New SC House Speaker Jay Lucas put out this release yesterday:
Speaker Lucas Creates Task Force to Advance Education Reform
Appoints Legislators, Educators, and Working Professionals
(Columbia, SC) – House Speaker Jay Lucas (District 65-Darlington) announced the formation of a task force to begin laying the groundwork for substantial, necessary education reforms. Speaker Lucas carefully selected the members of the House Education Policy Review and Reform Task Force based upon their experience and overall commitment to education.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to receive an exceptional education that paves the way for tremendous opportunity and lifelong success,” Speaker Jay Lucas said. “Effective education reform requires more than just suggestions from administrators; it demands valuable input from our job creators who seek to hire trained and proficient employees. All available avenues should be explored to guarantee our students receive a workforce-ready education that prepares each child for the 21st century.”
Speaker Jay Lucas selected Representative Rita Allison of Spartanburg to chair the House Education Policy Review and Reform Task Force. Rep. Allison currently serves as Chairwoman of the House Education and Public Works Committee. The Speaker also appointed six additional members of the South Carolina House, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, several working professionals, and five representatives from the plaintiffs in the Abbeville County School District v. The State of South Carolina Supreme Court decision to participate in this task force.
“I am confident that this unique and collaborative task force, under the leadership of Chairwoman Rita Allison, will successfully reevaluate our educational mandates and institute knowledgeable reforms that will put our system on a path to excellence,” Speaker Jay Lucas continued.
Chairwoman Rita Allison stated, “Speaker Lucas’ revolutionary efforts to create this task force and include private sector professionals and representatives from school districts is truly commendable. Each member of the group will provide exceptional insight that will lead to significant education reforms for the Palmetto State.”
“I am honored to be part of Speaker Lucas’ team, which brings the General Assembly and education community together,”Superintendent Molly Spearman said. “It is vital that we develop a consensus and solution that benefits all students, regardless of where they live. Together, we can develop true education reform that ensures every South Carolina student is college and career ready.”
Members of the House Education Policy Review and Reform Task Force
Rep. Merita A. “Rita” Allison, (District 36-Spartanburg), Chairwoman of the House Education and Public Works Committee
April Allen, Director of State Government Relations, Continental Tire Corporation
Rep. Kenneth A. “Kenny” Bingham, (District 89-Lexington), Chairman of the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee, House Ways and Means Committee
Rep. William “Bill” Clyburn, (District 82-Aiken), House Ways and Means Committee
Rep. Joseph S. Daning, (District 92-Berkeley), House Education and Public Works Committee
Lewis Gossett, President and CEO, South Carolina Manufacturing Alliance
Rep. Jerry N. Govan, (District 95-Orangeburg), House Education and Public Works Committee
Rep. Jackie E. “Coach” Hayes, (District 55-Dillon), House Ways and Means Committee
Rainey Knight, Former Superintendent of Darlington County Public Schools
Rep. Dwight A. Loftis, (District 19-Greenville), House Ways and Means Committee
Superintendent Molly Spearman, State Superintendent of Education
Dr. James C. “Jimmie” Williamson, President and Executive Director, South Carolina Technical College System
NOTE: The five invited representatives from the Abbeville County School District v. The State of South Carolina Supreme Court Decision were chosen to ensure that every child in South Carolina is given access to the best education, regardless of where the student lives. The names of these individuals will be announced at a later date.
The task force will be required to submit a report to the Speaker by the first day of next year’s legislative session (Tuesday, January 12, 2016) with their findings and suggestions for reform. Speaker Lucas has highlighted a list of specific reforms he would like to see addressed in the report’s findings:
1) Structural – After reevaluating the current policy, the task force must develop a structural framework that allows every individual school district to provide the opportunity for a twenty-first century education for all students.
2) Curriculum Standards– Highlight the workforce needs, particularly familiarity and access to technology, of the state’s private sector employers and develop recommended updates to the statewide curriculum standards that emphasize the needs for increased math and science education. Curriculum guidelines should be reevaluated from the early, formative years when students enter the state’s public education system all the way through high school.
3) Programmatic Review – Conduct a thorough review of all current statewide requirements to determine what can be eliminated, consolidated or updated in order to increase available resources for classroom instruction.
4) Work Force Development and/or Tech College – With an emphasis on creating a job ready workforce, develop methods to enhance access and availability of current technical college resources.
Looks like a pretty good group, and I hope they can come up with a real reform agenda, so we can get beyond counterproductive fights over whether to pay parents to abandon the schools.
Here’s a modest proposal for a place to start…
I see that Coach Hayes is on the panel. You know, the guy who (unless the system was changed when I wasn’t looking) gets to appoint the members of the school board that are theoretically his bosses, in his role as head football coach and athletic director at Dillon High School.
The bizarre patchwork of ways that school boards are chosen across the state — with some still employing the old system of having state lawmakers run things — is one of the more obvious things we need to reform. Along with consolidating districts, making it easier to fire bad teachers, and instituting some merit pay for the good ones…
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Great! Another committee. Surely that will fix the problem.
Why do you allow yourself to be duped by press releases?
I don’t know what you mean. In what way have I been “duped?” Lucas announces a committee, I suggest that if he wants some REform, he might start with the bizarre situation involving one of his committee members….
I’m not following you….
How about not re-publishing them and instead telling us what they have done to make us believe they can do what they claim they will do?
I want to read press releases that list action items, dates, and responsible parties.
I’m glad they have Col. “Chappy” Sinclair on the REform committee. He’ll be very helpful if the committee has to rescue any downed fighter pilots.