Texas Mayor Banning STAAR Test Within City Limits

No, he can't actually ban the test in schools, but his proclamation is his way of a peaceful protest.

I think the majority of us hate statewide testing like STARR. One of those people is Mayor Steve Horelica of Devers, Texas. Mayor Horelica is also a fifth-grade teacher, so he knows all about this testing every year. Last night, Mayor Horelica came out with a new proclamation banning the STAAR test within the city limits of Devers.

"Being a teacher and being in the classroom, I know how harmful STAAR is to truly educating kids," Horelica said. Too much time is wasted by teachers and students stressing over the tests, the fifth-grade teacher said. "Let's talk about how much your child grew and not about one score that no one cares about but the Texas Education Agency."

Mayor Steven Horelica knows this ban cannot prevent the test, but he says this is his way of the message out there in a peaceful way. The STAAR test can often determine whether a student can move on to the next grade; affect a teacher's evaluation; determine campus and district ratings; and even influence property values if schools in an area are deemed failing.

We will see if any changes come if more people come together to try to make changes to the STAAR test. Some bills are currently going through Texas to try to make some changes to the STAAR, but nothing has passed yet.