Educational Insights: April 14, 2008
April 14, 2008
Recent GCHS Podcasts
This year’s state legislative session is nearly completed and our lawmakers again have provided increased challenges for rural communities. Two bills have major impact on Garden County Schools: LB 988 (school finance bill) and LB 1157 (assessment bill). Both will influence long range planning and school improvement efforts for local policy makers.
LB 988 will revise the 2008-09 state finance formula for Nebraska’s school budgets. While more densely populated districts, with high numbers of minorities may enjoy the benefits of this bill, rural sparsely populated districts (with low minority rates) will tend to suffer. Rural districts typically likely get less state aid as a result of this new law.
The bill specifically calls for a recertification of 2008-09 state aid and budget authority by April 30. LB 988 proposes to reduce Garden County’s state aid by another $14,000. and eliminate expenditures that had been previously outside the lid. Since revenue for this district is largely generated by property taxes based on land valuation, this means that the local tax payer will bear the primary fiscal responsibility of educational costs in this county.
Governor Heinemann recently signed LB 1157, which will change the method that NE schools previously assessed student progress, based on the federal No Child Left Behind requirements. This new law includes 17 sets of new tests that are proposed to be implemented statewide, in addition to the statewide writing assessments that are already being given. In 2009-10, a state reading test will be given to grades 3-8 and one grade in high school. An annual state math test will be added in 2010-11 in the same grades, followed by adding an annual science test beginning in 2011-12 (required for at least one grade in elementary, one grade in junior high, and one grade in high school).
The global economy and the need to compete in the global marketplace will not necessarily hinge solely on higher test scores. In order to compete globally, our students require knowledge, skills, and critical thinking that most likely are not measurable on statewide standardized tests.
The passing of these two bills seem to represent conflicting themes from Lincoln. One imposes increased local financial burden to Garden County landowners; while the other removes local choice in assessing student learning in the district. Local tax payers are expected to pay dearly for our students’ education, yet the state dictates how we can best measure their learning. Is this greater accountability intended to improve student performance? With less outside financial support, it seems unjust that lawmakers can feel authorized to dictate how we measure educational success.
Local control has long been the backbone of this state’s constitution. When looking at legislative representation for this district, we will be best served by searching for candidates who rely on our local taxpayers’ common sense, model work ethics, and hard earned dollars. Unfunded mandates rarely insure increased student learning. Decreasing revenue, while increasing regulations is not the solution to improving educational opportunities for rural schools!
-Dr. Paula Sissel,
Superintendent/Elementary Principal
