An Ally for Education

Be it preschool or university or anything in between, schools at every level want two things: local control and state money.

That’s why Ventura County should cheer the selection of former state Sen. Gary K. Hart as education secretary in the cabinet of Gov.-elect Gray Davis. Hart, a former high school teacher who currently heads the Cal State University system’s Institute for Educational Reform, represented Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in the state Assembly and Senate for 20 years. He crusaded for improving California’s schools long before education became the top political priority it is today.

At a time when Ventura County is finally realizing its decades-old dream of having its own four-year state university campus but still needs financial support from Sacramento to follow through, having a familiar face in such a crucial position should be a real advantage.

“Gary has been a strong advocate of a four-year public university in Ventura County since the early ‘80s,” says state Sen. Jack O’Connell, who has championed the creation of Cal State University Channel Islands at the former Camarillo State Hospital. “I hope to see even more of a commitment of resources to the Channel Islands campus now. We have an ally in the governor’s office.”

Ventura County schools below the college level also should benefit from the agenda Hart and Davis plan to pursue. They vow a push to ensure that children learn to read by third grade, that teachers get better training and that schools become more accountable for student performance.

All of those goals fit with CSUCI’s intention to focus on the education of teachers and to work with local school districts and the community colleges to better prepare incoming students for the demands of college studies.

We encourage local educators to take full advantage of this connection and to work with the new secretary to make sure Ventura County’s young people are getting the very finest public education possible at every level.