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Sacramento Bee, Friday, Apr. 30, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 14A The hotly contested primary for the superintendent of public instruction is shaping up as a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party on public education. On one side is the traditional educational establishment of teachers' unions and organizations representing administrators and school boards. They have focused primarily on funding issues to maintain the status quo. On the other side is a new coalition of parents, civil rights groups and philanthropists. It has been given a big boost by the election of President Barack Obama, who has taken on the establishment. Their view is that children get only one shot at an education and that too many schools have stagnated for too long. The race features one candidate in the reform camp. Sen. Gloria Romero, a former college teacher, is Senate majority leader and chairs the Senate Education Committee. The other two candidates are in the establishment camp. Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, a former science teacher who has the support of teachers' unions, has served in the Legislature since 1996. Larry Aceves retired in 2006 after 12 years as superintendent of a small elementary school district of 10,000 students. Administrators' groups support him. If you want a reform-minded superintendent of public instruction, vote for Romero. If you want the status quo, vote for one of the others. In the last year, Romero has done heavy lifting to pass laws that identify the lowest- performing schools, provide for major turnarounds and give parents the power to petition and require that their school boards revamp schools. She worked with the governor to get Race to the Top legislation passed, across party lines. Romero realizes that to get real leverage to improve underperforming neighborhood schools, you have to give parents a portfolio of options – including open enrollment and charter schools. In contrast to Romero, Torlakson believes linking teacher evaluation to student performance penalizes teachers who take on challenging students. Aceves is concerned about "anything that smacks of merit pay," believing it rewards already high-performing schools. Surely it is possible to evaluate and reward teachers who take on the toughest assignments and show academic improvement from the beginning of a school year to the end. Torlakson and Aceves are skeptical of Obama's education initiatives. Torlakson opposes open enrollment. Aceves is "cautious" about charter schools. Romero can be bombastic in style and would have to control that in managing a large department. But she is fearless and her priorities are right on. The election of a reformer could be part of a public education realignment in California. It also would position the state to take advantage of Obama's education initiatives. The choice in this race is clear. Click here to read this article on the Bee's website:. |
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