Plan streamlines, improves state education system

Harry Truman’s famous motto “The buck stops here” was our 33rd president’s way of saying that all the nation’s problems would eventually end up on his Oval Office desk, and he alone would be held responsible for results. Truman knew that in any effective enterprise, lines of leadership, authority and accountability must be crystal clear.

Unfortunately, that can’t be said about the way Ohio governs its education system, where lines of authority are divided among the legislature, executive branch, the state school board, the state superintendent of public instruction and the staff of the Department of Education. The result is, not surprisingly, confusion and uncertainty for frontline educators in our local schools and weak accountability to Ohio’s students, parents and taxpayers.

Ohio’s scattered governance model impedes coordination among K-12, higher education and workforce-development initiatives. For example, we know that good teachers are the key to student success; yet teacher-preparation programs are approved by one state agency, and teachers are licensed by another separate department. There also is a disconnect between high-school graduation standards and success in college; 30 percent of recent Ohio high-school graduates are not well prepared for higher education, having to enroll in remedial math or English courses at Ohio’s public colleges and universities.

With employers increasingly needing specialized skills from their workers, Ohio can compete with other states and countries only by expanding our pool of homegrown talent. It’s time for Ohio to update how we govern education to deliver the results we need to succeed. Fortunately, House Bill 512, a new proposal in the Ohio House of Representatives, would do just that by creating a new Department of Learning and Achievement, accountable to the governor, combining education and workforce programs under one entity.

Attempts have been made over the years to improve the current system, but they have not been successful. Additional seats were added to the state school board. As governor I included the state superintendent of schools as a member of my cabinet along with the chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. I also created the Partnership for Continued Learning to align the K-12 system with higher education. In each case there were seasons of progress that were not sustainable because of the divided nature of how the system was governed. The new department proposed by House Bill 512 will resolve this challenge with a simpler, more streamlined approach — under the governor, Ohio’s most visible and accountable leader.

Now is the best time for the legislature to act to create a modern governing system for education. In November Ohioans will choose a new governor to lead the state for the next four years. Candidates will be unveiling their plans to improve the quality of education in Ohio. A new Department of Learning and Achievement under the governor’s leadership will give the newly elected governor the opportunity to implement his or her agenda in a way that improves opportunities for students and expands the pool of highly skilled workers for employers.

After too many years of dispersing responsibility through an unclear and unworkable chain of command, it’s time to say “the buck stops here.” When our education and training system succeeds, we all succeed.