Candidates Split on Charter Schools, Testing

The major candidates in the Oct. 7 recall election fall into two camps on issues related to the state’s public schools.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat in the race to replace Gov. Gray Davis, Green Party candidate Peter Camejo, and Arianna Huffington are in general agreement that the state needs to spend more money supporting and improving the K-12 education system. In public statements and in response to a series of questions from The Times, each also expressed skepticism about the state’s system of student tests.

The three differ, however, on charter schools -- public schools that are given a large measure of independence from some regulations. Bustamante and Camejo expressed doubts about charters, while Huffington urged that the state approve more of them.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), the two prominent Republicans in the race, both say that the level of spending is not the main problem facing the schools. Current spending needs to be better focused at the classroom level, they say.

Both support student testing and expansion of charter schools. They also both say that principals should have more control over their schools on matters such as teacher assignments. The two support charter schools but differ on teacher tenure, which Schwarzenegger supports and McClintock opposes.

Davis falls in between. The governor notes that since his first term began, the state’s spending on K-12 education has risen 30%. But he has not called for further increases beyond what is required by the voter-approved Proposition 98. California’s spending per-student was 43rd nationwide when he took office and is now at about the national average, he notes. Davis also defends the testing program.

Although Schwarzenegger has hammered on the state’s economy as a key campaign theme, he has also emphasized education issues.

Schwarzenegger entered California politics last year with his successful campaign for Proposition 49. That measure was designed to establish after-school programs for students. It has not yet actually produced any programs, however, because it did not include a source of funding. The proposition will pass money to after-school programs only if the state’s revenue increases substantially.

On Friday, Schwarzenegger’s campaign released a position paper on education. Covering a number of issues, the document calls for reductions in school district bureaucracies, measures to give principals more power and the adoption of more flexible rules for construction of new campuses.

Schwarzenegger also called for the opening of more charter schools as well as steps to ease credentialing for people who want to switch careers and become teachers.

Schwarzenegger’s statement avoided positions on some issues. For example, he called for more attention to recruiting and training special education teachers, but did not mention the cost of meeting federal special-education mandates, a major budget item for many districts.

The great majority of funding for local schools in California comes from the state. Education is the largest part of the budget, and Proposition 98, passed by voters in 1988, requires that roughly 40% of all state revenue goes to public schools.

The candidates generally agreed that even in tough budget times education should be given a top priority. None suggested changing Proposition 98.

Two issues -- charter schools and teacher tenure -- alter the candidates’ usual alignments.

Huffington lined up with Schwarzenegger and McClintock in calling for less regulation of charters. All three also argued for dropping the limit on the number of charter schools the state allows.

The state’s charter school law allows groups outside the traditional education system to sponsor schools that then operate with significant autonomy.

Supporters say charters bring fresh ideas into the schools. Opponents see them as a potential threat to the public school system, fearing that charters, which are allowed to choose which students to accept, could skim off the best, most motivated students.

Critics of charter schools also have pointed to some cases of misconduct by organizations sponsoring charters.

Schwarzenegger said that he supports expanding the list of organizations that can approve the opening of charter schools. Currently, only state and county boards of education and local school districts can approve a charter; Schwarzenegger would expand the authority to universities and local governments.

Davis defended charter schools as providing “important options for students,” but said he was concerned about “accountability for student performance.” He also said that since the state is not yet close to hitting the cap on the number of charters, a debate over raising the limit is premature.

On tenure, which is a major issue for teacher unions, Huffington and McClintock both said they opposed lifetime job security for public school instructors.

Bustamante, Schwarzenegger and Camejo all said they support tenure, although Schwarzenegger would limit it.

Teachers should be entitled to tenure in a specific subject matter or grade, Schwarzenegger said. It would be “reasonable” to require those who want to switch to another grade or subject matter to earn tenure once again by demonstrating their knowledge in the relevant subject or by getting additional training, he said.

Camejo suggested a review of procedures for “handling under-performing teachers.”

