Legislative Alert - State Assessments of Attitudes and Behaviors
From: lzjoshua@aol.com
Date: March 14, 2009 7:10:54 AM EDT
To: LZjoshua@aol.com
Subject: legislative alert - state assessments of attitudes and behaviors
To all:
Governor Strickland has proposed very expensive and controversial education reforms in the state budget, which is currently under consideration in the Ohio House (HB 1). His school funding reforms are fairly complex and repeal the concept of the state basic aid being based on a per child amount and will virtually hinder school choice to the point of extinction. He is also intending to lengthen each school year by one month.
By far, the most controversial portion of his changes to state policy (not receiving much media attention) is an expansion of state mandated testing to include the attitudes and behaviors of students (K-12), including scoring criteria of interpersonal skills as a part of earning a diploma. These changes will directly affect every student in public and chartered private schools. But every taxpaying citizen in Ohio should be very concerned. A less rigorous academic focus (which we have been experiencing for quite some time) will continue to contribute to the decline in our economy. How will it help the economy if students are enthusiastic, flexible, collaborators with substandard academic skills?
We fought this exact same battle sixteen years ago (also in the state budget) against outcome-based education. It is back and we need in the short term heavy public engagement. The House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education is having general public hearings Monday through Wednesday this week. (see schedule below) Every concerned citizen should also be calling their state legislators with the message to vote no on House Bill 1 - the state budget if the Governor's education reforms are not removed.
I have attached to this email public testimony and supporting documents presented to the subcommittee this past Wednesday for your review. If you have any trouble opening the files please let me know.
Please consider spreading the word to help generate a strong attendance to the hearings and phone calls to state legislators.
The hearing schedule is as follows:
Monday, March 16, 4 pm
Public hearing
Stivers School for the Arts
1313 East 5th Street
DAYTON, Ohio 45402
Tuesday, March 17, 1pm
Public Hearing
Ohio Statehouse, Room 313
COLUMBUS, Ohio 43215
Wednesday, March 18, 7pm
Public Hearing
Ohio Statehouse, Room 313
COLUMBUS, Ohio 43215
Public testimony can and should be brief. It is very simple to stand before the subcommittee members and tell them you oppose these types of state assessments. We need to pack every hearing!
Phone calls are also necessary.
Please contact your state legislators and express your concerns with the state mandating these assessments.
www.legislature.state.oh.us
Respectfully submitted,
Melanie Elsey
LZjoshua@aol.com
Attachments:
HB1 Testimony by Melanie 3/11/2009
supporting docs 1
supporting docs 2
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