No on Senate Bill 59

The bill would publically assign schools letter grades of A, B, C, D or F, based on students’ performance on statewide tests and graduation rates in high schools. I have STRONG concerns about this bill the way it is written and here are my reasons why:
1. This bill would be grading schools on a curve and would turn “successful schools into losers.” Under SB59, if 80 percent of all Utah schools qualified for As or Bs in a given year, the state school board would have to increase the percentage needed to get each grade.
2. Based on this grading system the lowest performing 25% of students would get double points, which means their success would be more valuable to schools and teachers than that of an average student or accelerated student. This could lead to teaching to the lowest students to try to maximize their score.
3. There is no plan or MONEY to help failing schools improve. So if your school gets an F or D or C what is going to be done about it? Who is going to pay for it? Is there going to be a mass exoudus of students trying to permit, will teachers leave. A failing grade could shut down or cripple a school since there is NO support written into this bill. If you are an A or B school do you want all the other students trying to permit to your school? Do you want to loose your best teacher because they need to go help "fix" a failing school, the possibilities are endless.
4. This is similar to the Florida model of grading schools. In Florida, there is a monetary reward for improvement, caps on class size (18 for K-3), and supports in place for schools that do not score well. However, the current SB59 language has no resources designated for improvement.
5. This bill has been strongly supported and lobbied for by a group called "Parents Choice in Education" this group also supports, the idea of vouchers, more charters and giving parents choice. Well if you are in the public school system you only have choices with in that system. I am curious if the real intention of this bill is to increase demand for private schools, charters and vouchers? How are we as pubic education parents going to have a choice with in our public system if this bill comes with NO plan to help failing schools. Under the current bill, if my child's school got a C, D or F I would try to permit then try to get out of the public schools. So is there a long term agenda to cripple the public school system with this short sighted bill?

Copy and Paste the list of representatives into your email and tell them "no" to Senate Bill 59.

cwimmer@utah.gov
melbrown@utah.gov
jdougall@utah.gov
bdee@utah.gov
greghughes@utah.gov
briansking@utah.gov
dlitvack@utah.gov
blockhart@utah.gov
rmenlove@utah.gov
jseelig@utah.gov
cwatkins@utah.gov
merlynnnewbold@utah.gov
ksumsion@utah.gov
lavarchristensen@utah.gov
tcosgrove@utah.gov
seliason@utah.gov
fgibson@utah.gov
stevehandy@utah.gov
kivory@utah.gov
csmoss@utah.gov
jim@jim4utah.com
billwright@utah.gov
mariepoulson@utah.gov
waddoups@utahsenate.org
lhillyard@utahsenate.org
dstowell@utahsenate.org
pjones@utahsenate.org
pknudson@utahsenate.org
sjenkins@utahsenate.org
wniederhauser@utahsenate.org
rromero@utahsenate.org
bmcadams@utahsenate.org
kmorgan@utahsenate.org
dstowell@utahsenate.org
dcbuttars@utahsenate.org
jsadams@utahsenate.org
mmadsen@utahsenate.org
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gdavis@utahsenate.org
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mdayton@utahsenate.org
curt@cbramble.com
screid@utahsenate.org
achristensen@utahsenate.org
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rokerlund@utahsenate.org
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dhinkins@utahsenate.org
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ryanwilcox@utah.gov
gfroerer@utah.gov
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rgreenwood@utah.gov
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coda@utah.gov
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rogerbarrus@utah.gov
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markwheatley@utah.gov
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wharper@utah.gov
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hrichardson@utah.gov
ssandstrom@utah.gov
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keithgrover@utah.gov
cherrod@utah.gov
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ppainter@utah.gov
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mnoel@kanab.net
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