Lynne Leach Jack O’Connell
Katherine Smith
By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
When Californians vote for superintendent of public instruction
Tuesday, they will determine not only the chief spokesperson for
K-12 education, but also a key leader for the University of
California.
The superintendent serves as an ex-oficio member of the UC Board
of Regents, which oversees all ten campuses and its three energy
labs.
And with the university changing admissions policy ““
including discussions to drop the SAT I in favor of a more
comprehensive test ““ the necessity for an effective liaison
between the UC and the state’s public schools is growing.
Up for the task in 2002 are Assemblywoman Lynne Leach, R-Walnut
Creek, State Sen. Jack O’Connell, D-San Luis Obispo, Anaheim
school board president Katherine Smith and Los
Angeles-based-political consultant Joe Taylor.
The race could be finished as early as Tuesday night if a
candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate
gets 50 percent, there will be a run-off in November.
On the regent aspect of the superintendent post, Leach said she
would focus on preparing K-12 students for the rigors of higher
education.
“The UC is still well-regarded in the higher education
realm,” Leach said. “We can strengthen that reputation
by making sure K-12 is doing the job it should do.”
O’Connell, on the other hand, prioritized teacher
preparedness in K-12 and as a regent he said he would work with the
UC and California State University system to improve teacher
quality.
“Those two systems produce half the teachers in our
state,” said O’Connell, a former high school teacher
himself. “We have to make sure that teachers have the
resources and tools necessary to educate in the future.”
O’Connell is the front-runner in the race, having received
endorsements from every major state newspaper as well as Delaine
Eastin, the current superintendent.
Smith also cited high school preparation on her regental agenda,
emphasizing that high schools should raise their graduation
standards so more students will be naturally prepared for
college.
“If they graduate with a good GPA and standards have not
been lowered, then we’ll be doing good things for that
student,” Smith said.
Taylor, a University of Southern California graduate, did not
describe any specific changes or projects he would pursue as a
regent. Instead, he supported the continued use of the SAT I in
admissions.
“The SAT has been a fairly good indication of performance
at the higher education level,” Taylor said.
The State of California is also making revisions to higher
education policy. Subcommittees in the state Legislature are trying
to integrate the Master Plan for Higher Education, established in
the 1960s, with the K-12 system.
The Master Plan designated community college as a source of
vocational instruction and continuing education, CSU as a primary
source for four-year degrees and the UC as the main public
institution for research and doctoral studies.
O’Connell said the integration process is groundbreaking
for the state.
“We don’t really have a Master Plan for K-12,”
he said. “I would work to help shape a seamless education
between the two.”
Leach, who serves on the committee to revise the Master Plan,
said the revisions are overdue.
“It makes a lot of sense to merge K-12 with higher
education, since one is the foundation to the other,” said
Leach, vice-chairwoman for the Assembly Education Committee.
Regarding the Master Plan, Taylor said he “believes that
we should continue as we have been,” but thought more
responsibility should be delegated to the CSU.
“The state university system is capable of offering
doctorate degrees,” Taylor said, referring to the fact that a
CSU can only offer a doctorate in conjunction with a sponsoring
UC.
Smith chose to focus on returning “back to basics”
in K-12, claiming that student caliber in early grades has steadily
dropped in the past 30 years.
“Kids can’t read or compute; it’s been a
terrible mess,” Smith said. She suggested that the
methodology she learned as a teacher in the 1960s ““ including
the use of phonics and sight reading ““ is due for a
return.
Other goals for the four candidates include the following:
“¢bull; Leach wants more accountability for where education
dollars are going and hopes to improve low-performing schools by
partnering them with successful schools and programs.
“¢bull; O’Connell promises to further reduce class size in
lower grades and introduced a bill that would pay teachers up to
$15,000 in additional pay for selecting to work at low-performing
schools as a way to increase the number of credentialed teachers in
these areas.
“¢bull; Smith hopes to convene a committee of parents and
teachers to develop guidelines for young parents who have not
attained good parenting skills, dubbed “report cards for
parents.” She advocated a “Moment of Silence” in
her school district as a time for students to reflect in the
morning before beginning the school day.
“¢bull; Taylor wants to require additional certification for
teachers at inner-city schools and require kindergarten in all
school districts. He would also push for a no-tolerance policy for
students who bring weapons to school.