April 8, 2005

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER ANNOUNCES GOVERNOR'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today introduced the Governor's Advisory Committee on Education Excellence, a non-partisan, privately funded group charged with examining K-12 education in California and recommending steps to improve the performance of public schools.

California's children deserve to be taught in the best public schools. There is no issue more important to me and to the future of California than the reform of public education, said Governor Schwarzenegger. Our future and the futures of millions of children depend upon the quality of our schools. We have many great schools and thousands of great teachers, but as I have said many times before, they work in a system that is broken. I have asked this distinguished group of educators and policy makers to help me fix this broken system and to make California's schools the best in the nation once again.

Drawn from the public and private sectors, the 15-member committee will be led by Occidental College President Ted Mitchell, an education historian, former UCLA vice chancellor and long-time advocate for public schools.

Ted has been a leader of education reform efforts in our state for two decades and has earned the trust of educators, policy makers, and legislators from both sides of the aisle, said Governor Schwarzenegger. I have great confidence in him and in the other committee members who represent a wide range of voices, ideas, and communities. I know they will bring forward bold and creative ideas for making our schools great.

I am grateful for the governor's confidence and for the opportunity to serve our children and our state, said Mitchell. The committee's existence and our broad charge are testimony to the governor's commitment to improving our schools. I look forward to working with him, with Secretary Riordan, with Superintendent O'Connell, with the Legislature, teachers, and education groups throughout the state to better California's schools.

The committee will focus on four interrelated issues: the distribution and adequacy of education funding; the functioning and effectiveness of governance structures; teacher recruitment and training; and the preparation and retention of school administrators. In this way, the work of the committee will incorporate the charge of the Quality Education Commission through a more integrated and thorough analysis of California's public school system.

In each of these areas, the committee will draw on the insights of researchers and policy makers from California and across the country. The governor has directed the committee to develop a plan for public engagement, to report regularly to Secretary for Education Richard Riordan, and to deliver its recommendations in a series of reports within the next 24 months.

The Governor has brought together an exceptional committee of individuals who share our commitment to improving public education. The critical goal -- to provide every single student with a quality education -- deserves unwavering focus, said Riordan. Ted Mitchell is one of education's best leaders. I know he will successfully lead this team to complete its meaningful charge.

The committee and independent studies in support of its work will be funded through a public-private partnership. Discussions are underway with a number of foundations, including the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"We are encouraged by the commitment to investigate California's school finance structure and understand what is working and where the gaps lie," said Marshall Smith, director of education for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, speaking on behalf of the four foundations. "Our hope is that a well-researched, non-partisan study of these issues will inform conversations at all levels of California's government."

Committee members include:

• Arlene Ackerman, superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District
  
• Russlyn Ali, executive director, Ed Trust West
  
• Dede Alpert, Nielson & Merksamer LLP; former state senator
  
• Ernesto Cortes, southwest regional director, Industrial Areas Foundation
  
• Jim Doti, president, Chapman University
  
• Dave Gordon, superintendent, Sacramento County Office of Education
  
• Thomas Henry, chief executive officer, Fiscal Crisis Management & Assessment Team
  
• Jose Huizar, president, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education
  
• Sherry Lansing, chairman emeritus, Paramount Pictures
  
• Peter Mehas, superintendent, Fresno County Office of Education
  
• Irene Oropeza-Enriquez, teacher, Prairie Elementary School, Woodland
  
• Mark Rosenbaum, general counsel, American Civil Liberties Union
  
• Sau-Lim (Lance) Tsang, board member, Oakland Unity High School - Charter School
  
• Randolph Ward, state administrator, Oakland Unified School District
  
• Caprice Young, president and chief executive officer, California Charter Schools Association
  

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