The reading retention bill passed the Senate today 30-10. We disagree with the bill in principle and believe that these decisions should be left to parents, teachers, principals and the Kansas Board of Education. That being said, the Senate removed many of the worst aspects of the bill as described in our post yesterday, and given that it was part of Brownback’s State of the State, passage of something was pretty well assured. From here the bill will go to conference committee where we will try to watch what happens to it. We also have to wonder how they will assess reading since we do not currently have 1st grade assessments.
Voting in favor of the bill: Abrams, Apple, Arpke, Bowers, Bruce, DENNING, Donovan, Emler, Fitzgerald, Holmes, Kelly, Kerschen, King, Longbine, Love, Lynn, Masterson, MELCHER, O’Donnell, Olson, Ostmeyer, Peterson, Pilcher-Cook, Powell, Pyle, V. Schmidt, Smith, Tyson, Wagle, WOLF.
Voting NO: Faust-Goudeau, Francisco, Haley, Hawk, Hensley, Holland, Knox, LaTurner, McGinn and PETTEY. Here is the bill as amended: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2140_02_0000.pdf