Legislature 'Turning Back Clock' on Education Reform

“In three days, the Legislature has taken us back ten years on efforts to improve standards and accountability in education,” WEAC President Terry Craney said after the first full week of legislative sessions. “The Legislature appears to be on a direct course of dumbing down education.

“At a time when we’re calling for higher standards for children, the Joint Finance Committee allowed local school boards to opt out of state exams tied to statewide academic standards,” Craney said.

“At a time when we’re calling for accountability in education, the state Legislature passed a dramatic expansion of the charter school law severing school boards’ ties of responsibility with local taxpayers. At at time when higher standards for teachers are called for, the Joint Finance Committee undermines the integrity of teacher licensing and the Assembly stalls a Professional Standards Council.”

Regressive actions taken last week:

• The Joint Finance Committee approved a budget amendment expanding alternative teacher permits to allow non-teachers to teach certain subjects in public schools. The amendment would expand alternative teaching permits to allow people with five years of work experience, but no teacher or child development training, to teach music, art, foreign languages and computer science.
• The Joint Finance Committee endorsed a proposal to allow school districts to replace statewide standardized tests for fourth and eighth grades with their own exams, only months after the state adopted academic standards for all students.
• The Assembly has still not scheduled action on a bill creating a state Professional Standards Council for teachers. A council would examine and set standards for the quality of teacher training and the standards for achieving and maintaining certification.
• The Legislature passed a bill expanding the charter school law. The measure allows school boards to contract with any individual, partnership, association or corporate body to operate a charter school; allows private non-religious schools to convert to charter schools; and repeals current law that requires all charter schools be instrumentalities of their school district and that all charter school employees be hired by the district.

Progress on education reform:

• The Legislature last week gave final approval to SB 274, which allows teachers to dismiss dangerous or disruptive students from the classroom, according to a code of conduct established by the school board. The measure is part of WEAC’s legislative agenda.
• The Joint Finance Committee approved incentives for teachers to seek and obtain National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. The provision provides grants to teachers seeking certification; and salary benefits after certification. Incentives for NBPTS certification were part of WEAC’s legislative agenda.
• Efforts to repeal the QEO continued during the special and extraordinary sessions last week. The Joint Finance Committee approveda minor change requiring districts to apply any cost savings in benefit packages to salary under a QEO.

Posted May 1, 1998