Public Education Provides "Hope for the Future"

Summit participants confirmed that education tops the priority list for state legislators as it does for most Americans, and the education panel moderated by Mary Elizabeth Teasley of the National Education Association drew a big crowd and generated great discussion. Teasley defined public education as "the institution of hope for the future," a premise amplified by Louisiana state Sen. Wilson Fields who declared "I am, because public schools are!" Fields labeled vouchers a threat, drawing away resources without diminishing the costs to maintain public schools.

New Mexico state Rep. Mimi Stewart labeled teacher quality "the most important aspect of education and school reform." She observed that while her state has only one percent of America’s teachers, it has fully six percent of all teachers certified by the National Board for Teaching Standards, but teacher pay in the state doesn’t measure up. To improve teacher quality, she proposed higher pay and improved teacher education programs. The panel also discussed strategies for accountability and equitable funding.

Modernization is a huge challenge for public education, reported Teasley, with $112 billion needed just to repair today’s schools and an additional $73 billion to build the schools needed by 2001. She estimated one-third of all schools, serving 14 million American youth, need full replacement.