legislature. We look forward to Private Schools Appreciation Day being pro-claimed on the first Thursday in February each year as it was this February 1, 2007. OFIS has received recognitions and commendations for its work from the U.S. Department of Education. Mark Siegel, Executive Director Oregon Federation of Independent Schools

Annual Report from the Rhode Island Council for American Private Education: RICAPE Rhode Island CAPE has been more active than usual this year, as we have teamed up with the Alliance for School Choice and the Rhode Island Scholarship Alliance (RISA) to help promote the new Tax-Credit bill that was passed in Rhode Island this past year. As president of RICAPE, I was invited to serve on the RISA Board, and as the legislation passed less than six months prior to the end of the calendar year, several of the Rhode Island Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGO’s) had not yet received their 501(c)3 tax exempt status. Since RICAPE is a 501(c)3 organization, it is serving as an umbrella SGO and will help distribute thousands of dollars in scholarship to economically needy students attending private schools. As we do each year, RICAPE will be hosting its annual meeting with the Commissioner of Education in Rhode Island, Mr. Peter McWalters, on March 1. All heads of non-public schools in RI have been invited to attend the meeting to assist in the dissemination of information with regard to the requirements for non-public school approval, IDEA regulation updates, our state testing updates, and high school reform measures that have dominated the work of the R.I. Department of Education for a few years. The gathering also provides an opportunity to let independent school heads speak directly to the Commissioner and let him know what is on their minds. The CAPE position statement on independence will also be a discussion launcher, as RI’s department of education continues to impose more and more regulations on the non-publics. Of particular concern this year is the state mandate for length of school year, formerly stated as the “reasonable equivalent of 180 five-hour days,” or 900 instructional hours, and now moving to 990 instructional hours. Significant documentation is required to substantiate instructional time, and some schools are protesting the infringement on their independence. Elsie R. Wright President, RICAPE

1. Membership/Mission: • SDCSA is the umbrella organization for the SD State CAPE. SDCSA

represents five private school organizations (listed in the left column). Several non-affiliated schools are also members of SDCSA.

• The mission of SDCSA is to promote the interests and betterment of non-public schools within the State of South Dakota.

2. Recent Activities: • SD DOE recently underwent changes to the school accreditation process. New

administrative rules were adopted to require more accountability in the accreditation process. With the help of our newly positioned private school liason (title/responsibility given to the Deputy Secretary of Education), SDCSA, and private school representatives, private schools are granted reciprocity between the state plan and ASCI, CSI, NLSA, and WELSSA accrediting plans.

• Legislative Days were held on January 30-31. January 30 was proclaimed Christian Schools Day (many thanks to those who submitted samples to the CAPE website). The SDCSA board hosted an open house for legislators as well as a separate meeting with DOE to discuss legislative issues, accreditation, early childhood initiatives, and private school access to state purchasing contracts.

• Robert Teegarden, Director of State Projects, from the Alliance for School Choice has met with our board twice in the past six months. Robert has been instrumental in our strategic planning as well as a resource for possible legislation.

3. Upcoming Activities

• SDCSA has been promised a “seat at the DOE table” to discuss the Governor’s 2010E Initiative concerning early childhood centers. SDCSA member schools currently operate over 70% of the state’s preschools. The DOE is very receptive to discussing ways to accredit these preschools/teachers and work out partnerships with the LEA’s to provide early childhood education throughout the state.

• Strategic planning for SDCSA is in full swing. We are redefining the organization based on our new vision for equality in education for all students in the state of South Dakota.

President Tim VanSoelen 913 S Kennedy Ave Sioux Falls SD 57103 605-357-8121 605-359-8660 - cell [email protected] President-Elect Dr. Tom Lorang Sioux Falls Catholic School 3100 W 41st St Sioux Falls SD 57105 605-336-6241 [email protected] Secretary Alan Draeger St Martin Lutheran 1200 2nd St Watertown SD 57201 605-886-4976 [email protected] Treasurer Brian Held Mitchell Christian 805 West 18th Ave PO Box 1285 Mitchell SD 57301 605-996-8861 brianheld@mitchell christianschool.com Board Member Rev David Schwan SD District LCMS PO Box 89110 3501 Gateway Blvd Sioux Falls SD 57109 605-361-1514 Board Member Carol Wilant John Paul II Catholic School 1510 W Elm St Mitchell, SD 57301 605-996-2365 [email protected] Board Member Jay Woudstra SF Christian Schools 6120 S. Charger Ave Sioux Falls, SD 57108 605-334-1422 [email protected]

Association of Christian

School International

Catholic Schools of South Dakota

Christian Schools

International

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Schools

Wisconsin Evangelical

Lutheran Synod Schools

South Dakota Christian School Association

Membership

As of January 18, 2007, membership stood at 188 schools and 18 associations. TANS

was organized in 1967 to promote the interest of non-public schools in Texas. It is the

largest and one of the oldest private school organizations in Texas. TANS has become the

go-to-place for information about non-public education in Texas.

