SACRAMENTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Recent news about literacy, education and general smarts in California and across the country has been somewhat distressing. <\/p>\n
Along with claims that Americans are becoming illiterate<\/a>, here in the Golden State there are worries that even the highest-achieving students aren\u2019t prepared for our universities<\/a>, and a study shows backsliding in civil rights protections<\/a> in the vacuum created by federal changes under the Trump administration. <\/p>\n Despite being close to terming out of office, and also otherwise occupied with his ever-emerging presidential run<\/a>, Gov. Gavin Newsom last week found time to announce a consequential, if controversial, move that has the potential to vastly improve educational outcomes for California kids: switching out an independent, voter-chosen leader for a hired gun.<\/p>\n In legislation signed last week, Newsom basically eviscerated the role of the elected superintendent of public instruction and instead shifted oversight of our K-12 schools to a newly created education commissioner \u2014 to be appointed by the governor. <\/p>\n The change, set to happen early next year, has been described as a \u201cpower grab\u201d<\/a> by some, and on its surface could be seen that way. The conservative candidate for state superintendent \u2014 Sonja Shaw, who says she is running to stop \u201cpolitical ideologies being shoved down everybody\u2019s throats\u201d<\/a> \u2014 quickly claimed Newsom\u2019s move was all about stopping her<\/a>. <\/p>\n In reality, power grab or not, it\u2019s the kind of reform we should all support \u2014 a long-overdue push to create accountability in a hot-mess system<\/a> where there are too many people almost-sorta in charge of too many conflicting priorities. <\/p>\n \u2018A\u2019 for accountability<\/p>\n It\u2019s to Newsom\u2019s credit that he\u2019s setting up his successor to helm a system that at least has a chance at coherence, even if it raises the stakes for the next governor to deliver. <\/p>\n For years \u2014 decades, really \u2014 streamlining the governing structure of schools \u201chas been proposed by Republicans and Democrats and bipartisan and nonpartisan commissions,\u201d Linda Darling-Hammond told me. She\u2019s a professor emeritus at Stanford University, an advisor to the governor and, by any measure, one of the preeminent education policy experts in the country. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not at all political. It is really about making the system run well,\u201d she said. \u201cThe world is changing, the economy is changing. There\u2019s just a need to be very efficient and effective in making policy and then implementing that policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRun well\u201d is the key there. California operates the biggest and most diverse school system in the country. We\u2019ve got roughly 10,000 regular schools (depending on how you count), including about 1,200 charter schools, around 1,00 school districts and 58 counties, each with their own slice of local control over those schools, according to the Department of Education<\/a>. <\/p>\n That\u2019s about 5.7 million students, nearly 300,000 teachers and $150 billion in costs (counting the new funding in the next budget). <\/p>\n To be kind, this system does not always run well. That\u2019s in no small part because oversight and control are fragmented, overlapping and confusing. Currently, the State Board of Education sets policies, but the elected superintendent implements them through the Department of Education. Then control runs downhill to individual school districts, filtering through local school boards and even principals. <\/p>\n The board can\u2019t control how the superintendent does their job, and vice versa. In fact, they don\u2019t always agree, despite (or because of) the shotgun wedding nature of their relationship. At times, it can feel like they are working against each other. Never mind the complexities of local control. <\/p>\n This has been especially true in recent years as Newsom and the Legislature have pushed through big changes, such as the new prekindergarten grade, that have required massive coordination and effort. At the local level, administrators often complain there is little clarity on what is expected of them and, too often, outright conflict. <\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of having policy in one place and implementation in the other is really crazy,\u201d Michael Kirst told me. He\u2019s professor emeritus of education at Stanford and the longest-serving president of California\u2019s State Board of Education, serving under both of Jerry Brown\u2019s gubernatorial stints.<\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s proposed system promises \u201cmuch clearer, cleaner accountability,\u201d Kirst said. <\/p>\n Expertise counts<\/p>\n It also has the benefit of putting an actual education expert in charge of schools. Because the superintendent role is elected, it has too often been coveted by career politicians looking for a landing spot. Its incumbent, Tony Thurmond, had a background in social work before running for various offices, but that kind of experience isn\u2019t always the case. Neither is experience running a major organization with thousands of employees. <\/p>\n While Newsom\u2019s plan leaves many, if not most, of the details to be ironed out later (a frustrating strategy he\u2019s used more than once to keep the ball rolling on policy without having the drag of actual detail), it does promise to put in someone with the kind of high-level educational policy experience that should be required when managing this vast and important endeavor. <\/p>\n Kirst points out that this will be a \u201cpowerful position\u201d charged with making sure our schools are indeed run well, and at the end of the day, it gives us one person to blame if they don\u2019t: the governor. <\/p>\n So if schools don\u2019t improve and our kids don\u2019t learn, voters will know exactly who failed. <\/p>\n You’re reading the L.A. Times Politics newsletter <\/p>\n George Skelton and Michael Wilner cover the insights, legislation, players and politics you need to know. In your inbox Monday and Thursday mornings. <\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n What else you should be reading<\/p>\n The must-read: Trump ousts members of bipartisan election commission ahead of midterms<\/a> Stay Golden,
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