Monday, January 26, 2015

 

Spearman: “I Support Local and State Control Over Public Education”

Columbia, S.C. – Today, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman issued the following statement at a press conference held with U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) in support of his new legislation “The Local Control of Education Act.”

“I am pleased to stand with Congressman Wilson and my colleagues in the General Assembly today as we proudly speak with one voice: the federal government does not control public education.

“As a teacher, assistant principal, and now as State Superintendent, I have always put my faith in those who lead our schools and classrooms, along with parents and elected school board members.

“I am confident that South Carolinians will continue making the best decisions for our students, not bureaucrats in Washington,” concluded Spearman.

Congressman Wilson’s new bill reaffirms Act 200, passed by the General Assembly last year, which enabled South Carolina teachers to develop new English Language Arts and mathematics standards.  While the process to develop news standards usually takes up to two years, dedicated teams of South Carolina teachers developed high-quality South Carolina college- and career-ready standards in just six months.  Those standards are in the process of being presented to the State Board of Education and Education Oversight Committee for approval before implementation in the 2015-16 school year.