Side Bars – Our Obligations – The Purpose of Civil Government – The Witness of the Reformational Church to the Role of the Civil Magistrate – Closing Exhortation

Ballot Recommendations Summary Measure 26 Measure 27 Measure 28 Measure 29 Measure 30 Measure 31 Measure 32 Measure 33 Measure 34 Measure 35 Measure 36 Measure 37 Measure 38 Measure 39 Measure 40 Measure 41 Measure 42 Measure 43 Measure 44 Measure 45 Measure 46 Measure 47 Measure 48

Measure 42
Amends Constitution: Requires Testing of Public School Students; Public Report

Long term, our goal is the elimination of the State’s role in education. The Bible clearly puts the responsibility on parents to educate their own children (Deut. 6). While it is perfectly legitimate, and often beneficial, for parents to band together and form schools, hire tutors, etc., the State’s role in this is dubious at best. For the civil government to coercively take money from one citizen to pay for the education of another citizen is wrong. In addition, as J. Gresam Machen predicted long ago, government schools have become the greatest machinery for atheism this sin-rent world have ever seen. We are thus loathe to do anything to clean the public schools. Jon Lofton once said of those who seek to reform public education, “What are you going to do? Bounce the rubble?”

It is not our intent in endorsing this Measure to try to reform government schools. But as long as the State offers this “service” to parents, and pays for it with income taxes it has compelled us to give, it seems appropriate to insist that they demonstrate accountability by testing annually and making these test scores known.

Secondarily, this Measure may well also move us one step closer to the end of government schools. Home schoolers are currently required to test annually, and it would be a delight to lobby the Legislature and the public with both sets of test scores in hand! Baby steps, but we advocate a YES vote on this Measure.

QUESTION: Shall constitution require annual testing of grade 4-12 public school students, and public report on total testing results?

SUMMARY: Amends constitution. Requires annual testing of all grade 4-12 public school students. Tests include, but not limited to, math and verbal skills. All students in same grade must take same test in same academic year. Tests cannot contain moral, social, or political value testing. Individual results must be released to student and parents. Department of Education must issue public report with total testing results, by school and grade. Each students results must be kept for research purposes, cross-reference with college admission tests.

This voters' guide produced by Parents Education Association, PAC.