Schools in dire need
Contra Costa Times 3/19/07
The studies were commissioned four years ago by Gov. Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers after California's education funding crisis. But for many of us, the findings released last week are hardly news.
Among them: Bureaucratic red tape and unnecessary regulations have paralyzed school districts. Teachers and administrators spend far too much time pushing paper. All of the unnecessary rules severely hamper their ability to perform their main function: teaching students.
The studies point out time and time again that the state needs to get out of the way and delegate more authority to local school districts.
Some of the recommendations include making changes in the way the state finances schools, and giving educators more leeway, rather than forcing them to adhere to so many rules. That includes making it easier for principals to get rid of poor-performing teachers.
The studies also found that California would need to spend a whopping $1 trillion to institute the necessary reforms.
However, as Schwarzenegger said at a news conference last week, "money alone won't solve any problems."
He is right. Blindly throwing billions and billions of dollars into state education coffers is not going to improve poor test scores and high dropout rates.
We found this item particularly insightful: Principals surveyed said that, given the choice between more cash and the authority to dismiss bad teachers, they would choose the latter.
Many of the problems pointed out in the studies are a result of bureaucratic inefficiency, not a lack of funds.
State education officials would do well to figure out how to get more of the money they already receive into the classroom.
Schwarzenegger has already proposed spending $56.8 billion on education in 2007-08. That is 40 percent of the state's budget.
While education must be one of our state's top priorities, there are other pressing needs, such as funding health care and meeting skyrocketing prison costs.
There will always be a cash crunch. State educators and lawmakers must therefore figure out how to put the money they have to the best use.