Evolution: The Oshkosh Northwestern is Right On

However, I bet the letters are about to be pouring in...

Editorial: Evolution debate not worthy of further energy
For a moment, let's consider some of the top issues facing the Oshkosh school system:

Adapting to a myriad of new state and federal education standards.

Finding money to fix aging buildings.

Crafting a long-range plan to address enrollment trends.

Engaging parents to get more involved in their children's homework and classrooms.

Working with the business community to graduate students with relevant job skills.

Preparing students for college.

Notice that you don't find the teaching of evolution as a critical or even tangential topic of discussion. That's because it is not relevant.

Sandra Gade, a retired physics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is mounting a petition drive to ask the school board to change the way evolution is taught in high school biology classes.

Wisconsin law does not provide a mechanism for petition drives to force a vote on school curriculum issues unlike the municipal law that is behind the drive for a garbage fee referendum that could be placed on the November ballot in the city of Oshkosh.

The evolution petition drive is even less relevant when we consider the amount of time school officials have already spent on the issue.

District administrators met with Gade to listen to her concerns, reviewed the district's biology curriculum and textbooks, confirmed that Oshkosh's curriculum meets state and federal standards and consulted with UWO scientists on Gade's claims.

Moreover, Gade addressed the school board several times last spring during citizen comment portions of board meetings.

The issue has had more than it's fair share of discussion.

The school board and the community can safely move on and address the issues of far greater importance to the future of our schools.

The Final Thought: Oshkosh school officials have appropriately addressed concerns about the biology instruction in city schools. It is time to move on.