The Legislature must continue to address educational performance and accountability for both public and higher education. While major steps have been taken in this direction, questions persist about the quality of the educational services delivered. Neither the drive for school tax relief nor the need to maintain equity in school funding can be used as an excuse to simply pour more precious tax dollars into an inefficient public education system. Given its critical importance to the state's economic future, innovative strategies for funding higher education should be considered. The school accountability system should be strengthened and continue to challenge student performance.
Local control means local discretion.
School officials have reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining quality teachers-especially in the areas of math and science. State officials should strive to assist school districts in paying good, qualified teachers a competitive salary that reflects both teacher effectiveness and market conditions. Efforts should be supported to enhance school district discretion in the hiring, firing and advancement of teachers. Methods to encourage school districts to reward the best teachers should be identified. Improvements in student performance should be used as one of the measurements of teacher effectiveness in determining pay increases.