May State Board News
New License Fee Approved
Beginning July 1, 2005, all licenses issued by the Kansas State
Board of Education will cost $36.00. This change resulted from passage
of SB 42, which removed the cap on fees that the State Board could
charge. That cap was reached in 1986, when the State Board established
$24 as the cost of a license. Previously, state law established
the fee at no less than $18 and no more than $24.
"License fees should support the work involved in establishing
and maintaining a quality system of educator preparation and licensure
in Kansas," said Christy Levings, KNEA President. "The
previous fee was not sufficient to meet the needs of a new licensing
system, including the cost of scoring the Kansas Performance Assessment."
The Professional Standards Board supported the increase in fees,
as did KNEA.
Dale Dennis, deputy commissioner of education, told the State Board
that he expects this amount to be sufficient to support the work
of the Teacher Education and Licensure division for at least 3 if
not 4 years.
To put the new fee in perspective, the national average fee is
$58. Connecticut charges the most for a license, $300 for a 5-year
license. Fees for surrounding states are: Colorado, $44; Iowa, $50;
Missouri, financed by the state legislature; Nebraska, $45; and
Oklahoma, $30.
KSBE regulations allow licenses to be renewed up to 6 months before
they expire.
Teachers Recognized
Cindy Angle and Kimberly Thomas, both members of United Teachers
of Wichita, were recognized by the State Board as the 2004 Kansas
finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics
and Science Teaching.
Angle, who teaches science at Wilbur Middle School, and Thomas,
who teaches at McLean Science and Technology Magnet, attended national
recognition ceremonies in Washington, DC in April.
In their comments to the State Board, both Angle and Thomas emphasized
the importance of standards-based, project based instruction and
the need to engage students in learning. They both also expressed
frustration at a state assessment system that compares one year's
class to the previous year's class, instead of looking at student
growth.
New QPA Manual Available
Just in time for July 1, 2005 implementation, the State Board received
the most recent draft of the manual designed to help school districts
understand and comply with new QPA regulations. Those regulations
accredit schools based on a combination of quality and performance
criteria.
Pilot schools have been using the new regulations and earlier versions
of this manual for the last 2 years.
The current draft of the manual is available on the KSDE website at http://www.ksde.org/outcomes/qpadraft.pdf
Reappointments to PSB, PPC, LRC
The State Board approved the reappointments of all eligible members
serving on 3 different advisory boards. They are:
Professional Standards Board: Cindy Garwick, NEA Manhattan/Ogden,
Terry Boyd, KNEA Turner, Peggy Davis, Shawnee Mission, and Rick
Henry, Kingman
Professional Practices Commission: Eileen Rust Hackley, Junction
City EA
Licensure Review Committee: John Hope, Derby NEA
In other action the State Board
- Approved a transfer of territory from USD 101 to USD 505
- Approved recommendations from the Licensure Review Committee
o Approve 9 requests
o Deny 3 requests
- Attended the school finance arguments at the Supreme Court on May 11, 2005
- Authorized an RFP for up to 3 Kansas high schools to submit planning grants,
up to $10,000 each, to pilot academic/vocational integration
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