THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 22, 1994 TAG: 9411220621
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
A state panel adopted recommendations Monday that would substantially alter the course of public education in Virginia, giving parents more control over what children are taught, toughening academic standards and enhancing school safety.
Some of the measures endorsed by the Commission on Champion Schools, such as one calling for alternative public schools and another requiring parents to give permission for children to study sex education, divided its own members and are sure to draw fire.
But observers said the panel, appointed in May by Gov. George F. Allen, delivered on Allen's pledge to seek real reform. Allen has made education reform a centerpiece of his administration.
``It's not just reshuffling the cards,'' state school Superintendent William C. Bosher Jr. said after the panel concluded its daylong meeting. ``The governor didn't appoint a committee to advocate complacency, but to stretch all of us with new ideas.''
The panel will deliver its suggestions to Allen next week. Along with recommendations issued earlier this month by the education committee of Allen's Blue Ribbon Strike Force, the proposals are expected to form the nucleus of the legislative agenda for education that the governor will present to the General Assembly in January.
Practically all of the proposals adopted Monday require approval by the legislature.
Allen has been accused of trying to dismantle the public school system, but Bosher said the proposals reflect the governor's vision to make schools more accountable and responsive to parents.
Some recommendations, however, were not wholeheartedly endorsed by all commission members.
The idea of allowing parents, teachers and just about any other group or individuals to establish alternative public schools - called ``charter'' schools, was approved by the commission on a 25-12 vote.
Charter schools - so called because they would be issued a charter based on a pledge to produce specific results - would receive public funds but would be permitted to experiment with curriculum and methods free of most state and local regulations.
Most members said they endorsed the concept but were wary of details. Under the proposal, teachers, for instance, would not have to be certified by the state.
``We are in the process of raising standards for public school teachers and now we're saying charter school teachers won't even have to be certified,'' said commission member Flora Crittenden, a state House delegate from Newport News. ``I have problems with that.''
There also was concern that money would be drawn away from regular schools and that students wouldn't have equal access.
Supporters said the competition would be healthy. In the dozen or so states that now allow charter schools, academic standards have been raised in all schools as a result, said commission members who researched the issue.
``The public school monopoly is one that should be challenged, and for that reason alone I applaud the committee report,'' said commission member Sylvia K. Kramer of Alexandria.
Michelle Easton, an Allen appointee to the state Board of Education and a commission member, said charter schools are needed to ``shake up schools, to break up some of the sameness.'' They give parents another option, she said.
Also passing without full support was a recommendation to eliminate the state mandate requiring family-life education, Virginia's version of sex education. Instead, local school boards would decide whether to offer the family-life instruction as well as determining the course content.
And in a major change, parents would have to give their permission, or ``opt in,'' for children to take the family-life course. Currently, students automatically are enrolled unless parents object.
Another potentially controversial recommendation calls for changing the state's standards of learning - what students should be taught in core academic subjects - from guidelines to enforceable regulations.
If districts failed to meet the standards, the state could impose sanctions, such as restricting how state money is spent. Districts that meet or exceed the standards would be given more freedom.
Other recommendations call for legislation that would:
Protect teachers and school administrators from civil liability if sued for disciplining students.
Require criminal background checks on all new teachers and school employees.
Enable local districts to require students to wear uniforms.
Address disparities by providing money for technology and increasing educational opportunities for ``at-risk'' children in pre-kindergarten through third grade.
The commission will continue working until the spring, when it will issue a complete and final set of recommendations.
KEYWORDS: CHARTER SCHOOLS SEX EDUCATION PUBLIC SCHOOLS by CNB