West Middlesex school directors aren’t happy with pending legislation they say will take away their voice.

“It would be a real pinch on small school districts,” board President Thomas Hubert said of state House bills that call for graduation competency assessments and a statewide health care system.

School directors made a symbolic vote Tuesday opposing the bills.

“I know it’s political, but I think it will send a message,” Hubert said.

Local school districts won’t have control over the contents of the competency tests if the bill passes and will likely have to pick up the cost of helping students who fail to meet the requirements, Hubert said.

Hermitage and Sharon school directors also passed resolutions this month in opposition to the assessments.

The tests would essentially be a final exam students would take to adequately measure performance in a particular class, said state Rep. Mark Longietti, Hermitage, D-7th District.

“I’m not sold on the idea because I don’t think schools are sold in the idea,” Longietti said. Passing the bill without school administrators fully behind it could be “extremely difficult,” he added.

State lawmakers are also looking at ways school districts can cut costs through a statewide health insurance program.

If passed, the bill could save “hundreds of millions of dollars, lower property taxes and reduce teacher strikes,” said its sponsor, state Rep. Dan Surra, an Elk County Democrat.

West Middlesex board members recognize the benefits, Hubert said, but are against the bill because school directors won’t have equal representation in setting it up.

“Without equality, we can’t be for it,” Hubert said.

Surra’s plan would create the 20-member Public School Employees Benefit Board, made up of 10 union members, four legislators, two cabinet officials and four school directors drawn from across the state.

Hubert said this structure is “foolish” and “doesn’t make sense.” “We’ll have nobody to fight our cause for us if this goes through,” he noted.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is asking state representatives to take a second look at the bill before voting on it. The association wants to see a board made up of eight union members, eight school directors, four legislators and four administrative officials.