Civics Education Testing a Must for all High Shcool Graduates and More

If the NEA ever did more than a few dozen things right, they could help their reputation by passing a law making all High School graduates pass a Civics Education test. Finally, some schools are making the passing of this basic civics tests mandatory.before seniors can graduate.

It's way past time when this testing should have been mandatory to graduate but better late than never. We will see if generally weak school boards across the nation; especially in the Peoria area respond to this simple testing exercise. Some TV shows have been showing how ignorant most of us are on basic civics knowledge.

Those local board members opposing the passing of these school laws will also will also show the incompetence of so many school board members

I have long pointed out the incompetence of how are school boards are selected in totally wrong as proven by the failure to truly educate our dropouts and over half our graduates.Using Peoria School
District #150 the system of selecting school board members should start with the common sense concept that most public school board members should be salaried. The salaries should be based on importance of the job of educating youths.($100,000 or more in Peoria #150 Distrit) I suggest the board consist of three members. The boundaries of these three districts from which these board members would be elected, should be determined by the local Regional Superintendent of Schools, the Mayor of the City of Peoria, the leader of Heartland Partnership and the President of the Civic Center or Angels or whatever this peer group is called today.Also, possibly the County Board Chairman but only if this chairman resides in the area served by District # 150.

Board members terms would be three years. Every three years, each member should stand for reelection. with term limits of nine years.

Radical? Possibly, but it is a well publicized FACT the the public school system is not getting the job done with that job being to EDUCATE ALL OUR KIDS equally.

Does my plan need to be fully evaluated. Of course, because it is a STARTER plan. If some have better ideas, let the be publicized  on this site or tell me where these better plans are being stymied and lets get some national debates started. We should all know that dissatisfaction with the system have led to more than 1000 Charter Schools across the country. We also know that even many of these Charter Schools are not perfect including the local Quest system which is not really a true Charter School because of it's too close connection with District #150 and Quest's ongoing internal problems resulting in a newly selected  administrator, a leading architect of what many consider to be a failing District #150.

A crazy idea? Sure, evidently many, at one time in history, thought the world was flat and recently that FireFly was the best thing that happened in Illinois is recent history.