Education

State Journal

October 22, 2003 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

State Board Agenda

California educators are not sure if they are waiting for a leadership tremor or an earthquake.

The answer lies in the hands of Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will have almost immediate power to control seven out of the 11 appointed positions on the state board of education after he takes office, which he is expected to do next month.

Three of those positions will come under the new governor’s control on Jan. 15, when the terms of three current board members end. Of the other four positions, three are slotted for appointees of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who will remain in office until the recent election recalling him is certified. Their confirmation in the coming weeks by the state Senate is unlikely. One other seat is vacant.

Mr. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has the potential to dramatically change the climate of the board, which plays a major role in setting state school policy and implementing the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

“Over the last few years, a considerable amount of authority has been given to the state board of education,” said Scott Plotkin, the executive director of the California School Boards Association. “And to be able to replace seven [positions] and make that kind of change that quickly could have a dramatic impact, but we don’t know how to assess it just yet.”

Nonetheless, the upcoming appointments have education officials bracing for what could be a major overhaul of the board.

“Our biggest concern is that after six or seven years of bringing everything into alignment in California, the last thing we need is any more dramatic shifts,” Mr. Plotkin added.

Rick Miller, a spokesman for the state department of education, echoed those concerns.

“I think it’s important that we not radically change directions,” he argued. “We hope and believe Governor Schwarzenegger will agree with that and appoint board members who want to keep our system of high standards of accountability.”

A spokesman for Mr. Schwarzenegger said that the actor-turned-politician has not yet indicated how he will act on the board appointments, or on specific education policies.

But on his campaign Web site, the governor-elect says: “My goal is to shift more power to local communities and give them more say over their budgets and get more money into the classroom.”

—Olivia Doherty

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education In Their Own Words The Stories That Stuck With Us, 2023 Edition
Our newsroom selected five stories as among the highlights of our work. Here's why.
4 min read
102523 IMSE Reading BS
Adria Malcolm for Education Week
Education Opinion The 10 Most-Read Opinions of 2023
Here are Education Week’s most-read Opinion blog posts and essays of 2023.
2 min read
Collage of lead images for various opinion stories.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
Education Letter to the Editor EdWeek's Most-Read Letters of 2023
Read the most-read Letters to the Editor of the past year.
1 min read
Illustration of a line of diverse hands holding up speech bubbles in front of a subtle textured newspaper background
iStock/Getty