EdSource conference addresses school finance, reform

In an effort to transform theory into action, the nonprofit organization EdSource hosted a one-day education policy “Convening” in Sacramento that brought together 300 public school advocates, business leaders, researchers and state officials.

The Oct. 19 event focused on “Getting Down to Facts,” the extensive package of school finance studies commissioned by state leaders. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared that 2008 will be “the Year of Education”; his Committee on Education Excellence is expected to release its recommendations for fixing the system before year’s end, and committee chair Ted Mitchell was a keynote speaker at the EdSource conference.

The event also included more than a dozen panel discussions on a range of topics. CSBA President Kathy Kinley described the major findings of her paper, “Targeted Reform and Revenue to Improve Student Achievement,” during a discussion of district and administrative capacity.

Kinley, a former middle school principal, said that educators desperately need both funding and flexibility to do their jobs and that it’s been difficult to get support for such basic diagnostic tools as a statewide student information system. The “Getting Down to Facts” studies make it clear, she said, that such a data system is critically needed to track student progress, measure whether reforms are working and follow students after they move beyond high school. Faced with competing concerns, the governor eliminated funding for the system in this year’s budget.

“We know we need it,” Kinley said. “All we are lacking is the political will to do it.”

CSBA Special Counsel Abe Hajela led a panel discussion on community priorities.

Hajela and state PTA President Pamela Brady—a former school board member with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District—described the School Finance Exploration Project work CSBA and the state PTA are doing with the League of Women Voters and Children NOW.

One aspect of the project involved interviewing 70 policymakers, political, business and community leaders to learn what they want and need from public schools. Despite the different backgrounds and perspectives of those interviewed, many agreed on key issues, Hajela said.

For instance, most of those interviewed didn’t favor taxes on business or the very wealthy to pay the whole price for school improvement. Instead they said every segment of society—not just a selected few—should be required to invest in public education. A majority of those interviewed said everyone should be asked to foot the bill.

“This is something we all value,” he said. “This is something we’ll pay for.”

Related link:

Find links to conference policy briefs and videos of keynote speeches @ www.edsource.org