Orr for Governor 2008:: Press Release

ORR ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR
ESTABLISHING GUBERNATORIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Republican gubernatorial candidate Justice Bob Orr announced today a comprehensive plan to reform the executive leadership structure of the North Carolina public schools. “I have consistently been told by education leaders all across the state, from classroom teachers to school board members and administrative personnel, that our current system of supervision and administration of the public schools is dysfunctional,” Orr stated. “The long term success of our public school system is dependent on a fundamental change in our current system and this can only be accomplished with the changes proposed today,” he added.

“I am tired of hearing the Democratic candidates for governor repeatedly demand that teachers and principals be held accountable,” Orr said. “It’s time the political leadership of this state be held politically accountable for shortcomings in our public school system.” The retired N.C. Supreme Court Justice who was author of the landmark Hoke County education decision following the Leandro case, set out several constitutional and statutory changes that would need to be passed to accomplish the restructuring.

· A state constitutional amendment to eliminate the election of the Superintendent of Public Instruction;

· Statutory changes to bring the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Public Instruction under the executive authority of the Governor;

· A state constitutional amendment to eliminate the authority of the State Board of Education to “supervise and administer the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support” and transfer that authority to the Governor;

· A state constitutional amendment that would direct the General Assembly to provide a mechanism for the public election of eight members of the State Board of Education from the eight education districts currently in place;

· Statutory changes to allow the Governor to appoint three members from the state at large to the State Board of Education;

· Statutory changes to authorize the State Board of Education to provide accountability oversight for public education and to provide advice and counsel to the Governor on public education policy.

Orr added that this reform would require careful constitutional and statutory revisions that go beyond the specific proposals outlined in his press conference. “I am confident that we can bring together the various parties involved with our public school system to accomplish this reform,” he asserted. “The need for reform should not be viewed as a negative reflection on the many men and women involved in our public schools who genuinely care about our students’ future,” Orr said. “However, to move forward with real reform in our public schools, first requires us to make these fundamental management changes. As governor, I promise to make this my top priority. If the next Governor wants to be known as an ‘education governor’, that person must first be fully accountable for both the successes and failures in our schools.”