Class size, accountability focus of Democrats' education plan

The state of Nevada's Democratic Party revealed its education agenda for 2005 on Thursday. Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins introduced the "ABC" plan, calling for accountability, better schools, and communication. The party plans to introduce two bills when the legislature convenes on February 7. The first requires parents to sign "expectation agreements" provided by the school. The agreement, which is given out at the beginning of the academic school year, discusses homework loads and other details of the child's education. The second bill would allow parents to take time to participate in a school sponsored activity without penalization from their employers. The party also wants to establish a full-day kindergarten program, citing the success of other states' programs. They also want to focus on reducing class sizes, and keeping them down throughout the school year.