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Published on 04/07/1999 All articles from this issue

Lempert talks education at Kiwanis luncheon

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By Clyde Noel

Special to the Town Crier

Assemblyman Ted Lempert, D-Palo Alto, on spring break from state business in Sacramento, spoke at a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Los Altos recently on two issues topping his agenda: term limits and education.

In his seventh and last year serving his community before term limits prevent Lempert from running again for the assembly, he said he can see the reasoning behind term limits both ways.

"Last year, 28 out of 80 legislatures were new, and this gives the executive branch a big sway over the legislature," Lempert said during his March 30 appearance. "The governor has a bigger sway than the president of United States, and he can get what he wants in state government.

Most of Lempert's comments concerned education and the recent approval of Gov. Gray Davis education bills.

"Our last four governors were not making the school system their top priority. You need leadership to turn education around and Davis is doing it," Lempert said.

Lempert went through the bills that won approval on March 22. He specifically mentioned the word "quality" in mentioning school reform. One of the measures approved was school accountability, in which schools will be ranked on academic performance.

"Quality of the teacher in the classroom is where we need the most improvement," Lempert said.

Items in the reform program Lempert mentioned were peer assistance and creating a program to help instructors who are struggling.

Also approved is a high school exit exam that will be required for students in the class of 2004 to receive their high school diploma.

Lempert mentioned a reform of the system will allow for more charter schools. These schools, he said, will give competition to the conventional public schools, while offering flexibility to parents and students.

Within the next five years, the state will need 250,000 to 275,000 more teachers, and that's a problem, according to Lempert.

The University of California system used to provide 10 percent of the teachers. That figure is down to 4 percent, Lempert said.