By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com

The Wynford Board of Education heard two different sides to the controversial Common Core State Standards Monday evening at their March regularly scheduled meeting.

Jim Erwin from the Crawford County Tea Party group “From Citizen to a Patriot, with a Christian Prospective,” spoke out against the Common Core State Standards.

In his speech to the Board, Erwin stated, “Common Core takes control of what is taught and how it is taught.”

Erwin explained that the group was there in order to raise awareness and asked that the Wynford School Board look at the information as well as do their own research before coming to their own conclusion.

During his report, Wynford High School Principal Jeff Holbrook spoke in favor of Common Core State Standards

“Common Core, to me it evens the playing field for all students and teachers, and a good example would be if you are a student in the state of Ohio and you move to, for whatever reason to Indiana, and you are junior, and you are taking junior level English,” Holbrook said. “You know what are you studying in Ohio versus what are you going into when you go to Indiana it evens that playing field.

“Really it is a guideline for teachers. Because text books (publishers) their main idea is to sell you a text book, and that is the guideline it used to be. Then came state standards, but Common Core it just evens the playing field out, and I am in agreement with it,” Holbrook continued.

Citing changes in Special Education Services, the state’s new funding formula, and other expenditures, Treasurer Leesa Smith explained that a decrease of $23,000 was amended to the forecast. Smith also explained that pre-school funding increased from $40,000 to $70,000, and casino money doubled from last year.

The Wynford Board of Education approved all items on the consent agenda during Monday night’s meeting including the approval of two retirements. Speech pathologist Charlene Beeler, and bus mechanic Jim Sebring both will retire in June of 2014. The resignation of assistant varsity volleyball coach Jon Price was approved as well.