Sweeping Reforms Ahead, Says New Education Board Member
Stanford professor Michael Kirst returns to the board at a time of budget crisis and needed changes
Reforms to school spending and curricula are among the top policy issues the newly appointed state Board of Education will tackle, according to a leading educator named to the board this week.
Newly appointed state Board of Education member Michael Kirst, an emeritus professor of business administration and education at Stanford University, who served on the state board during Gov. Jerry Brown's first administration, said in a phone interview that he is gearing up for a busy three-year term. Among his top priorities: shifting the way schools are allowed to spend their money and overhauling the state's student testing system.
Schools with high-achieving students could be released from state mandates related to instructional time, for example, allowing them to focus on student outcomes. If students are scoring well in
