January 24, 2005
State School Superintendent Jack O'Connell
Delivers State of Education Address
Calls for Investment in Public Education, High School
Improvements, Universal Preschool, Healthier Students
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell delivered his second annual State of Education Address, calling for improving high schools, universal preschool, and better student nutrition and fitness. O'Connell also challenged the Governor and Legislative leaders to fully fund the Proposition 98 minimum-funding guarantee to schools and endorsed lowering the vote threshold for local parcel taxes to 55 percent to fund school operations.
"Today, our expectations remain high, but our investments have bottomed out," O'Connell said. "We have created world-class expectations for our students and schools in California, but we simply aren't funding our schools at the level they need to produce world-class results. California is not investing in its future.
"It is time to let the voters choose to stop starving our schools. Our state and our communities should not have to choose between health care and education, between preparing kids for college and maintaining our roads, or between public safety in our low-income neighborhoods and well-trained teachers in our low-income schools."
The vote threshold to pass parcel taxes currently requires a two-thirds majority. Parcel tax proceeds can be used for ongoing school operations.
O'Connell also outlined three key initiatives that are priorities for the public education this year:
High Performing Schools
"There is now broad agreement that high school must be made more challenging, more rigorous, and, at the same time, more relevant to our students' lives and futures," O'Connell said.
The need to improve high schools in California is an ongoing focus for O'Connell. This year he will continue to press for rigorous and relevant curriculum to better prepare high school graduates for technical careers or college. He also called for the expansion and enhancement of quality principal training and intensive teacher professional development for high school teachers, and announced that he will lead the effort at the California Department of Education to develop a state review process for high school instructional materials so they can better aligned to California's high academic standards.
For more information on O'Connell's High Performing High School Initiative please visit High Performing High Schools Initiative - State of Education.
Preschool for All
"Preschool for all is an idea whose time has come. It will help us raise achievement levels for all children in California and it offers real hope for closing the achievement gap," O'Connell said.
In reiterating his support for universal preschool, established either through legislation or by voter initiative, O'Connell announced that the California Department of Education will draft content standards for preschool that are designed to build children's confidence, competence, and joy in learning. He also called for the creation of a credential program for preschool teachers through partnerships between community college districts and local universities.
For more information on O'Connell's Preschool for All Initiative, please visit Preschool for All - State of Education.
Healthy Children Ready to Learn
"The health of our students is everybody's responsibility," O'Connell said. "Physical health affects learning and schools have a role to play in developing lifelong habits of nutrition and fitness. It is time to promote and support a culture of health and fitness in our schools."
O'Connell outlined a new initiative to make schools a healthier environment for students of all ages. He called for legislation initiating the development and adoption of health education standards for schools and announced his support for a ban on soft drink sales at high schools during the school day. O'Connell announced that he will establish an advisory group for improving the nutritional value of foods sold on school campuses, and pledged to work with the Legislature and the State Allocation Board to make sure that when new schools are built, they include adequate space and facilities for meals and for physical education.
For more information on O'Connell's Healthy Children Initiative, please visit Healthy Children Ready to Learn - State of Education.
For a complete media kit including a transcript of O'Connell's State of Education 2005 address, the three research papers, and biography, please visit State of Education Address - January 24, 2005 - State of Education.
