{"id":2147,"date":"2013-03-04T10:39:53","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T15:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.vassp.org\/?p=2147"},"modified":"2013-03-04T10:40:18","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T15:40:18","slug":"governor-mcdonnells-opportunity-educational-institution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.vassp.org\/?p=2147","title":{"rendered":"Governor McDonnell’s “Opportunity Educational Institution”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>Education lobbyists (VASSP etc.<\/em>), representing every major education association in the state, worked diligently against passage of legislation instituting a statewide board that would usurp the role of the local school board for schools with unaccredited status.\u00a0 It was difficult having to refer to the proposed entity to take over public schools as the Governor\u2019s \u201cOpportunity Educational Institution.\u201d\u00a0 OEI sounds less ominous.\u00a0 You really can\u2019t dress that title up, but it helps to use an acronym. \u00a0The House voted overwhelmingly for the concept; but it looked as if there might be a chance to defeat SB 324 in the Senate.\u00a0 In the end, however, members split along Party lines on a vote of 20-20 with Lt Governor Bolling voting for the bill to break the tie.\u00a0 The bill passed.\u00a0 Attempts to replace the Administration\u2019s extreme approach with a bill giving more power to the State Board of Education, supported by VASSP and other education associations, failed to make it past the Appropriations Committee. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0The original language of the Administration\u2019s bill was modified to a degree but took a turn for the worse when a Senate committee amended the legislation to include not only schools denied accreditation but also schools accredited with warning for two years.\u00a0 That could have resulted in a statewide takeover of massive proportions.\u00a0 New math SOL scores alone, with new and more rigorous tests on the way, could have caused the number six to burgeon to a much larger number if \u201cwarned\u201d schools were included.\u00a0\u00a0 Fortunately, the language in the compromise budget removed that amendment and restricted the takeover to those schools denied accreditation for the previous two years.\u00a0 Still, the VSBA and all other major education associations believe that the state takeover of local schools is patently unconstitutional; so stay tuned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Budget Explanation\/OEI<\/strong><\/p>\n

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