ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090014
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DORIS Y. BOITNOTT
WILLARD TOMLINSON criticizes Del. Chip Woodrum for supporting ``redundant studies'' (April 29 letter to the editor, ``Woodrum's consistency is suspect''). For some reason, Tomlinson seems to level in on commissions designed to deal with various aspects of education.
All are important; none is redundant. Here's what each commission questioned by Tomlinson does:
The Education Commission of the States is a nonprofit, nationwide interstate compact formed in 1965. Its primary purpose is to help governors, state legislators, state education officials and others develop policies to improve the quality of education at all levels. Forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are members. The commission's offices are in Denver, Colo.
(Virginia's commissioners include Gov. George Allen, [outgoing] Superintendent of Public Instruction William C. Bosher and home-schooling guru Michael Farris, all of whom seem to serve without complaint.)
The Equity in Public Education Commission was originally established in 1992 and extended in the 1996 session. Its purpose is to review, evaluate and make recommendations on educational disparity.
In 1994, the commission recommended funding for reduced class size in kindergarten through third grade, increased spending on educational technology and preschool for at-risk 4-year-olds. The Omnibus Education Act of 1995 also grew out of the work of this commission.
Last year, it studied Virginia's reliance on the local property tax, and Virginia's tax burden compared with other states. Southwest Virginia will particularly benefit from its work.
The Commission on Accountability for Educational Excellence was established in 1996 to develop and recommend a plan for statewide student- and teacher-performance assessments, and to recommend ways in which students' time-on-task and classroom-instructional time might be maximized to ensure educational excellence.
The purpose of the Commission for Educational Infrastructure (1996) is to study and evaluate the current physical and technical infrastructure needs of public schools, and to project the need for future school construction and renovation. This might be of particular interest in the Roanoke Valley.
The Commission on the Future of Public Education was established in 1996 to develop a vision for public education consistent with its constitutional mission, and a strategic plan for accomplishing the vision and mission of public education.
It's clear that these commissions do not overlap, but complement each other. Woodrum's support for these groups and their important work demonstrates his commitment to public education. His consistency in this commitment is commendable.
Tomlinson's lack of informed perspective on the issue demonstrates the need for more, not less, education.
Doris Y. Boitnott of Roanoke is executive director of Commonwealth A UniServ, a division of the Virginia Education Association/National Education Association, District 4.
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