By Jean Cowden Moore, jcmoore@ VenturaCountyStar.com
January 25, 2005

Every child in California should get to go to preschool, the state's schools chief said Monday.

Then, when they hit high school, they'll be ready for the "rigorous, relevant" classes that campuses should be offering, but don't always.

"If we are to raise our expectations for high school students, we must do a better job of preparing students ... before they even reach high school," said Jack O'Connell, public superintendent of instruction, in his State of Education address, delivered in Sacramento.

Among other key points in O'Connell's address, the second he has given on the state's schools:

• Schools must do more to fight obesity, junk food and poor physical fitness. Nearly one-third of California students are overweight, according to last year's physical fitness tests, and almost three-quarters are unfit. Some suggestions include introducing health education standards; banning soda in high schools; and educating parents about healthy food and exercise.
• Funding must be increased so schools can meet the state's expectations. Along those lines, O'Connell suggested that the state figure out what it costs to educate a child, then fund schools based on that amount.

"California needs to address this question of the true cost of a quality education," he said.

• Educators must find ways to coordinate learning from one level to the next, from preschool through college. A new group, the California P-16 Council, will be given that job. The council will also be responsible for improving education at every level, particularly high school at the start.
• Voters should be able to approve a parcel tax with a 55 percent vote. With a parcel tax, voters pay a set amount no matter what their property is worth. A parcel tax now requires a two-thirds majority to pass. A bond, on the other hand, requires 55 percent.

Clearly, something must be done to repair California's "disgraceful" education system, said Donna Gompert, a Newbury Park mother of four.

"I just see us slipping further and further, making it harder for our kids to get an education," she said. "It's left to the parents to make up the difference. You pay for sports; you pay for arts -- for things that we all had when I was a kid. It's not like we were richer then.

"What is this country about if it's not about offering an education, and a good education?"

In calling for high school reform, O'Connell brought back a goal he introduced last year.

Then he called for smaller schools, more qualified teachers and tougher classes that would prepare most students for college.

But not every kid goes to college. So schools also need to boost their career and technical programs, he said Monday. Along those lines, O'Connell plans to bring standards for career education to the State Board of Education in March.

High schools also must do more to close the achievement gap among minority, low-income and learning-disabled students, he said.

And that's where preschool comes in.

Yes, offering preschool for every child will be expensive, O'Connell said. But the investment is worth it, he said.

"Preschool for all is an idea whose time has come," O'Connell said. "Solid research tells us that investing in preschool is not only the right thing to do for our children, it is an investment that will pay tremendous economic and social dividends in the long run."

For preschools to produce those dividends, though, they must have well-trained teachers, he said.

Where do you find well-trained teachers? You create a credential program.

Also, preschools must have standards just as other schools do -- skills they expect every child to learn. And they must be just as accountable as elementary, middle and high schools.

If the governor gave schools the $2 billion in back payments that he promised last year, they'd have nearly enough to offer preschool for every 4-year-old, said Charles Weis, Ventura County superintendent of schools.

Kindergarten teacher Suzanne Smith sees the difference preschool makes in her students.

But it's not the only answer, she said. A child's home life also makes a huge difference, she said, especially if parents read to their children regularly.

Meanwhile, she has another suggestion. Make kindergarten mandatory. And make the kindergarten day longer.

"We need to do a good job of what we're doing now," she said.