Help the school districts; Help the students

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In western Ohio, we have the best schools in the state. Ohio’s public high schools were ranked 7th in the Nation in 2015 by US News and World Report. Ohio needs to continue to support and empower the local school systems to give our children the highest quality education available.

It is important that we work to reduce state interference with this high quality education. Our local teaching professionals know how to get the job done and when they have proven it year in and year out we should recognize that by letting them do their jobs.

Our local Senators, Faber and Hite recognize the success of our schools and have taken the lead by introducing a bill to exempt the highest performing schools from certain state mandates. Senate Bill 3 will reduce bureaucracy; focus on locally driven teacher improvement and cut state testing times.

We know our local school administrators can determine a teacher’s ability to prepare students in math, reading, science, or a vocational technology program. We need to allow these administrators to make the most appropriate staffing decisions for their schools.

In particular we need to improve connections between industry and the classroom and make it easier for a successfully industry partner to enter the classroom as a highly skilled teacher. SB 3 will remove barriers to the teaching profession and streamline the process to a teacher certification. Our schools deserve the freedom to select the best educator for an open position because our students deserve the best teachers.

The Ohio teacher evaluation system is clunky and bogged down by unneeded bureaucracy and paper work. School administrators know the track record of teachers, the results of teachers, and they know which teachers are good, and which ones need improvement.

When you ask an administrator which teacher needs the most improvement in the building the can tell you. Yet, when reading their file it appears that teacher is who’s who in American education. We need to reduce the bureaucracy and encourage administrators to spend time with their lowest performing teachers and encourage them to document real improvement. By removing state mandates, our local administrators will be able to pat the best teachers on the back and provide clarity for those who struggle.

Cookie cutter mandates don’t work in the schools in western Ohio because we are better than that. By reducing state testing, and letting our teachers and administrators know they are in charge of their schools we will see better results. Our schools are the best and should be recognized for their hard work by this needed reduction of state mandates.

Senators Faber and Hite took an important lead by recognizing the exceptional efforts of our local schools. We should be working to reduce Ohio’s mandates on the highest performing schools because they know best how to educate children. By reducing bureaucracy; focusing on locally driven teacher improvement and cutting state testing times we will be able to encourage our successful local schools and future growth from those wishing to receive the rewards of being in that upper echelon of education.

Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this month by completing an online survey at tinyurl.com/buchymarch2016

This undated photo provided by the Ohio House of Representatives shows Rep. Jim Buchy. he Ohio House is expected to consider a bill that would shield the names of companies that provide the state with lethal injection drugs. Buchy is one of the bills sponsors. The bill is among several the House planned to vote on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 as lawmakers finish work for the two-year legislative session. The Senate passed it last week. (AP Photo/Ohio House of Representatives)
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/34/2016/03/web1_18f02dca703f7e31680f6a7067004435CMYK-2.jpgThis undated photo provided by the Ohio House of Representatives shows Rep. Jim Buchy. he Ohio House is expected to consider a bill that would shield the names of companies that provide the state with lethal injection drugs. Buchy is one of the bills sponsors. The bill is among several the House planned to vote on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 as lawmakers finish work for the two-year legislative session. The Senate passed it last week. (AP Photo/Ohio House of Representatives)

By Rep. Jim Buchy

Rep. Jim Buchy can be reached by emailing [email protected] or calling 614-446-6344. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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