Johnson Outlines Education Plan for Sacramento

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson today outlined an aggressive plan to improve the city’s schools through competition, choice, and accountability at a Town Hall meeting co-hosted by Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell at the Guild Theater in Oak Park.

“If we as a city make education a priority, and put the energies of the city government behind ensuring that schools have what they need to be successful, then we could experience a sea change,” said Johnson. “Everything that determines the health and vitality of this city is tied to education. We cannot become a world class city unless we have first-rate public schools.

“Public education is supposed to be the great equalizer in our country. It’s supposed to be the thing that ensures that it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, rich or poor,  we have public schools so that all children can have an equal shot in life. But that is not the reality that we have in Sacramento today. If you live in Oak Park vs. the Fabulous Forties, you get two wildly different educational experiences.”

Johnson said he’d take several steps to bolster academic achievement:
•    Name an education “czar,” based in the Mayor’s office, for ensuring that significant city resources are put toward education improvements;
•    Promote school choice by establishing a portfolio of high performing schools that offer compelling options to students and families;
•    Increase funding from outside sources, such as foundations; and
•    Boosting accountability by establishing school report cards, with every school receiving A-F grades.
•    Establishment of a fund for performance pay for underpaid teachers and principals.

“As Mayor, I will make education a top priority in the city. We need to get engaged in this battle. It’s our obligation as a city, it’s my responsibility as a Mayor, and it’s our promise to young people to ensure that they attain the skills and knowledge they need to be productive members of society.”

Johnson pointed to the success of PS7 and Sacramento High School, where test scores have skyrocketed.

At PS7, the API score (an indicator of academic growth) is projected to be above 800 this year (the state target).  The school also is expected to be the third highest performing school with equivalent populations of African-American students.

At Sacramento High School, the school has gone from 2 to 8 in its statewide ranking (10 is the best) in five years. API scores have soared from 524 to 721 – the highest in the school’s history.  The dropout has shrunk to 18 percent among African-American students, compared to 42 percent statewide.