Governor’s ideas could be better, educators say

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Gov. Gray Davis is on the right track in his support of

education, but it just isn’t enough, say local educators, parents and

students.

“It’s good bits and pieces of what needs to be a comprehensive plan,”

said Linda Mook, president of the Newport-Mesa Teachers Federation.

In his state of the State address Wednesday night, Davis called on

students to enter the teaching profession, proposing forgivable college

loans, teaching fellowships and cash bonuses as incentives for teachers

working in schools that rank in the lowest 50%.

“You need qualified teachers in a classroom, and it would be really great

if lawmakers woke up and said, ‘Lets at least bring California up to the

national average and put resources into the schools where they can

actually use them,”’ Mook said. “I think if you look at what makes a

profession attractive, you’re going to have well-paid, happy employees

that aren’t working in facilities that are crumbling around them.”

Although the idea of encouraging students to enter the profession is a

good one, said Don Martin, principal of Corona del Mar High School, it

isn’t easy to fight societal trends that determine what kind of jobs

people want.

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s, people wanted to give back to the community,” he

said. “Then in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, everyone went into business, to

make the money.”

Martin said in recent years he has detected a shift back toward a desire

to give back to the community.

Back Bay High School teacher Marc Katz shared Martin’s theory, but

without sharing his optimism for the future.

“Kids nowadays study business,” he said. “It takes a social consciousness

[to go into teaching]. I see our society more concerned with conscious

consumption.”

Following up on last year’s push for higher standards, Davis also

proposed offering scholarships to students who score in the top 10%

statewide or top 5% in their school on the new standardized reporting and

testing (STAR) exams.

“I think it’s really great that Gray is focusing on education. It’s

certainly a worthy focus,” said Jill Money, present of the Harbor Council

PTA. “My concern is that it seems there are already way too many strings

attached with the money.”

Students agreed that Davis’ heart is in the right place, but, they said,

perhaps his ideas need some reworking.

“I’m not sure that the standardized tests are a portrayal of who should

get money for college,” said Robin Letostak, a senior at Estancia High

School.

Letostak said she knew plenty of hard-working students striving to go to

college who did not score well on the standardized test because English

was their second language.

“Those tests are geared toward students whose first language is English,”

she said.

Martin agreed, saying it may not reach the desired target area.

“All it will do is put money in the hands of the very brightest,” he

said. “I appreciate his zeal, but I would go toward the bottom instead of

adding cream to ... the cream of the crop.”

Setting specific accolades and criticisms aside, there is an overall

feeling among local educators that it’s the first step in what needs to

be a marathon run to improve the state’s schools.

“As a veteran teacher through the years, I applaud him for being on the

right track. There isn’t enough money in education now -- more is the

answer,” Katz said. “We need about three times as much as we’ve got to

actually do the job.”

Davis’ Lesson Plan

For teachers that agree to work in schools that rank in the bottom 50%,

Davis said:

* The state will pay for college education with up to $11,000 in

forgivable college loans.

* Top college graduates will be eligible for a $20,000 competitive

teaching fellowship, if the graduate earns teaching credentials.

* For the individual who becomes a fully accredited teacher, both the

individual and their school will receive a $2,000 bonus and be eligible

for a $10,000 forgivable loan for the down payment on a new home.

* For a teacher with a national board certification, that award will jump

from $10,000 to $30,000.

Davis also said:

* A retired teacher will be allowed to keep their full pension if they

return to teaching at the school of their choice.

* He has proposed offering $1,000 college scholarships to every high

school student who scores in the top 10% statewide or top 5% of their

school on the STAR test.

* He will ask for $75 million to launch California Institutes for Science

and Innovation, to be established on three University of California

campuses.