Sunday, January 9, 2011

Barresi serves notice to lawbreakers

In today's Tulsa World, Andrea Eger interviews incoming school superintendent Janet Barresi. Key grafs:
Q: Will you recommend that the state Board of Education take any action against the Tulsa-area school districts that have yet to comply with House Bill 3393, the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities?

A: I am very disappointed in the rash way in which they proceeded on this, and in the strongest terms possible I am going to first urge them to reverse their positions. I will be communicating with Attorney General (-elect Scott) Pruitt to explore any type of remedies I have through the state Board of Education or that the attorney general can take in this matter.

Q: In the future, would you support any expansion of the scholarships or even vouchers for students who don't have special needs?

A: I have always been a supporter of competition in schools and choice for parents. I will continue to support that as long as good policy is developed with an eye toward creating new and varied opportunities for students that has a strong, strong accountability component to it.

Q: What is your take on virtual learning and its role in the future of public education in our state?

A: As a state, we need to develop a statewide look at the entire arena, if you will, of digital learning. It's a big area I'm excited to get into, but again, we need to make sure it is focused to students' benefit and ensure complete accountability for these academic results we are getting.

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