Passage of the bills came just two months into a special legislative session on education convened by Gov. Gray Davis soon after he took office in January. One veteran observer here noted that any one of the four bills that make up the plan would have taken a year of haggling in most sessions. The Democratic governor was expected to sign the bills into law at ceremonies to be held in the home districts of their authors beginning this week. In a press briefing last week, Mr. Davis, who proposed each of the four measures, vowed that they will bring improved achievement for the state's 5.7 million students and shore up an accountability system that lags behind those of other states. Parents have demanded this.
Children deserve it.
And I'm very proud that people here in Sacramento have responded. But even bigger challenges may lie ahead. The policies are on a fast track for implementation as early as this summer. State Superintendent Delaine Eastin, whose office must devise the system for ranking California's 8,000 schools and the exit exam that are called for in the bills, says she'll need more staff and more money to meet that goal. Financial Incentive Some of the hottest debate in the special session came over the bill that calls for veteran teachers to review colleagues who receive unsatisfactory job evaluations from their principals.