Public Hearing Highlights Varied Stances on Common Core Standards
This week in the West Virginia Legislature, both the House of Delegates and Senate are working through measures that have the potential to transform the state’s education system.
The House of Delegates hosted a public hearing on Feb. 4 to discuss House Bill 4014 – Preventing the State Board of Education from implementing common core academic standards and assessments.
Several people spoke for and against repealing the common core standards. Those closely involved in the education system, teachers and school officials, seemed mostly for keeping the standards while parents said the standards need repealed.
Jeff Kimball, father of 3 from Harrison County, said there are a lot of problems that have been articulated in regards to common core.
“I believe (it) must be rejected,” he said. “The question of who will control our children’s education is a matter of importance.”
Mike Green, president of WVBOE, said the system works.
“There are elements of this bill that go way, way too far beyond the authority and capability of the legislature,” he said. “It’s an insult to hardworking, underpaid, underappreciated teachers of this state – enough is enough.”
Chairman of the House Education Committee Delegate Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, said it’s unfortunate that the state is in the situation it’s in with common core standards.
“There’s still a lack of confidence in those standards,” Espinosa said. “I had hoped we could put this issue behind us but I think my concern and a number of my colleagues, parents, and others around West Virginia is that the board repealed the previous standards and those that replaced were common core re-branded.”
Espinosa said in many respects the initial changes asked for by the Legislature were cosmetic in nature.
“What we’ve tried to do is to one codify the repeal, something our members felt was important to do, to set forth what we believe was a thoughtful process to develop standards that will win the confidence of West Virginians,” he added.
The Senate is taking up home schooling legislation and allowing home schoolers to participate in public school activities. The chairman of the committee also said the agenda is focusing on riding the state education system of too much oversight. “Overall, my focus has been to look for ways in which the Legislature can reduce administrative overhead and bureaucracy so the teachers have less time devoted toward filling out reports and paperwork and more time focused for the classroom,” said Senate Education Chairman Sen. Dave Sypolt, R-Preston.
Last week, Senate Bill 13 – Increasing penalties for overtaking and passing stopped school buses – passed the Senate. The bill moved through the House Judiciary Committee late this week.
Other education related bills moving through the Legislature include House Bill 4291 – Increasing penalties for teachers who commit sexual offenses against children.
Education-related bills:
SB 42 – Permitting school nurses to possess and administer opioid antagonists on or near school premises
SB 113– Increasing teacher pay over 5-year period
SB 249 – Providing an exception to prohibition of possession of deadly weapon on primary or secondary education facility
SB 313 – Changing mandatory school instruction time from 180 days to minutes
SB 373 – Granting full control of BOE regional education service agencies to state superintendent
HB 2164 – Providing pay increases for teachers and counselors
HB 2799 – Requiring all high schools to teach fetal development
HB 2972 – Requiring the accumulation of one and one-half years of instruction in the study of the Declaration of Independence and other founding American historical documents
Completed Legislation
House Bill 4005 would repeal prevailing hourly rate of wages requirements.
