Virginia lawmakers have received a challenge from the Commonwealth's school superintendents today. Taking the initiative, they are saying: All you have to do is ask us.
In their annual news conference held in downtown Richmond on Monday, members of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents delivered the message that they want more say in the state's education standards. Howard B. Kiser, Gloucester superintendent and president of the group said,
“Public educators have generally not been at the table for the broader conversations on school improvement. This has been due in part to the perception that public educators are part of the problem and therefore cannot be part of the solution."
Kiser went on to say their goals are simple: Less SOL testing, more progress over point-in-time student assessments and more funding. Salem Superintendent H. Alan Seibert said a student can expect to take 34 SOL tests between the 3rd. and 11th. grades. Yet they receive no growth measurements from the state during that same period of time.
Pointing out the 2 percent pay raise received by state employees, the group also demanded the same for the state's teachers. They further stated their opposition to more charter schools and home-schoolers participating in public school sports programs, citing the eligibility requirements for participation in inter-scholastic sports.
Comments