A Full Agenda for Davis

Democrat Gray Davis takes office today as California’s 37th governor, carrying a popular mandate to overhaul the state’s beleaguered public school system. Education reform was the keystone of his election campaign and clearly stood first in the minds of voters.

The new governor will need the cooperation of the education establishment, which has everything to gain if the schools improve. Davis’ success in making those improvements will be the chief measure by which he will be judged at the end of his term, four years from now.

He must, to succeed, wrest a marked level of accountability from his allies, the teachers. Their pay should be linked to performance, which should be measured by testing their pupils against the state’s tough new academic standards. California should not subsidize teachers who are not up to the job, but student progress in reading and math should be rewarded handsomely.

On these and other urgent issues, the work begins today. As Davis is sworn in, a score of Democratic constituencies are submitting their own agendas to the governor’s office for programs that withered during the past 16 years of Republican governors. Simultaneously, the Democratic majorities in the Legislature have their own lists of bills they want the governor to support. Many of those measures passed the Legislature in recent years but were vetoed by GOP Gov. Pete Wilson.

So Davis faces a staggering array of state needs during this transition to the 21st century, which coincides with the 150th anniversary of the California Gold Rush and statehood. Expectations of this administration are uncommonly high, in part because so many of California’s major problems have been neglected in recent years. While many of the pleaders’ proposals are worthy ones, they must be patient.

Davis will need the help of Senate President Pro Tem John L. Burton (D-San Francisco) and Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) to keep lawmakers focused on the key issues, especially education reform. Davis has promised to govern from the political center and to take a deliberative approach to issues. Some special-interest groups may chafe, but careful deliberation is the prudent course.

To highlight the urgency of education, Davis has promised to call a special session of the Legislature to deal with reform, something he may do today. The practical advantage is that bills passed during a special session need not wait until the next Jan. 1 to become law. This should spur Davis to put forth programs he wants to implement for the new school year, which begins next fall.

As critical as prompt action may be, however, it’s important to make sure the job is done right. The goals of reforms must be achievable and they should fit within a well-considered general plan, one that includes better training for new teachers, particularly those hired with emergency credentials. Improved training, especially in how to teach reading and math, should be stressed at the California State University campuses, which turn out 60% of the state’s new teachers. Veteran teachers also need ongoing, rigorous training aligned with state standards. Improving teacher competency is the most important reform California can undertake to increase student achievement.

A 13-member education task force under the chairmanship of former CSU Chancellor Barry Munitz has been working on the details of reform since the week after the November election. Davis may discuss some of the fruits of its work in his inaugural address today and perhaps more in a State of the State address to the Legislature on Wednesday. The new governor will present his first state budget Friday and still must fill scores of jobs in his administration. It’s a good thing Davis relishes his work.

As his education program moves forward, Davis needs to begin tackling other issues, including a new assault weapons ban, development of a long-term plan for the rehabilitation of the state’s infrastructure, health care reform and a sorting out of the tangled fiscal relationship between state and local government. He must also deal with a possible budget deficit of more than $2 billion, which may severely inhibit new programs.

Davis faces long, difficult days ahead. But this inaugural day is one of ceremony and celebration. It’s a new beginning. The slate is clean. Opportunity abounds. The new governor has our support and goodwill for the task before him.