Davis skirted the issue in his response to questions from The Times. He said tenure is “one aspect of a system designed to keep enough good teachers in the classroom” but that training, adequate salaries and recruitment are “more important.”

On the issue of student testing, Bustamante, Camejo and Huffington each expressed doubts about the state’s current system, saying that too much classroom time is being taken up teaching students how to do well on tests.

Camejo advocated a system in which student performance would be measured using a portfolio of work rather than relying on standardized tests.

Davis, by contrast, strongly defended the testing program. “Out of 180 days of classroom instruction, state testing time in the elementary grades takes less than 1% of all instructional time,” he said.

Schwarzenegger took a position on one aspect of the testing program that has been the subject of hot debate in the Legislature and among teachers, saying he supports testing second-graders. Without those tests, “we would not know that the investment in K-3 reading programs is producing impressive gains in student achievement among English-language learners,” Schwarzenegger said.

Asked about funding gaps between rich and poor school districts, Davis and four of the candidates said they believed the state should work to provide equal facilities for all students.

McClintock disagreed. The state should provide “a basic level of funding” for all schools and allow local districts to use their own resources to increase those funds, he said.

*

Times staff writer Joe Mathews contributed to this report.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Candidates answer questions about education

The Times posed a set of questions about K-12 education to Gov. Gray Davis and the major candidates seeking to replace him. Excerpts from their responses follow. For candidate responses to past questions in this series, go to www.latimes.com/recall. During the course of the campaign, The Times plans to ask the candidates about other major issues.

Q. California’s spending per student in K-12 schools is now about the national average. Is that level appropriate? Should California’s spending be higher than average?

Gov. Gray Davis (D)

We should fund education at a level that is needed to do the job right for all students. Improving our schools is not just a matter of increasing funding. My administration has targeted resources toward meeting goals, like reducing class sizes, ensuring a quality curriculum and recruiting and retaining well-qualified teachers.

Peter M. Camejo (Green)

Because the cost of living in California is higher than the national average, California’s per student K-12 spending should be increased to attract and retain quality teachers.

Arianna Huffington (I)

When cost of living is considered, California ranks 48th nationally in per pupil spending. That is woefully inadequate.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D)

Increasing school spending to above the national average should be the goal of anyone wanting to lead this state.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Our great challenge is that we rank near the bottom in student achievement, not that we are at the national average in spending per pupil. We need to streamline expensive and administratively convoluted categorical programs and maximize the use of existing education dollars.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

Taxpayers put $9,072 behind every student in the K-12 schools last year -- more than $270,000 per classroom. The problem is not lack of money; the problem is that it isn’t getting to the classroom.

*

Q. Do you think the state’s academic testing program is helping to improve student performance? Is the state requiring too many standardized tests? Too few? Would you propose other changes?

Gov. Gray Davis (D)

Absolutely. By shedding light on strengths and weaknesses in student achievement, testing enables schools to focus on areas needing improvement. Test scores have improved five years in a row, even as our tests have gotten tougher, because they are now fully aligned to California’s rigorous academic standards.

Peter M. Camejo (Green)

I have doubts regarding much of our testing program. General, broad-based student learning may actually be decreasing as increased amounts of time are spent on the narrow areas of the standardized tests.

Arianna Huffington (I)

There is way too much testing going on in our schools. If a patient is sick, his or her condition does not improve by taking their temperature more frequently. Unfortunately, testing is increasingly being used to control what is taught and how it is taught.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D)

Teachers are spending too much time giving too many tests. In many instances these tests do not provide true measures of either a teacher’s effectiveness or the child’s ability to learn. While I believe it is important to test our children, the frequency detracts from a teacher’s true responsibility.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Tests that are aligned with academic content standards are an essential tool for teachers, parents, administrators and state policymakers. They will help to raise student achievement across the board. There is no point having standards unless we test to determine if all students are meeting them.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

Academic testing sets basic standards and holds educators accountable for meeting those standards. I would insist that the state’s testing program be maintained and educators held accountable.