Mission and Goals

TANS is now a C6 organization. The organization has become much more proactive,

with a part time person focused entirely on legislative activities in Austin. The TANS

board has made a commitment to transition from a “fire house” organization to a

proactive organization.

Current Issues

Legislation has been introduced to force the state to provide daycare licensing and

oversight for all non-public preschools and all afterschool programs regardless of the

ages served. Currently, private preschools and afterschool programs that are part of an

accredited school do not have to be inspected and licensed by the state.

Issues within the State

o School Choice

o State licensing and inspection for preschools and afterschool programs

o Storage of transcripts and records after a school closes

o Mail-order degree schools

Texas Association of Non-Public Schools State CAPE Report

TANS is an advocate for non-public education in Texas

Virginia State CAPE Report 05-06 Page 1

2007 CAPE Report Virginia Council for Private Education

KEY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES HB 2302: SHARE THE RIDE

HB 2302 introduced by Delegate Mark Cole (R, Fredericksburg) passed the Senate on a very close vote of 20-19. This was by far the most exciting vote of the Session! The Three Key Talking Points on HB 2302 were: 1) • The BILL IS PERMISSIVE ONLY; it merely allows a school division to enter into an

agreement with a private school to share their transportation services. 2) • The BILL WILL PAY FOR ITSELF; private schools would have to pay the school division

for the use of their transportation services. 3) • The BILL IS CONSTITUTIONAL; no reliable source has ruled otherwise.

SALES TAX EXEMPTION BILLS

Several bills were introduced to fine tune the accountability measures for nonprofits. The survivors – Delegate Hogan’s HB 2545, Delegate Scott’s HB 3062, and Senator Cuccinelli’s SB 743 – were merged and at press were all identical. As passed by both the House and Senate, the new language would make changes to the sales and use tax exemption requirements for all nonprofits: 1) Nonprofits with gross annual revenue under $750,000 do not have to provide any financial

information; 2) Nonprofits with gross annual revenue between $750,000 and $1 million must provide a

financial review or audit; 3) Nonprofits with gross annual revenue over $1 million must provide a financial audit.

SCHOOL CHOICE

Delegate Chris Saxman came back with HB 1843, which would have created a tax credit program to provide scholarships to low-income families for educational expenses, including tuition. Unfortunately, the Senate Finance Committee failed to report the legislation. Senator Walter Stosch brought back the Tuition Assistance Grant Program for Students with Disabilities in the form of SB 1419. SB 1419 would establish a tuition assistance grant program for students with disabilities. The original bill would have provided grants of no more than $10,000 a year to a Virginia nonsectarian private school of choice for students with disabilities for whom an individual education plan has been written. The bill required that in order to receive the grant the following conditions had to be satisfied: (i) the student has attended a public school in the Commonwealth and has received special education services for at least one year prior to the receipt of the grant; (ii) the parent has obtained acceptance for admission of the student to an eligible private school; (iii) the parent has requested the grant of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and notified the division superintendent of that request; and (iv) the parent has executed and submitted to the division superintendent a written statement asserting his dissatisfaction with the student's progress and acknowledging that

Virginia State CAPE Report 05-06 Page 2

the public school has offered or implemented an individualized educational program that is reasonably calculated to provide educational benefit. Although Senator Stosch’s bill was amended to cap any grant at only $3,400, the bill failed to report in the House Appropriations Committee.

UNIVERSAL PRESCHOOL INITIATIVE

Governor Kaine campaigned for governor in 2005 on a platform of making pre-kindergarten available to all 4-year-olds. He has not introduced his comprehensive plan for universal preschool, which could cost an estimated $300 million a year, but he hoped to lay the groundwork this year by enrolling 1,250 kids in pilot programs. • Voluntary Pre-K Pilots

The House eliminated funding for Governor Kaine’s Voluntary Preschool Initiative Pilots. The Senate removed some funding and diverted the remaining $3.4 million to expand the Virginia Preschool Initiative, which serves “at-risk” 4 year olds.

