RESOLUTION14-01
A RESOLUTION BY THE CITY OF MADISON BOARD OF EDUCATION EXPRESSING ITS OPPOSITION TO SENATE BILL S.B. 380 WHICH WOULD REPEAL THE ALABAMA COLLEGE AND CAREER READY STANDARDS AND TO ANYLEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE WHICH WOULD PLACE A MORATORIUM ON ADOPTION OF NEW STANDARDS OR ALLOW SYSTEMS
TO OPT OUT OF EXISTING STANDARDS
WHEREAS, the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards were initiated, developed and adopted by the Alabama State Board of Education to establish rigorous and attainable educational standards essential to preparing 21st Century public school students for the curriculum to which they will be exposed in colleges and universities and for career opportunities and expectations; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 380 which is pending before the Alabama State Senate would repeal the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, require the Alabama State Department of Education to revert to English Language Arts standards adopted in 1999 and Mathematic standards adopted in 2003, and prohibit re-introduction of College and Career Ready Standards before 2017; and
WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the Board that members of the state senate are considering proposal of legislation which would allow current College and Career Ready Standards to remain in place generally, but would authorize local school systems to opt out of the standards and place a moratorium on adoption of additional standards until 2017 (“moratorium legislation”); and
WHEREAS, adoption of Senate Bill 380 would render useless all current locally developed curriculum and instructional resources in the areas of Mathematics and English Language Arts, all current locally developed formative assessments and grading criteria, and all recently purchased textbooks and digital content, because these resources are not aligned with the antiquated 1999 and 2003 standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, respectively; and
WHEREAS, the suggested moratorium legislation would usurp the authority of the State Board of Education, negate the consistent application of the Alabama Course of Study, and result in inconsistent and inadequate educational standards from city to city and county to county across the State of Alabama; and
WHEREAS, both Senate Bill 380 and the suggested moratorium legislation would undermine the ability of local school systems to prepare public school students for the rigorous curricula and career expectations facing them upon graduation from Alabama public schools; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City of Madison Board of Education that the Board firmly and unanimously expresses its strong opposition to both Senate Bill 380 and the referenced suggestedmoratorium legislation, and urges all members of the state senate, and in particular, senators within the Madison County delegation, to oppose both of these initiatives.
READ, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 28THDAY OF FEBRUARY, 2014.
______
Ray White, President
ATTEST:
______
Dr. Dee O. Fowler, Secretary