The window, however, will only be open a short time, so we must act quickly and we must all contribute. There are signs from state leaders that they are ready and willing to make these changes, but the ideas for change need to reach them in order for a plan to materialize.
Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, arguably one of the most powerful people in state government, was quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune right after the election as saying three important things:
1) "The challenges of public education, including teacher pay, class sizes and per-pupil spending are not going away."
2) "Now, with the defeat of vouchers, the onus is on the opponents to propose meaningful alternative reforms."
3) "I have yet to hear a constructive suggestion from those groups." (This statement referred to the Utah Education Association, the PTA and the Utah State Board of Education.)
The first two statements are easy for me to agree with. The underlying problems still exist and it behooves those who opposed vouchers to step forward with a plan for improvement.
The third statement, however, is frustrating.
In the heat of battle, Sen. Bramble apparently forgot about the important reform efforts these groups are now implementing. He must have forgotten about the successful K-3 reading program that has placed reading specialists in so many elementary schools and is retraining teachers to help the youngest students master language arts. He must have forgotten about the closely related 4-6 math program that is similarly attacking low math scores. Clearly, the all-day kindergarten program for at-risk students slipped his mind.
These are all good examples of ideas that have filtered upward from parents, teachers and school boards to the governor and Legislature. These programs epitomize the need to carefully direct our limited resources to the areas where they will do the most good. They are also great examples of how meaningful change can result from cooperation and compromise.
The efforts I have mentioned are only the beginning. The teachers have a proposal for mentoring that will help us retain our new educators and address the statewide shortage. The State Board has numerous ideas for improvement, including a teacher compensation plan that involves performance pay and bonuses for teachers in hard-to-staff schools and subjects. The PTA has a wonderful plan that would help the parents of preschool-age children prepare them for kindergarten.
In the spirit of reconciliation, I beseech those who opposed vouchers to put forth their ideas for change and improvement now, and to forcefully take them to every member of the Legislature and to the governor himself.
I also implore our state leaders to accept these ideas, to carefully consider their relative costs and benefits, and to immediately initiate the suggestions they feel will do the most good.
The time is now to push us forward. If we wait too long, the system will fall back to sleep and our recent trials and tribulations will have been in vain.
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* TIM BEAGLEY is a former member of the Utah State Board of Education (2002-2006). He lives in West Valley City.
