Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

"Next Step" a mixed blessing

Will Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's "Next Step" program be good or bad for the state's education system?

According to Rick McAfee, superintendent of the Nevada School District, the program could easily be both, depending on how much of the governor's proposals actually get approved by the Arkansas Legislature.

McAfee voiced his concerns about the program at the regular monthly meeting of the Nevada School Board, Thursday, Jan. 17.

While there are some good things in the program, he said, there are some scary ones as well.

The program comes from Iowa and is partially the result of the Lake View district's lawsuit against the state's education funding formula.

A federal judge ruled Arkansas's educational system is neither equitable nor adequate. The judge, McAfee said, stated no educational system is truly equitable, but Arkansas's could be more adequate.

Initially, it was thought $400 million would be enough to cover the cost of revamping the system. However, the governor's plans look as though they will cost between $800 million and $1.2 billion, just to achieve adequate funding  this is money the state doesn't have.

McAfee said the end result could be the raising of taxes in the state. However, doing so would require approval of both the legislature and public. "I don't see the public voting for a tax increase."

Should the state not provide adequate education for the students under the federal mandate, Arkansas stands to lose all federal funds.

Currently, McAfee said, 70 cents of each dollar raised in taxes goes to education in Arkansas. The need is to generate new money.

One of the problems with "Next Step", he said, is it ties teacher raises to one test given annually, and isn't based on how good a job the teacher is doing overall.

This means teachers would have to motivate the students for learning more, basically gearing classes toward the taking of the SAT-9 tests each year instead of providing them a well-rounded and balanced education.

The program calls for reinstating the Governor's Scholarship, even though funding for it isn't available at this time. Should the recipient graduate from college within six years, the scholarship wouldn't have to be repaid. But, if the recipient fails to graduate in the time period, or drops out, it becomes a loan to be repaid.

At this time, McAfee said, 60 percent of high school students graduating with a 3.0 grade point average can't make a 19 on the ACT test in math or English. This means they must take remedial courses in college.

The governor, he said, also wants to expand the opportunity for high school students to earn college credit through two-year institutions. At Nevada, he continued, students paying their fees, can earn up to 24 college hours upon graduation.

The governor's plan also calls for those students not making a 19 on their ACT tests to be required to attend two-year schools instead of going directly to a four-year institution.

McAfee said the community colleges in the state may not be able to handle the influx of students if this happens.

One headache the district is going through deals with the school report card. At Nevada, McAfee said, the wrong test score was put in and it makes it look as though the scores were lower than they actually were.

When different agencies dealing with the school report cards were called, he said, they passed the buck stating all they did was input the scores they were given.

One test, he said, was so bad it wasn't even graded for the district report cards. "How can you give a grade based on this."

The governor also wants laws for charter schools to be broadened, and include state funds to build charter school buildings. McAfee said this amounts to using state monies to build church schools.

This issue will likely be challenged in court.

In all, McAfee said, Huckabee is taking credit for work done by the Blue Ribbon Commission by getting his "Next Step" plan out before the commission could release its report.

Much of the information in "Next Step", he said, is from the commission.

What could be one of the most devastating plans under the program is having four-year-olds in the pre-school program, eventually broadening this to include three-year-olds, with a full curriculum for these children.

Jim Cross, maintenance and transportation supervisor, said it would cost $700 per child to properly equip buses to transport three-year-olds to school, as the law requires they be in approved safety seats.

McAfee said this idea would require 1,700 to 2,000 certified pre-school teachers in the state, when Arkansas is in the midst of a teacher shortage.

"Next Step" also calls for building an Arts magnet school, where students in the 11th and 12th grades be in an art oriented setting.

Huckabee, he said, is also looking at consolidating districts and creating K-8 districts with county high schools.

Other elements of "Next Step" include raising teacher salaries to $30,000 per year for teachers with bachelor degrees and $37,500 for those with a master's. With step increases, those with master's degrees would be making $55,000 per year after 16 years.

To do this, McAfee said, the school year would be expanded from 185 days to 205, with students being released after 185 days. The remaining 20 days would be used as in-service days for teachers.

Huckabee, he continued, is also looking into year-round schools. Under the plan, students would go to class 45 days and be off 15 days, before returning to school.

"Change will occur," McAfee said. "The federal judge has ordered it, the governor's mandated it and we need to be ready to work on it."