With a caustic critique of excessive testing and overregulation and a fervent call for respecting the “dignity and freedom of teachers and students,” Gov. Jerry Brown laid out the case for returning primary control of education to local hands and distributing state money equitably in his State of the State address.
Gov. Brown arrives for the State of the State address. (Click to enlarge)
Brown used the 20-minute speech on Thursday to call on the Legislature to adopt his Local Control Funding Formula, which would phase in substantially more money for low-income students and those struggling to speak English proficiently. This is needed, he said, in order to help districts “based on the real world problems they face.”
Upbeat overall, Brown dwelt on education in his address, in which he praised the Legislature for courage in making overall spending cuts and voters for passing taxes in Proposition 30. The governor vowed to continue to enforce a fiscal discipline to protect against “great risks and uncertainties” that lie ahead. The implication is that he would discourage more funding for social programs – not encouraging for those calling for restoring cuts to preschool and child care. He also pledged to fight any tuition increases for higher education – a line that drew the loudest