Saturday, February 10, 2007
Accountability key factor in putting state in shape
The Troy Record Editorial
Instead of just throwing more money at school districts..there needs to be some strings attached...like performance and results.....the days of no expectations are finally over courtesy of "Day One"..........andy
Editorial pages throughout the state are spending a lot of space on New York's new governor, Eliot Spitzer, but that could well be because for the first time in more than a decade, we are hearing something new from Albany.There are new words that have the ring of authenticity because they are being acted upon, not dutifully mouthed - words such as integrity, reform and accountability.In the budget proposed by Spitzer, the governor showed he is willing to make a major commitment to education.But instead of expounding on the responsibility of the state to its future and leaving it at that, Spitzer is throwing the ball equally into the court of educators.The governor is saying we'll give you more money, but you better be prepared to show us where that money is going; you better present viable programs for improvement; you better show results.
Spitzer says that his intent is to call for more accountability in the area of education and demand that people do their jobs properly.That is the kind of talk boards and supervisors need to hear, and upon which the governor needs to act. School districts throughout the state can't afford to take out the Cliff's Notes and skim through without capturing anything of substance.Slackers need to know if they don't deliver, they will be sent packing.Indeed, "accountability" is the key word that must be included in all discourse. Voters have recently started to hold politicians accountable, as November's election showed, and now that accountability needs to be extended more to the educational system.We applaud the governor for firing this salvo across the beams of USS Complacency, and we hope educators on all levels realize this governor is not firing blanks and they need to start doing their homework in this state.
Instead of just throwing more money at school districts..there needs to be some strings attached...like performance and results.....the days of no expectations are finally over courtesy of "Day One"..........andy
Editorial pages throughout the state are spending a lot of space on New York's new governor, Eliot Spitzer, but that could well be because for the first time in more than a decade, we are hearing something new from Albany.There are new words that have the ring of authenticity because they are being acted upon, not dutifully mouthed - words such as integrity, reform and accountability.In the budget proposed by Spitzer, the governor showed he is willing to make a major commitment to education.But instead of expounding on the responsibility of the state to its future and leaving it at that, Spitzer is throwing the ball equally into the court of educators.The governor is saying we'll give you more money, but you better be prepared to show us where that money is going; you better present viable programs for improvement; you better show results.
Spitzer says that his intent is to call for more accountability in the area of education and demand that people do their jobs properly.That is the kind of talk boards and supervisors need to hear, and upon which the governor needs to act. School districts throughout the state can't afford to take out the Cliff's Notes and skim through without capturing anything of substance.Slackers need to know if they don't deliver, they will be sent packing.Indeed, "accountability" is the key word that must be included in all discourse. Voters have recently started to hold politicians accountable, as November's election showed, and now that accountability needs to be extended more to the educational system.We applaud the governor for firing this salvo across the beams of USS Complacency, and we hope educators on all levels realize this governor is not firing blanks and they need to start doing their homework in this state.
