Monday, April 1, 2013

Keep track of education bills

Lawmakers in Raleigh have a lot of plans to change public education,  from offering vouchers to home-school families to creating school safety marshals.  Jonathan Sink,  a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools lawyer who acts as the district's legislative liaison,  has launched a blog to keep people updated on the proposals.

Sink
So far, Sink's blog summarizes the proposals that have been introduced,  without offering CMS officials' opinions.  The latest roundup includes a bill requiring students to be able to write legible cursive by the end of fifth grade  (unclear if a writing exam would ensue);  one making it harder for teens to drop out;  one giving school districts more flexibility in setting school calendars;  and a couple designed to boost armed protection at schools.

Having the bill numbers makes it easy to keep tabs on the General Assembly's web site,  which also provides contact information for legislators.  The Public School Forum of North Carolina also provides weekly updates on legislative action.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Certainly , keep up with the VOUCHER bill it should slice CMS 50% and eliminate alot of downtown waste. I also think seniors should get a tax break for not using the schools small may it be , but a reduction none the less. CMS still has empty building the new privates could buy/lease. The privates could also increase teacher pay and attract what is good about CMS teachers. If tenure goes away I fully support this effort.

Anonymous said...

Not so sure making harder for teens to drop out is a good thing. If the district got serious about alternative schools and separated these kids from the serious students then I'd support it.

Basically the federal government has made it too enticing to not be a productive member of society.

Anonymous said...

When less than 80% of CMS budget hits the classroom, you know it is time for a change.

Anonymous said...

Excuse me, I meant schoolhouse.

And where is the report of the 2011-2012 per pupil spending and performance at the schoolhouse level?

Anonymous said...

The state and county could offer me thousands less than what they spend on my kids education in a voucher and they could lower their cost. I could prove I used it on educating them with my private school bill. Win win for all involved.