Wednesday, February 21, 2001
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Wednesday, February 21, 2001 |
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Cox speaks out on education reform By MONROE
ROARK
Round two of Gov. Roy Barnes' education reform package is now on the table, and legislators are sorting through it to see what they like and what they don't. Much of House Bill 656, which Barnes introduced last week, is good, according to Rep. Kathy Cox, a deputy House minority whip during the current session. It corrects some problems in last year's bill, she said. The new legislation provides funding for paraprofessionals in kindergarten and extends the Early Intervention Program, which helps students who are falling behind their classmates. Currently available in kindergarten through third grade, the program would reach up to fifth grade under the new bill. Barnes has also taken a Republican idea eliminating social promotion and embraced it, according to Cox. Starting in 2002, the state would require students in the third, fifth and eighth grades to achieve minimum scores on specified tests to be promoted. Some provisions for special education students is in the new legislation, along with an appeals process, Cox said. While agreeing with it for the most part, she is concerned that provisions are made to provide services for students who cannot be promoted. She believes that programs like Early Intervention and others, including an extra 20 days of school per year for some students who need it to move up, will help. The one part of Barnes' bill that Cox is not pleased with is the proposed elimination of exploratories in middle schools. The current middle school model, Cox says, gives 4.5 hours per day for core academics and allows other time for exploratories art, music and other such classes that students can be exposed to. Barnes has proposed extending the core academic time to five hours per day, reducing common planning time for teachers from 85 minutes to 55, and eliminating state funds for exploratories. "If a school system wants to maintain something like that, they'll have to do it on their own" if Barnes has his way, Cox said. The Republican representative from Peachtree City, a teacher at Sandy Creek High School, was selected for this term by longtime minority whip Earl Earhardt to serve as one of about seven deputies. Her duties mainly consist of communicating between House leadership and other members about pending legislation and whatever legislators are working on, she said.
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