March 15, 2005 |
2005-R-0297 | |
QUESTIONS FOR STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION NOMINEES | ||
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By: Judith Lohman, Chief Analyst | ||
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (CGS § 10-1; 10-4a)
• Consists of nine voting members who serve staggered four-year terms, the commissioner of higher education who serves as a nonvoting ex-officio member, and two nonvoting student members who serve one-year terms.
• Appoints the commissioner of education, who administers the Department of Education.
• Has general supervision and control of the educational interests of the state, including preschool, elementary, and secondary education; special education; and vocational education. The educational interests of the state, as defined by law are that (1) each student have an equal opportunity to receive a suitable program of educational experiences; (2) each school district finance at a reasonable level at least equal to the state’s minimum expenditure requirement an educational program designed to achieve this end; (3) in order to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation, each school district provide educational opportunities for its students to interact with students and teachers from other
racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds and may provide such opportunities with students from other communities; and (4) statutory mandates relating to education within the State Board of Education’s jurisdiction are implemented.
• Sets state educational policy in collaboration with the governor and the General Assembly.
• Oversees the state vocational-technical schools.
• Authorizes charter and interdistrict magnet schools.
• Adjudicates complaints against local boards of education that fail to implement the state’s educational interests.
• Serves as the final administrative appeal board for issuing and revoking teaching certificates and other educational credentials needed to work in Connecticut public schools.
QUESTIONS FOR NOMINEES
1. Connecticut’s tradition of local control is especially strong in education. How do you see the State Board of Education’s role compared to that of local boards of education? How does the state board influence education policy?
2. Connecticut Mastery Test scores highlight a continuing achievement gap between minority and low-income students and white, middle-class students. What steps should the State Board of Education recommend to close this gap, particularly in light of the federal No Child Left Behind Act’s requirement that all groups of students demonstrate adequate yearly progress on standardized tests?
3. Several states, including Connecticut, have requested waivers from key parts of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Connecticut’s waiver request has been denied. In light of the recent report to the Education Committee from the education commissioner and the Office of Policy and Management secretary putting the estimated federal funding shortfall for Connecticut’s implementation of the law at $ 41. 6 million through FY 2008, what other steps do you think Connecticut should take regarding NCLB requirements?
4. Do you think using standardized mastery tests to evaluate schools is appropriate? Do you think test results should be the basis for making decisions about student promotion and graduation? How, if at all, should the results be used to judge teacher performance?
5. There has been considerable conflict over the role, mission, and effectiveness of the state’s vocational-technical schools. How much emphasis should the VT schools place on academics as compared to vocational skills? How should the State Board of Education address the schools’ problems? Do you think the board should devote more attention to the VT system?
6. What education policies should the state adopt to address the shortcomings that employers continually cite in the job readiness of the state’s high school graduates?
7. The Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula has been heavily criticized, particularly in the last year, as being unfair and ineffective. The governor has proposed a comprehensive study of state education funding, including ECS, charter and magnet school funding, and the Open Choice Program. Do you agree that the state’s education funding system should be completely revamped? What should the goals of any state education funding formula be?
8. The State Board of Education has endorsed universal preschool as a long-term goal and is seeking more immediate funding to provide school readiness program slots for all three- and four-year-olds living in priority school districts. Among all the state’s educational needs, what priority do you place on early childhood education?
9. In response to tight budgets, many school districts are establishing “pay to play” policies to charge students and parents a fee for playing on a school team. The Education Committee has raised a bill to prohibit pay to play. What is your opinion of such policies? Do you think they are a reasonable response to financial pressures? Do you think schools, parents, and students place too much emphasis on athletics?
10. Some school districts are signing contracts with soda companies to sell particular brands of soft drinks exclusively in schools and in school vending machines. Do you think such contracts are a good idea? Do schools have any responsibility to regulate the availability of junk food and soda in school given the upsurge in obesity and its attendant health problems, particularly among children and youth?
JL: ts