Legislative spotlight
on Standards of Learning
The public's concern about
Virginia's Standards of Learning takes center stage as lawmakers debate
what role the tests should have deciding accreditation and graduation,
according to the Richmond Time-Dispatch.
Public concern has grown
over how much emphasis should be placed on the tests.
"It's really easy to write
tough standards, but the practical effects of standards are a different
issue," said Delegate Thomas M. Jackson Jr., D-Carroll. "If we don't
make some changes, we're going to group kids into two categories:
failures and non-failures."
The SOLs test a student's
range of knowledge in English, math, history and science. The tests
are administered during grades three, five and eight as well as in
all four years of high school. The SOLs are expected to be a hot topic
in state elections this year.
Bills include curfew,
other limits on teen drivers
Numerous traffic fatalities
and accidents caused by teen-agers have prompted Sen. William C. Mims,
R-Loudoun, to propose two measures that would restrict teen drivers
and possibly raise the driving age, The
Washington Post reported.
Restrictions would include
a curfew and limited number of teen passengers in the car. "This is
not intended to be punitive," Mims said. "We're trying to save lives."
Last year, 167 drivers
between the ages of 15-20 perished on state roads.
Gilmore's budget under
fire from his own party
Fellow Republicans attacked
Gov. Jim Gilmore's budget plan to place his campaign-promised car-tax
cut ahead of spending on education and mental health, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported.
Gilmore wants a package
of spending cuts and state debt as the result of a national economic
slowdown. The majority of the rebellion is from the Senate.
No more change in the
ashtray?
Delegate Lee Ware, R-Powhatan,
proposed a bill that would have the state foot the repair bills on
the Powhite Parkway and Downtown Expressway, according to the Richmond
Times-Dispatch.
The Richmond Metropolitan
Authority oversees all repairs and maintenance on the roads and has
a debt estimated at $200 million. The proposed bill would bring some
financial relief to RMA as well as those who frequent the toll roads.
Ware plans to introduce
two more bills to provide relief to toll payers, including one that
will allow a state income tax credit for money spent on tolls.
