HF412

Purpose

To ensure lawmakers gain firsthand classroom experience, the bill would require members who serve on education policy or education finance committees to observe a teacher or school administrator in a K-12 setting and report the details.

Main Provisions

• Applies to members of the legislature on committees with jurisdiction over K-12 education policy or education finance.
• Each such member must spend at least 12 hours over the biennium observing a teacher or administrator in an elementary, middle, or secondary school.
• For each observation, the member must report:
  • date and hours of observation
  • name of each teacher or administrator observed
  • school site observed
  • grade levels observed
• The member must make the report available electronically to the Legislative Reference Library.
• The Legislative Reference Library must publish each member’s report on its website.
• The House of Representatives and the Senate must adopt rules to implement this section.

Significance

• Introduces a formal, hands-on requirement for lawmakers related to K-12 education.
• Creates publicly accessible records of each legislator’s classroom observations, enhancing transparency.
• Encourages policy decisions shaped by direct experience with teachers, administrators, and schools.

Changes to existing law

• Establishes a new duty for legislators (no prior requirement for classroom observations or related reporting).
• Requires official rules to be adopted by both chambers to implement the observation and reporting process.

Implementation notes

• Observations must cover elementary, middle, or secondary school settings, reflecting the full K-12 range.
• Reports are to be transmitted to leaders (Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader) and made publicly available through the Legislative Reference Library’s website.

Potential considerations

• Time and scheduling for the required 12 hours per member.
• Privacy and consent considerations for observed staff.
• Consistency in what counts as an “observation” and how observations are documented.

Relevant Terms K-12 education education policy education finance legislative committees observation teacher administrator school site grade levels biennium Speaker of the House Senate Majority Leader Legislative Reference Library report rules