Education Reform Bills Passed

* While haste in many areas may have value, it seems ill-advised to urge the state Board of Education to “work at warp speed” in order to implement the school reform bills recently “hammered out in record time,” as advised by your March 26 editorial, “Speed in School Reforms Is Key.” The halls of education are filled with the refuse of failed reforms pushed into existence by zealous legislators anxious to bolster their positions with their constituents. Just recently class sizes were reduced before we had either teachers to teach them or classrooms to house them. Shortly before that teachers were asked to administer standardized tests to students before state content standards were finalized.

While change in the system is clearly needed, it is imperative that cool heads work with care and responsibility in order to fashion meaningful reform measures. The unfortunate consequences of a scenario of speed-at-any-cost is that the discarded failures are collected as evidence to be used by the haters of public education in support of their contention that the system (teachers and administration) is flawed and ineffective.

WILLIAM WRIGHT

Rancho Santa Margarita

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What’s needed in California is a long-term master plan for school success. Over the last 25 years, our schools have been bombarded with legislative reforms. No sooner is one set of reforms mandated then another set comes along to replace it, many times before the previous reforms have been fully implemented.

Meanwhile, California’s ranking on expenditures per child has dropped from fifth to 37th nationally. Conversely, since 1988, the funding the state has mandated for restricted categorical programs has increased by 55%, stealing limited resources away from the ongoing needs of the base education program.

A master plan need not be complex, merely focused. It should work to raise the level of financial commitment to schools, delineate distinct roles for the state, districts, school boards and schools, describe expectations, identify missing components and give a reasonable timeline for the enacting of necessary programs.

SIDNEY MORRISON, President

Assn. of California School

Administrators, Sacramento