San Gabriel Valley's political odd couple unite for education - Pasadena Star-News

San Gabriel Valley's political odd couple unite for education - Pasadena Star-News



Maybe it's their roots in hardscrabble desert towns. But two San Gabriel Valley state senators from opposite ends of the political spectrum have found common ground when it comes to education.

Senators Bob Huff, R-Glendora and Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, have introduced laws aimed at giving parents far more say over their children's schools.


Romero, a Barstow native, is the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and was arrested in 2000 while supporting demonstrating janitors.


Huff, raised in the Imperial Valley, is the vice-chairman and thinks its best to apply Ronald Reagan-style market economics to the education system.


With some urban districts reporting dropout rates of 50 percent, Huff and Romero each said it's time to turn up the heat on schools, even if it means some districts lose children and funding.


"The children do not belong to them. Children are not debit cards," Romero said. "Parents should have the choice to make the decision for the best interest of their children. This is a whole new era where choice and competition matter."


She and Huff co-authored Senate Bill 680, known as District Of Choice, which made permanent a program that lets schools enroll out-of-district