One Parents view: REJECT SENATE BILL 5x 1.ATTENTION!
State Senator Gloria Romero (D- Los Angeles ), a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction (FYI, Eli Broad and Richard Riordan are heavily backing her), is using the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) program to push through unnecessary legislation that will hurt teachers, students and schools.
CONTACT STATE SENATOR LONI HANCOCK AND ASK HER TO REJECT SENATE BILL 5x 1.
DO IT TODAY!!!
Senator Hancock's District Office Phone: (510) 286-1333 (you'll be instructed to press 0 to leave your voicemail)
Senator Hancock's District FAX: (510) 286-3885
Senator Hancock's Web site: http://dist09.casen.govoffice.com/
Background: Hastily Amended Bill, Short Notice
Under the cover of the special session on education called by Gov. Schwarzenegger, Sen. Romero has amended her measure and worked with Sen. President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) to put the bill on a “fast track.”
The bill was amended Thursday night with the intention of having the Senate Education Committee pass it on Monday, followed immediately by a vote of the full Senate. Not only is this “short cut” suspect, it also prevents lawmakers from giving the measure and its major education changes the careful study they deserve.
Members of the education community and the public deserve time to review and have input on this legislation.
What’s even worse – the bill would change state law before the RTTT federal regulations are even finalized. Those regulations may not be finalized until December. It makes no sense to pass the Romero bill now.
SB 5x 1 has numerous problems:
It locks into state law unnecessary changes Sen. Romero claims are needed to implement RTTT even before the federal regulations governing the program have been adopted.
It repeats the mistakes of the fatally flawed No Child Left Behind Act, including the overreliance on test scores as the only measure of student achievement.
It modifies regulations governing the entire School Improvement Grant Program in hopes of helping California get one-time RTTT funds, but it would also cause schools to lose SIG money if they do not comply with the new state regulations.
It forces irresponsible and punitive changes in teacher and administrator evaluations.
It allows unfettered increases in under-regulated charter schools that are not responsible to the community.
It substitutes narrow compliance in place of innovation and local flexibility vital to schools’ success.
It increases costs and mandates at a time schools are staggering under $17 billion in cuts and 20,000 educator layoffs.
Please help spread the word!
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