• Quality Rating System The House eliminated funding for the implementation of a “quality rating system,” which is a voluntary system to measure and improve the quality of early childhood programs and provide parents with quality related information to help choose a child care program. The Senate eliminated approximately $2 million, leaving $864,570 for a quality rating system.

At press, the legislature is still debating the budget so the fate of these programs is unknown.

OTHER VCPE ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

• Simplified Mission Statement: The mission of the Virginia Council of Private Education is to promote and support private education through accreditation and advocacy.

• VCPE updates and informs the Virginia Board of Education in October each year at the regularly

scheduled VBOE meeting on the activities and mission of our organization.

• Eliminating Annual VCPE Forum in favor of Member Association sponsored workshops covering legislative, accreditation and general information on VCPE. These are still break even events.

• Final vote on a subscriber level of membership due in October.

o Benefits to Subscribers: VA Law Book; List Serve Membership; Access to Member Page; Active in Database for Information Exchange

o Benefits to VCPE: More Comprehensive Private School Statistics; Promote Accreditation and Associations; Broaden Constituency Base; Funding Resource

o Ways to access schools: NCES school list; Opening School Packet requests

2006-2007 Annual Report to CAPE Washington Federation of Independent Schools

March, 2007 “Strengthening education as the advocate and voice of private schools” has proven much more than a written message to our membership this year. With the November elections over, our state elected an even greater Democratic majority in each house of the State Legislature. WFIS has spent much of the year since the 2006 Legislative session, working to partner with stakeholders around the state who have a similar philosophy regarding educational choice. We have also worked closely with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Private School Advisory Committee to OSPI, our constituency leadership groups, our WFIS board and a variety of lobbyists that could present our view and move forward our legislative agenda. In 2005, Governor Gregoire appointed a commission to study Washington’s educational system from birth through college. This commission was called “Washington Learns”. Its initial focus was to evaluate funding for education at all levels and make recommendations on how educational dollars could be better spent. This group, divided into three committees, was to address Early Learning, K-12, and Higher Ed. The Governor also created a new department, co-equal with OSPI, called the Early Learning Department. The results of the sixteen month study were presented in November, 2006, and have been the basis for almost all of the educationally related bills for this legislative session. The initial Omnibus Bill to enact the Commission’s findings has been divided into many smaller pieces. While, the vast majority of K-12 and Higher Ed bills have held little concern for our member schools, the Early Childhood legislation has been of great concern. This is because there is no cohesive statewide group to represent the private early childhood educational providers and these providers comprise the majority of programs in our state. After hearing concerns from our member schools that do have early learning programs, WFIS has been following the proposed legislation and provided testimony on their behalf as bills have been introduced in committee. We are also working with OSPI to schedule a meeting with the new EL Executive Director in order to address our concerns. These concerns are centered around the five initiatives that the state is proposing: establishing an Early Learning Advisory Council (securing WFIS representation), a Five-Star Voluntary Rating System applicable to both child care centers and homes (concern centers around facilities criteria), develop a public-private (money only) partnership, increase the salary scale for those in early learning, and provide professional development and degree criteria for those teaching our youngest children. While these goals are laudable, we believe there may be unintended consequences for our private schools. By the way, the funding issue was not addressed to the legislature’s satisfaction. On other legislative fronts, at this writing, WFIS has been successful in inserting “public” in front of the word schools in both house and senate versions of a sex education bill that disallows abstinence only sex education in favor of curriculum provided by OSPI. Public

schools now must teach from the state “guidelines” or not teach sex education at all. We are also working on an exclusion from an HPV bill that mandates notification at the 6th grade level using state materials. Our goal is to continue to foster educational and curricular autonomy for our schools so they can decide when and what curriculum will be used. The Secretary of State has also proposed a bill that would require all 501(c)(3) organizations to register with the state as charitable organizations if they solicit the public for contributions. This registration is similar to the Form 990 private schools do for the IRS. Exemptions for churches and their auxiliaries (church sponsored schools) and private schools that only solicit from their current parents and alumni are in place. All other private schools would need to register. Although, it would not seem to affect their ability to raise funds as they have in the past. Working with the Washington State Catholic Conference, we have submitted a bill that would allow private schools to voluntarily administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) without the current additional charge that public school students do not pay. The bill has been sponsored by the Chair of the House Education Committee and has had a positive hearing. February 28th is the cutoff for introducing legislation and we will be watching which of the above bills will move on. Other governmental initiatives WFIS has been working on this year include:

• Successfully changing legislation to have the same price for public and private school employee background checks. Until this year, private schools have paid more.

