Can't Unring That Bell, Labor Day Repeal, Tebow, Lobby Day

The effort to amend the Constitution of Virginia by transferring the charter granting authority from local school boards to the Board of Education, a nine-member board appointed by the Governor, is most misguided.  VEA has been clear in its opposition to this bill (see January 18^th posting on this blog).

Now some members of the General Assembly are telling us that they are going to vote for the amendment so that they will have a seat at the table when the implementing legislation is crafted.  They claim to be helping us by making sure the applications to open a charter school come to the local school first.

This is not the help we need, and you have to question the wisdom of one who would change the Constitution to gain a seat at the table to craft a temporal and less significant piece of legislation.

As a friend quipped to me, when you change the Constitution, “You can’t unring that bell.”

Let us be very clear in demanding opposition to HJ1 and SJ6.

In the House Committee on Education, two bills to repeal the Labor Day school closing law, HB571 & HB753 advanced, both on 16-Y 6-N votes.

The Senate Finance Committee delayed action on Statewide Health Insurance (Vogel SB384/Chafin at SB675) went by for the day as the two senators need to work on perfecting and conforming this bills.

As was the case last year, the Tebow bill (HB131) passed the House on a 58-Y 41-N vote.  Last year this bill was vetoed by the Governor.

The Lobby Day weather report says 64F and sunny.  The Sunday night briefing is at 5:30 at the Holiday Inn Express at 2^nd and Cary.  The Monday morning briefing is at 8 at the Hilton at 5^th and Broad.