Education

Common Core Review Bill Passes Senate Committee

February 21st, 2014

A bill aimed at pulling Georgia away from a set of education standards, called the Common Core, made it through a Senate committee Thursday. Senate Bill 167 establishes a council to review the standards.

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The bill originally called for Georgia to “opt out” of the Common Core. But the current version calls for the state board of education to create an advisory council to help with its own review of the standards already underway. Gov. Nathan Deal requested the review last year.

During the hearing, Franklin County schools superintendent Ruth O’Dell expressed support for the Common Core and said some of her district’s administrators are critical of the bill.

“We do have serious concerns with adding another very prescriptive, whole-level review and approval process, when we feel like we already had that process in place with the state board,” she said.

Sen. William Ligon (R-Brunswick) is one of the bill’s key sponsors. He says the council will expand the state boards efforts. The council would be comprised of parents, grandparents, and private sector appointees, among others. Ligon says council members can also seek input from teachers.

“The working structure is the sub-committees,” he told WABE. “We allow the sub-committees to reach out to the teachers and to the curriculum specialists and bring them in, and we didn’t put a limit on the number that can be brought in to do that.”

Ligon said he and the bill’s other sponsors worked with House leaders and the governor’s office to shape the legislation. Next, it heads to the Senate for a vote.