• Developing partnerships to allow K-12 private schools to access the K-20 Network (Washington’s Education Communication System)

• Partnering with OSPI and the PSAC to provide a smooth transition for the new private school person replacing our longtime liaison, Marcia Riggers.

• Working with the Professional Educators Standards Board to assist state certified teachers in private schools to complete professional certification without leaving private education to do so.

• Working to change rules at individual state-sponsored universities so student teachers can do their practicum in private schools.

• Providing information to private schools regarding participation in Federal Title Programs. To date, approximately 50% of private schools participate at some level. This is a dramatic increase over the past five years.

Organizationally, the WFIS Executive Board continues to work on the Strategic Initiatives we developed last year. In an effort to acquire more member schools, a task force was appointed which produced a new membership recruitment and retention plan which was approved at our last meeting. It was decided this year that I would meet with constituency groups around the state instead of holding meetings by area. While we have

been able to articulate WFIS goals to more people, the development of broader relationships outside of the constituencies has not taken place as it has in the past. We have also worked to continue to improve our member school employee benefits packages. To smaller group insurance eligibility, we have added a $10 per employee background check which includes a criminal screen, national sex offender database search, national criminal database sweep, the Washington State Patrol check and a judicial search for misdemeanors as well as convictions. We are in the process of adding a death benefit insurance policy for all member school employees. WFIS hosted our first and most successful Fall Workshops at Spring Valley Montessori School in November. (Click here for more information). We are working with the Law Firm of Ellis, Li and McKinstry in Seattle to put on a private school legal workshop in May. This will cover the spectrum of topics of interest to private school administrators and boards. Once again, our Governor has declared February as Private Schools Month. To celebrate that, we have encouraged our schools to visit the Capitol and meet with their legislators. We have also continued to hold our Annual Winter Dinner at the Museum of Flight in February as part of this celebration. This year, we were honored to have Jack Klenk, Director of ONPE, as our Keynote Speaker, Donna Foxley the Region 10 Representative from the Department of Education as our special guest and Terry Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction as our Governmental Official of the Year. (Click here to see the program and information on other honorees). We continue to work to improve the value of our service to Washington’s private school community in every way possible. Our Executive Board will meet in May to plot our organizational course for 2007-08. Judy Jennings Executive Director

Wisconsin Report to SCN

February 1, 2007

Since March 2006, the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent School

has focused on five major targets:

The Milwaukee Voucher Program

The 2007 WCRIS Leadership Conference for School Administrators

Transportation Statues re: implementation within the R/I school community

UPK

Tuition Tax Credits

The raising of the voucher cap for Milwaukee’s religious and independent

schools was a significant event with national implications. A democratic

governor signed the bill in an election year effectively expanding the nation’s

longest running urban student voucher program. The key agreement for the cap

expansion was school accreditation. Details of the program can be accessed at:

http://www.schoolchoiceinfo.org/news/index.cfm?action=detail&news_id=771

http://www.schoolchoiceinfo.org/news/index.cfm?action=detail&news_id=765

WCRIS organizes a statewide conference for R/I school administrators every

other February. The 2007 theme was LEADSTRONG. Pat Bassett (President,

NAIS) and Libby Burmaster (President, Council of Chief State School Officers)

were the keynote speakers. Over 250 school leaders attended to learn from over

30 speakers.

Each week, another R/I school reports negative news regarding their relationship

with their local public school district regarding student transportation

assistance. The current assistance program has, until now, overlooked an escape

clause – namely, if the assistance becomes an “excessive burden” to the district,

obligations to parents may be met with cash pay-outs. The trend to claim

“excessive burden” bodes ill for our schools, especially our rural schools.

The soup is heating up on universal PK in Wisconsin. Two conflicting views

within public office are of note:

State Superintendent: pilots are working well; send more money.

State Assembly: not enough research on outcomes to warrant program

expansion.

Tuition Tax Credits – the trade winds being unfavorable, we still recognize the

need to pursue tuition tax credits. Our neighbors (e.g. IL, MN, IA) are experiencing

the benefits. We want to join the party. The issue is on our May agenda.

Respectfully submitted,

G. Brett Arnold

Executive Director