*

Q. California school districts continue to have a wide disparity in classroom space and in the ratio of students to fully trained teachers. Does the state have a responsibility to equalize those resources among school districts?

Gov. Gray Davis (D)

Students need room to learn, and teachers need room to teach. I have addressed the issue of overcrowded schools by supporting the passage of the largest school- construction bond in history, and the measure to lower the vote threshold for passing local school bonds.

Peter M. Camejo (Green)

California clearly should be providing adequate educational facilities and materials, and fully qualified teachers, for all students -- not for just a certain portion of our population. I will work to see that this inequity is eliminated.

Arianna Huffington (I)

We absolutely must level the educational playing field. Roughly one in three California public school students -- that’s nearly 2 million of our children -- are currently trying to learn in schools that are overcrowded, decaying and don’t have enough textbooks.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D)

Not only does the state have a moral responsibility to equalize those resources, but we also have a state constitutional responsibility. It is impossible to solve the current fiscal crisis and increase funding for our schools without revenue increases.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

The state has a responsibility to offer all of California’s children an equal opportunity to receive a quality education. That includes access to qualified teachers and appropriate, safe and clean classrooms.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

The state should guarantee a basic level of funding per pupil, and local districts should be free to augment and manage local resources according to the unique needs of each community. Local districts should be freed from one-size-fits-all mandates.

*

Q. Ten years after allowing the first charter schools, California has the second- largest number of such schools in the country. But the state has a cap on the number of new charters. Do you support lifting the cap?

Gov. Gray Davis (D)

I am a strong supporter of charter schools and believe they provide important options for students. I am not as concerned about regulation as I am about accountability for student performance. I signed a law increasing the cap on new charters by 100 schools each year. We are nowhere near reaching the cap, so it seems premature to discuss lifting it.

Peter M. Camejo (Green)

No, I do not support lifting the cap. I believe that the charter school program needs careful re-evaluation. I oppose any steps which might lead to privatization of our public schools and want to be sure that charter schools are not taking us down that path.

Arianna Huffington (I)

There should be no cap on public charter schools. Charter schools don’t need more regulation, they need to receive equal per pupil funding, and funding for building, buying, or leasing school facilities.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D)

We need to be very careful about the expansion of the number of charter schools and thoroughly evaluate the success or failures of the current charter schools. All charter schools should be held to the same accountability standards as non-charter schools.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

I support lifting the cap on charter schools, cutting the burdensome regulations recently imposed on charter schools and working to make sure charter schools are not shortchanged. I want to see more charter schools in California, more families to have access to schools that are helping students achieve.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

Charter schools are the one bright spot in the public school system, precisely because they have greater freedom to manage their affairs. There should be no cap on charters, and they should be given the widest possible latitude within broad, basic standards.

*

Q. Should public school teachers continue to be eligible for lifetime tenure?

Gov. Gray Davis (D)

The most important element in a good education system is a good teacher. Tenure is one aspect of a system designed to keep enough good teachers in the classroom. Even more important is adequate teacher training, better initial salaries, and recruitment of new teachers.

Peter M. Camejo (Green)

Yes, but I would be open to reviewing existing procedures for handling under-performing teachers. I do not believe that the simplistic idea of eliminating tenure is a genuine solution to the quite complex problem of teacher performance.

Arianna Huffington (I)

No. I am in favor of merit pay for teachers, and for maintaining high quality health and pension programs for teachers. But I am against lifetime tenure. Students shouldn’t be burdened with teachers who can’t be fired, regardless of their performance.

Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D)

Yes. However, I support testing for teachers, focusing primarily on subject-matter knowledge. The best way to evaluate teaching ability is through actual teaching. This occurs when the teacher is first hired and is placed on probation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

We need to keep qualified teachers in the classroom, so I support opportunities for teachers to earn tenure in a particular subject matter and grade level span.

State Sen. Tom McClintock (R)

No. Tenure is appropriate at the university level, but is entirely inapplicable to K-12 schools. School administrators should be able to fire unsatisfactory teachers and to reward outstanding ones.