This blog, like its author/host, has no sense of time. Sometimes I’ll blog on something I’ve been meaning to get to for a week or so; other times we go real-time.
This is sort of one of the latter cases. As I type, Jim Rex is about to announce his first major initiative as S.C. superintendent of education. Here’s the release:
TO: Editorial page editors
FROM: Jim Foster
RE: Rex conference call this afternoon for editorial page editorsDr. Rex will hold a news conference at 10:30 this morning in the lower
lobby of the Statehouse. He will be joined by a large bipartisan group
of legislators and K-12 education leaders from across South Carolina to
announce a three-year public school choice initiative. An embargoed
news release is attached.Superintendent Rex’s proposal is the result of many conversations in
recent months, particularly in recent weeks, with K-12 administrators,
local school board members and a number of state lawmakers. The pilot
projects he proposes will be designed to answer many of the questions
and concerns he has heard during those conversations.This afternoon at 2:30, Dr. Rex will hold a special telephone
conference call for editorial page editors to discuss his proposal.
Cindi, who’s gone over there to check it out, says she’s heard from at least one source (a certain GOP senator), that this proposal is fairly extensive, and has strong backing, although she’ll be interested to see just how broad it is.
For my part, I’ve set the bar high. Based on what Cindi said she’d been told, I sent the following to Jim Foster, head flack at the department of ed.:
At our meeting this morning, Cindi said Rex had assembled an "amazing" coalition. I’m going to be really disappointed if they’re not wearing superhero tights. I’m planning art on this.
We’ll see.
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Brad – I just walked back into my office from the press conference. I pulled up your blog JUST in case there might be a thread on it and whaddaya know?? there you were! And while they weren’t wearing tights (or even sweats), the folks I saw assembled behind and beside Jim Rex are indeed an impressive bunch. I’ve liked Dr. Rex from the first moment I met him; I like him more every time I hear him speak. Today was no exception. I walked away feeling happy and excited about the possibilities for education in South Carolina instead of defensive and angry at the enemies of our public schools. And I feel immensely proud of Jim Rex. I wish I had more time to play today… hopefully I can come back to this later. But for now… YAAAAAY TEAM!!!
Waiting to see the specifics… but if it includes items like “form a task force to study X” or “implement a pilot program to do Y” or “develop a plan to do Z” then we know what that means. MORE OF THE SAME.
However, if it includes things like “consolidate the school districts down to one per county within two years” or “eliminate PACT testing for Science and Social Studies in 2008”, then maybe he actually understands the issues.
Hoping for meat, expecting tofu.
Doug, just so. Why are we even still having to discuss the subject of consolidation of districts? It has been cussed and discussed since at least 1998, and we STILL haven’t gotten anywhere with even this modest and clearly necessary step. As far as I am concerned, there will never be another increase in school revenues until this elemental, basic management step is taken. Good stewardship and just plain decency demand nothing less. Ed
Just saw the plan on http://www.myscschools.com...
As expected, a THREE YEAR plan to implement school choice. Year one: pilot programs (ha ha ha.. knew that one was coming)… Year two: districts come up with a plan…
(why does every government plan take a year???) Year three: implement the plan (which by then will be long forgotten and it will be time for Rex to start his re-election campaign).
So, basically, we will see no change for three years.
Congratulations.
Here’s the official text of this “major” initiative:
Year 1: A new Office of Innovation and School Choice at the state Education Department would conduct an inventory of existing choice options. “Town meetings” would be held across the state. Several “pilot” programs would be created to gauge the cost.
Year 2: School districts would adopt choice plans that include options for elementary, middle and high school students.
Year 3: “Open public school enrollment” would be mandatory. Financial support for low-income parents who want to send their children across school or district attendance lines would be available.
—
The tried and true formula is in effect… form a committee, run some pilots, make a plan, revise the plan, form another committee, declare success.
What is Jim Rex doing to improve education for the 2007-8 school year?
Come on Rex fans, what’s your take on this bold initiative? Is three years long enough to implement a school choice plan or should he go for four? Was this what you were waiting for when you cast your ballot for him three months ago?