Miami Herald: Florida education chief discusses ‘very conservative’ budget proposal
Oct 29, 2009
The Miami Herald published this article on October 29, 2009
State Education Commissioner Eric Smith will propose an “extraordinarily conservative” budget to state lawmakers this spring.
BY PATRICIA MAZZEI AND KATHLEEN McGRORY kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.comEchoing the calls of President Barack Obama, state Commissioner of Education Eric Smith on Wednesday urged parents to play a greater role in their child’s schooling.
“To me, it’s a tragedy that we might have 2,000 folks show up at a football game between two high schools that are failing — and we might have five people show up to the PTA or advisory committee,” Smith said.
Speaking to The Miami Herald editorial board, Smith expressed optimism about the future of public education in Florida — even amid an economic downturn — in part thanks to federal stimulus money.
“We’re in the toughest recession of my lifetime,” he said. “But federal support has helped us to keep quality education services out there.”
Smith is also optimistic about the upcoming legislative session, which begins on March 2.
The state Department of Education is asking for $1.4 billion in new money, Smith said, calling the request “extraordinarily conservative.”
He hopes to use the funds to grow Florida’s system of community colleges, as well as its early childhood education programs, he said.
“I’m confident that this legislation and this governor have education as a priority,” Smith said. “They will find a way to maintain funding levels.”
The Legislature is also expected to take up a voter-approved constitutional amendment to limit class sizes that would go into effect next school year.
School districts have asked the state to loosen class-size requirements so they are measured in a school wide average instead of on a class-by-class basis. Smith said he would support that kind of flexibility to hold class sizes where they are now.
“We’re in a pretty good place,” he said. “Implementation of the constitutional requirement in its purest form, I think, becomes a challenge — and parents will find it to be disruptive and perhaps not what they would wish in some cases.”
The commissioner also addressed the state’s new, higher standards.
The next step, he said, is to look at Florida’s graduation requirements.
“You can have standards, but if you don’t require kids to take the courses that teach the standards, it’s a workaround,” he said.
Smith also backs a national effort by most states to set common educational standards, which would help states compare what — and how well — their students are learning. It would also make international comparisons easier, Smith said.
“I would like to not have to guess at our performance against Singapore and Finland or China,” he said.
A draft of grade-by-grade standards could be ready by early next year, with possible adoption by next summer, he added.
His advice for Miami-Dade and Broward superintendents Alberto Carvalho and Jim Notter, who run the largest school districts in the state?
Said Smith: “The house of cards can collapse on you very, very quickly over issues that require the system to restart.”