State Rep: Education Reform

As a way to inform our readers about the candidates, Patch asked the two candidates for state representative five questions that focused on topics affecting Marblehead.

Massachusetts has some of the most wide reaching legislation when it comes to education reform and specifically, closing the achievement gap. Given Marblehead often tests in the top percentiles of the state, do you think the town could benefit from reform? What is your stance on education reform? 

State Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D)

Marblehead's educational achievements are a direct result of engaged parents, dedicated teachers, and committed school board officials. There is currently an important national conversation taking place about changing the direction of public education in the US that will likely lead to some measure of reform. We have to make sure that that the medicine prescribed doesn't kill the patient.

Here, in Massachusetts, we have the best schools in the country and I believe that any reforms discussed should not cede local and state control to the federal government. A state, city, or town is permitted to set any standards they want as long as they are not lower than law requires. Marblehead has always had higher standards for graduation than required by state and federal standards.

Dr. Kate Kozitza (R)

"Education reform" should be a phrase that is regularly part of the discussions of any school district in the country. No matter the heights a school reaches in terms of achievement, there is always room go grow. When Marblehead beats other cities and towns on standardized test scores, we should aim to reach the number-one spot.  

When Massachusetts sees that it ranks high in comparison to other states, it should start comparing itself internationally. We are, after all, a global economy.  

Resting on our laurels is never a good idea in the education realm, particularly as our children face a very uncertain job and economic climate. One local educator recently said that children in Marblehead must be prepared for jobs that do not yet exist. How can we possibly do that if we waste time patting ourselves on the back for our achievements? "What can we do better?" is always the right question to ask.

All that being said, things are far from ideal in the world of Massachusetts education. The very reason Massachusetts was one of only a few states in the country to receive "Race to the Top" federal funding earlier this year is because we boast some of the worst achievement gaps in the country.

While Marblehead is not on a low end of any such gaps, it is not by any means where it should be. This district has suffered by comparison to other cities and towns across the commonwealth due to a broken Chapter 70.

Recent education reform complicated this in that while the reforms themselves had some seriously laudable ground-breaking and merit-based requirements, Chapter 70 remains unchanged.  

As your representative, I would work to fix the inherent inequities in Chapter 70 so that the taxes hard-working people in this community pay are returned in the form of equitable local aid.  

Are all of our school teachers first-rate quality educators?  Not quite.

While I have little interest in piling all failings of our system on the shoulders of teachers, many of whom are the heroes of our society, we simply must focus on the fact that merit matters.  

Teachers' unions have become a massive, bloated albatross around the neck of any lawmakers who seek to be change agents in education. This cannot go on, because ultimately our children's educations suffer.  

I intend to do everything I can to loosen the stranglehold of unions that believe teachers are entitled to lifetime tenure after only three years on the job; and who believe that the interests of collective-bargaining about their interests should trump the interests of taxpayers of our cities and towns.  

What do we do for our gifted children in Marblehead? Very little. Some schools offer "gifted and talented" programs for such children, but we are not one of them.  

For a variety of reasons, gifted children do not fall under the "special needs" category. Some of these children have the potential to come up with cures for devastating diseases, or to invent something we have yet to even imagine, or to create a company that will create thousands of jobs. Yet Marblehead and most cities and towns across the Commonwealth have no mechanism by which to feed the hunger for learning these children have.

That is not what I call racing to the top.   

There is a lot of work to be done in the area of education reform, and if I am elected, I intend to be a part of positive and hopefully ground-breaking legislative changes.

Check back later for question 3 - where the candidates stand on 40B housing.