SB514 - Jobs and Education Reform Act of 2012

• Establishes mandatory school improvement plans for "priority schools" (those with majority of students scoring one or more grade levels below state assessment norms), requiring self-studies, professional intervention teams, and implementation of the Torchbearer Transformation Model for persistently underperforming schools.

• Creates financial oversight mechanisms including appointment of a Chief Education Financial Officer to monitor local educational agency fiscal integrity, with authority for state superintendent to appoint a chief financial officer to manage finances of agencies in unsound fiscal condition.

• Implements school safety and discipline accountability standards requiring local educational agencies to comply with state laws and rules, with state intervention authority after one year of non-compliance.

• Authorizes state superintendent to intervene in schools and school systems showing insufficient improvement after one-year assistance periods, including direct management and day-to-day operational control until improvement occurs.

• Establishes career and technical education reforms including college and career readiness standards, workforce development councils with business and education representation, mandatory career pathway enrollment for all students by 8th grade, and requirement that school counselors dedicate 50 percent of time to college or career counseling.