October 7, 2011

GOVERNING FROM THE BOTTOM UP IS GOOD…BUT IT’S HARD
Utah Lieutenant Governor Blog -- Posted: 06 Oct 2011 06:00 PM PDT

Education is by far Utah’s biggest budget item. What function of state government touches more citizens day by day than education? And what is more important to our state’s future than educating our citizens? Education is not optional: it’s a responsibility given us by the Utah Constitution. Although Utah has ranked last in the nation in per-pupil spending since 1988, we’ve still maintained a pretty good system. However, we have hit some speed bumps of late:

 Sharp increase in English-language learners, Utah’s fastest growing population

 Growing number of economically disadvantaged children

 Great Recession has reduced revenue

 Utah Foundation’s research shows Utah has declined in “effort” in education funding for more than a decade¹

 Utah’s public schools are growing by nearly 14,000 students a year

 Large class sizes hinder effective teaching, especially in early elementary grades

 Contentious fight over vouchers fostered distrust, most notably, amongst educators and legislators.

Governor Herbert envisioned bringing the education partisans together. In early 2010, he convened his Excellence in Education Commission. Governor Herbert has chaired almost every minute of our four-hour “EdEx” meetings. EdEx is a large group—35 members—which might seem unwieldy from the outside. It includes UEA, Parents for Choice, principals, PTA, school boards, superintendents, state school board, business people, charter school representatives, higher education, and six legislators. But this broad-based group has produced very solid progress—no abstract studies, action items only. EdEx agreed on eight initiatives last year, each with a price tag attached, such as optional all-day kindergarten for disadvantaged students, which has proven to be highly effective. The Legislature passed and funded all eight measures. EdEx has been so successful Gov. Herbert has continued it indefinitely. EdEx has effectively become the clearinghouse for all things innovative in our educational system.

Some have complained that Governor Herbert’s bottom-up approach, which seeks consensus on reform, is slow, cumbersome, and difficult. They argue the Governor should “lead” by putting forth his proposals, seeking the votes, and getting it passed. The problem is that the Legislature’s success in creating fundamental change in the school system from the top down has been marginal. Utah’s public education system embraces 576,000 students, 1,084 schools, 41 school districts, 25,600 teachers, one-room schools to high schools with over 2,000 students, and is spread over 84,000 square miles. Big and bulky, with many “captains” at the wheel, the education ship is very hard to turn. Real improvement, especially in a system this big and complex, only comes when the affected parties have a say in their future.

It would be much easier for Governor Herbert to try to legislate his priorities, and he would get a lot more headlines. However, by involving all interested parties, the Governor’s EdEx has created cooperation and good will, aired the mounting challenges our educators face, pushed innovation, and is building consensus around Utah’s educational priorities. We need dramatic improvement in our education system to prepare Utah’s students to live and work in this fast-paced, ever-changing, and globally competitive world. EdEx will help significantly to achieve that improvement.

The bottom-up approach to governing is hard, messy and time-consuming. But it’s the best way to achieve real and lasting progress.

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