ISINUSULONG ni Senador Joel Villanueva ang isang panukalang batas na naglalayong palawakin at gamitin nang mas epektibo ang Special Education Fund (SEF) upang matulungan ang mga paaralan sa kanilang kinakailangang mga kagamitan at mapabuti ang resulta ng pag-aaral.

Ang Senate Bill No. 2845 ay nagmumungkahi na amyendahan ang Local Government Code upang bigyang kapangyarihan ang mga local school boards na gamitin ang pondo para sa mga makabuluhang inisyatibong pang-edukasyon tulad ng mga training program, pagbabayad ng mga allowance, pagbili ng kagamitan sa paaralan, at iba pa.

“The lack of resources and infrastructure to support the ideal teaching and learning processes remain the most pressing issues hounding our educational system. One of the ways to address this is by increasing education spending to ensure better education outcomes,” sabi ni Villanueva.

“We can never go wrong when investing in education and the future of our learners,” dagdag pa ni Villanueva.

Ang SEF ay itinatag sa pamamagitan ng Republic Act No. 5447 bilang isang paraan para sa mga local government units sa pamamagitan ng mga local school boards “to contribute to the financial support of the goals of education.” Naiiba ito sa taunang budget na inilaan sa Department of Education.

Sa kasalukuyan, sa ilalim ng Local Government Code, ang SEF ay nagmumula sa kita ng isang porsyentong (1%) buwis sa real property, na dapat ilaan para sa “operation and maintenance of public schools, construction, and repair of school buildings, facilities, and equipment, educational research, purchase of books and periodicals, and sports development.”

Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas ni Villanueva, pinalalawak ang paggamit ng SEF upang isama ang mga sumusunod na pinapayagan at pinagtibay ng local school board:

–Operation of public elementary and secondary schools, informal and non-formal education programs, early childhood education, special education, senior high school, open high school programs, Madrasah classes and remedial classes;

–Compensation and authorized allowances, training, benchmarking and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel;

— Acquisition of school sites or lands;

— Construction, repair and maintenance of school buildings and other facilities;

— Purchase and maintenance of school fixtures and equipment, including IT equipment;

— Purchase of learning materials;

— Programs for sports, youth formation and leadership development ”

Inaatasan ng panukalang batas ang mga local school boards na magsumite ng taunang ulat sa koleksyon, alokasyon, at paggamit ng SEF sa DOF, Kongreso, at iba pang kaugnay na mga ahensya.

“It is of utmost importance that continuous innovation and reforms be introduced given the various disruptions that affect learners. The expansion of the use of the SEF will allow the government to invest more in the education of future generations,” ayon kay Villanueva.