The Big Fix

Megbay Whitman wants us to fix California's education system from the top to the bottom. The California teacher's union doesn't want her to get a chance. It comes a no surprise that the traditionally Democratically-aligned CTA has their differences with the state's leading auctioneer. Instead they find themselves in an uneasy alliance with Jerry "Been There, Done That" Brown. He's the guy who started the rush to charter schools in Oakland back when he was mayor here. The two that got his personal attention continue to survive, even if they don't quite meet the federal standard for "thrive." Jerry does say, on his web site, "I have gained first-hand experience in how difficult it is to enable all students to be ready for college and careers." I'm not going to be the one who goes out and searches for evidence of his hours in the classroom, but we'll give him a point or two for continuing to have his name associated with these institutions. I like the idea of reforming the state testing program. I like the suggestion about broadening the scope of instruction to include more science, history and humanities. That sounds nice. So does having chocolate milk every day at lunch. Megbay, on the other hand wants us to know that, "If our schools don't improve, our prisons will continue to be overcrowded, welfare costs will continue to spiral upward, and we will lose our ability to be a center of innovation." No chocolate milk for her.
The reality is this: Neither Brown nor Whitman will inherit any sort of quick-fixable agenda for anything, especially education. There will be plenty of photo opportunities to go along with all the lip service that is currently being paid before the second of November. Then, suddenly, it will be time to put all of these words into action. Or not. Whitman's plan to cut welfare and shovel that money back into higher education, and Brown's concern over the ability to transfer credits between the CSU and UC systems seem quaint compared to the challenges faced by public education as a whole. None of this can happen without some sort of change and/or relief on a federal level. Unless California finally becomes its own republic, and since I didn't find any plans for secession on either one of the candidates on either web site, I'm guessing we'll continue to wait and hope for change.