Board of Education to Discuss Prop. 8

School trustees are set to discuss whether to pass a resolution opposing Proposition 8 on November’s statewide ballot.

The measure, known as “The Permanent Class Size Reduction and Educational Opportunities Act of 1998”, would, among other things, create an independent office that would annually rank the quality of education that California’s schools provide. It would also require teachers to pass proficiency tests.

“The more I read into that initiative, the stronger I feel that it’s a poorly crafted and worded initiative that’s going to add so many layers of bureaucracy. It’s ridiculous,” said Carla Kurachi, a Simi Valley Unified School District Board of Education trustee. Kurachi said she plans to support the resolution at the board’s meeting this evening.

Mitch Zak, a spokesman for Californians for Smaller Classes, Drug-Free Schools and Educational Accountability, criticized what he considers a knee-jerk reaction from educators afraid of accountability.

“When you try to enact any accountability, the system acts like you’ve stabbed them in the heart,” he said.