Public forum on SF104 and Common Core Curriculum April 29
by Pinedale Online!
Original post April 5, 2013 | Updated April 15 & 21, 2013
There will be a public forum on SF104 and Common Core Curriculum in the Lovatt Room of the Sublette County Library in Pinedale at 6:00PM.
Special guest speaker is Cindy Hill, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Wyoming Department of Education, who was removed from her position in January when the Wyoming legislature passed a law (SF104), eliminating the elected position and creating a position for an appointed state education director. (Editor’s clarification: SF104 did not eliminate the elected position of Superintendent of Public Instruction. That elected position still exists. But it did effectively gut most of the authority, duties and responsibility of that elected office and moved those over to the newly created position of Director of the Department of Education, an appointed office. Superintendent of Public Instruction, Cindy Hill, has sued to reclaim her powers. The Wyoming Supreme Court has agreed to hear her case.)
The new 66-page SF104, signed into law by Governor Matt Mead on January 29, 2013, transfers duties from the elected official to a government-appointed administrator who "shall serve at the pleasure of the governor" and is not directly answerable to the voters. The Governor determines the salary for the education director. All duties of the state department of education are under control of the director. The sponsors contended that Wyoming’s state-level education governance structure no longer served the needs of students, schools and citizens and without the stability provided by an appointed position to administer the Department of Education, the investment Wyoming has made in the State’s K-12 system is at risk.
The Wyoming Constitution Party and other supporters are seeking a state-wide referendum for SF-104. According to the Wyoming Constitution, citizens have 90 days from the end of the legislative session to file the petition.
The April 29th public forum in Pinedale will also have a discussion on the Common Core Curriculum. Wyoming is one of the 45 U.S. states that have adopted Common Core State Standards.
The Common Core State Standards website describes the national initiative as: "The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy."
These standards have become controversial as some dislike that it centralizes and controls education on a national level and removes much of the local control over what is taught in schools. Others contend it is more youth indoctrination than education, has troubling data mining components, and could threaten the autonomy of private schools, religious schools and those who home school their children. Proponents see Common Core as a necessity to raise the standard of American education so it will compare favorably to standards of other countries.
There will be a Question & Answer session at the April 29 public forum. Everyone is welcome. The The referendum petition will be available for those who wish to sign it in support of repealing SF104. 1,000 signatures of registered voters are needed for the referendum process to move forward.
For more information, contact Bob Rule at KPIN Radio or Colleen Martin, 307-367-4364 or mrtnclln@reagan.com.
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