An editorial from The Journal
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A showdown between West Virginia legislators and state Board of Education members over public school curriculum seems to be brewing – but it is entirely avoidable.
Several weeks ago, board members agreed to a state Department of Education recommendation that the controversial Common Core curriculum be dropped. But the substitute drafted by the agency reportedly is similar in many ways, right down to use of the same wording in some cases, to Common Core.
That has annoyed some lawmakers, who vowed earlier this year to kill Common Core in West Virginia. On Monday, leaders of both the state Senate and House of Delegates education committees met with state board President Mike Green to discuss the issue.
Board members already have been issued an ultimatum by state Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer. A spokeswoman for his office has said Cole “will look at the changes, and if they are Common Core by another name, he will move to repeal them and replace them with West Virginia standards that work for West Virginia …”
More emphasis on basics such as reading and mathematics is needed, she added.
For many months, state education officials stood staunchly by Common Core. Earlier this year, they abruptly reversed that stance, admitting the curriculum was not working in West Virginia.
But Cole’s stance is right. Having conceded Common Core was a mistake, state board officials – guided, it must be noted, by the state Department of Education – should be ready to make fundamental changes. Window-dressing simply will not do.
So unless the new curriculum proposal really does go back to the basics, legislators will have no realistic choice – for the good of students in public schools – but to take the process away from the board and write their own changes.
