Issues with school state testing

What do larger school districts do when they have too many seniors that failed the required state biology test that was necessary for graduation? They contact our state legislators and get them to put a two year moratorium on the requirement, till 2017.

That way the parents are happy and Johnny and Suzie can go to a college that many are not academically prepared for. The two year delay should give Olympia time to water down the test so that more students can pass the test.

This makes the school look good, the parents should be happier and the college enrollment should go up. With more students the colleges can ask for more funding.

It sounds like a win-win situation, but is it?

To me this is just another example of state control not being as realistic as local control. State control was really increased in about 1970 when the state started taking a dollar from local districts and giving back less than a dollar.

This is when district funding percentages started climbing and voters were faced with passing levies or cutting programs. Usually the threats were about music and sports.

If you keep your tax records you will find a steady increase in your tax dollars from about 1970 to the present time.

Those tax dollars that should have stayed in local districts were used to fund jobs and special programs in Olympia.

Do you think this huge mistake by the state might be a signal that is it time to start working for local control?

I do!

Gerald W. Ray, Spokane