On January 14, 2011, I sent a letter sent to legislative leaders opposing any moves to slow down implementation of or redirect funding for 2009’s Senate Bill 1 (SB 1).
The letter was addressed to Senate President David Williams and Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo. Gov. Steve Beshear, Rep. Carl Rollins (chair of the House Education Committee), Sen. Ken Winters (chair of the Senate Education Committee) and members of the Kentucky Board of Education also received copies of the letter.
I sent this letter to counter calls to slow down implementation and use any funding directed for SB 1 for other purposes.
SB 1 is a top priority for the Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Board of Education, because students and teachers need an education system that will prepare children for the competitive world environment. I know of no more important expenditure of funds than to prepare our children for their future.
Senate Bill 1 was passed in the 2009 session of the Kentucky General Assembly and is a comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses many items in the area of public school assessment and accountability. The bill, which revised 14 existing laws and created one new statute, requires that a new system of public school assessment and accountability be implemented in the 2011-12 school year.
Although the bill did not specify funding for implementation, monies in the P-12 education budget have been redirected for that purpose, including professional development funds.
You can see the full letter here. Please join me in advocating for steady, strong implementation of this crucial piece of legislation.
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Thank you, Commissioner!
ReplyDeleteWhat's hard here is that to do the SB 1 work, we may have to let many other good things go. Not just waste or frills or fat, but things that are truly valuable-- but not as important as preparing our children for college and career success.
Only, the difficulty can't become an excuse for failing or quitting. We have to make the hard decisions and put first things first, and the SB 1 effort is the right first priority.