3 education bills headed to Wyo. Senate

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Three bills aimed at accountability in public education will be up for debate in the Wyoming Senate this week.

The bills attempt to get the most out of Wyoming's annual $1 billion investment in public education, said Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper and a social studies teacher at Natrona County High School.

''It's all about student achievement,'' Harshman said.

One bill would set minimum standards for school achievement in third grade reading, eighth grade math and graduation rates. Schools that didn't meet those standards would have their accreditation lowered.

Each district would need to achieve at least 70 percent proficiency in third-grade reading on the statewide assessment test. They would need to reach at least 70 percent proficiency in eighth-grade math and a graduation rate of at least 80 percent.

Opponents include Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Laramie, who voted against the bill in the House.

''I am vehemently in favor of public education accountability,'' Connolly said. ''I just didn't see this bill doing it.''

She said the criteria being used to judge the districts are arbitrary and partially based on a test that is not supposed to be ''high-stress testing.''

Kathryn Valido, president of the Wyoming Education Association, agreed, saying she'd like to see other measures taken rather than focusing on testing and graduation rates. She said the consequences of not meeting the standards in the bill could lead to further problems.

''That's troublesome to us,'' Valido said.

Another bill would outline standards for teacher instructors who help teachers with their techniques.

Von said the anniversary gave her a flash of nostalgia.

She recalled how her son Kelly sold wool from his three or four sheep about 40 years ago.

''He would take the wool to the back door of the mill and sell it,'' she said. ''They even accommodated little kids. He was on top of the world.''

The company looks to its reputation in hard economic times. ''The tough times are when people gravitate to brands that have stood the test of time,'' he said.

Bishop said his company is feeling the pinch as others do but says the anniversary gives them ''a positive, upbeat, authentic message that's vivid and real.

''We kid around,'' Bishop said, ''that we are of the cloth.''

Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.info