Our students cannot wait another generation for California to serve their educational needs. Recent test scores in California show students actually dropping in levels, instead of rising. According to the LA Times article on the recent data, “For the second year in a row, California students’ test scores have inched up so slowly that, by some estimates, it could take a generation for disadvantaged students to close the achievement gap with their peers.” This is an unacceptable disservice to our students and their families.
When questioned about the horrific test score data, the California Department of Education avoided answering and provided many excuses and not enough accountability, not the accountability that families are asking for. As the Cal Matters article on the data suggests, “The study estimated that California will have to increase school funding by nearly a third—$22 billion—and invest significantly in preschool and other early childhood programs to make a meaningful difference.”
With election season well underway, there are two candidates head to head for the Superintendent of Public Instruction seat, Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck. In his interview with the San Diego Tribune, “Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond, who finished second to Tuck in the June primary, seemed just as affable but not nearly as ambitious as Tuck.” Our students deserve to be first on the agenda and a Superintendent who fights for their education with ambition. There is undoubtedly a need for change, but politicians are lacking the sense of urgency to make it happen. The status quo is failing our kids, we need urgency and accountability in Sacramento. The current plan is not working for students, we need a Superintendent with expertise and a track record of improving data within schools to better serve students. We need to vote for Marshall Tuck this coming Election Day.