Romney: State should take over, shake up failing school districts
The Boston Herald
Kevin Rothstein
May 2, 2003
Taking aim at failing schools, Gov. Mitt Romney said yesterday the state should be able to take over underperforming districts with broad powers to fire teachers, send kids to full-day kindergarten and make their parents go to class.
Speaking at a forum to mark the state Education Reform Act's passing 10 years ago, Romney said lower minority achievement on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam showed more work needs to be done.
``What do we do about the fact that we have districts and schools that are seeing very large numbers of kids that are not passing this basic standard of achievement?'' he said.
The state should be able to move swiftly into underperforming districts and, once there, offer full-day kindergarten and insist parents participate in a preparation program, he said.
``I'd like our parents to be extensively involved, particularly in the beginning but hopefully throughout,'' he said.
The governor also proposed ``summer school'' for teachers and, in some cases, giving principals power to fire 10 percent of a failing school's faculty. District administrators also would be audited.
The governor's comments come as the state is preparing to launch a sweeping initiative to expand state oversight of local schools.
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Educators at yesterday's forum agreed that state oversight was the next step in education reform.
``This is going to be where the rubber meets the road,'' said Mark Roosevelt, one of the authors of the 1993 Education Reform Act.
Where MCAS exams are holding students accountable, educators need to follow suit now, said state Rep. Marie St. Fleur, the House chairwoman of the Education Committee.
``Now it's time for the adults to be accountable,'' the Dorchester Democrat said.
