neel kashkari's education plan

5/27/2018 Neel Kashkari's Education Plan

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PAID FOR BY NEEL KASHKARI FOR GOVERNOR 2014

NEEL KASHKARIS EDUCATION PLAN

Transforming Our Schools To Lift Achievement,

Reduce Income Inequality & Eradicate Poverty

A NEEL KASHKARI FOR GOVERNOR WHITE PAPER

April 22, 2014


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Neel Kashkaris Education Plan To Transform Schools

2A Neel Kashkari For Governor White Paper

Table of Contents

THE EDUCATION IMPERATIVE

Transforming Our Schools to Lift Achievement,

Reduce Income Inequality & Eradicate Poverty .. 3

K-12 EDUCATION

Empowering Parents & Teachers so Every Child Can Succeed . 7

JERRY BROWNS K-12 LEGACY:

Timid Effort that Fails to Break the Status Quo . 10

NEEL KASHKARIS K-12 PLAN:

Expand Freedom, Innovation, and Accountability to All Schools ..12

HIGHER EDUCATION

Driving Social Mobility and Building a Strong Middle Class .. 23

JERRY BROWNS HIGHER EDUCATION LEGACY:

Middle Class Tuition Shock . 25

NEEL KASHKARIS HIGHER EDUCATION PLAN:

Transform Funding to Expand Access & Improve Affordability 27


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THE EDUCATION IMPERATIVE

TRANSFORMING OUR SCHOOLS TO LIFT ACHIEVEMENT,

REDUCE INCOME INEQUALITY & ERADICATE POVERTY

Governor Jerry Browns case for re-election is based upon an alleged California

Comeback a fable that overlooks his education system that ranks 46th, ignores the

millions of Californians who live under the nations highest poverty rate, and fails to ho ld

him accountable for the destruction of the middle class. Ignoring a problem, however,

does not make it go away. We cannot rebuild the middle class by making minor

changes. Bold action is necessary to equip every Californian with the skills they need to

build a better life for themselves.

On the national stage, Republican leaders such as Congressman Paul Ryan, Senator

Marco Rubio, and Senator Rand Paul have brought income inequality to the forefront of

the national dialogue. The focus is bipartisan as President Barack Obama has also

shined a light on the societal harm that large gaps between the rich and the poor

engender. Noticeably absent from this national dialogue, however, is Governor Brown,

who chooses to ignore the growing strain within California communities caused by

widening income inequality and crushing poverty.

Democrats enjoy masquerading as the party of the working poor, but they do serious

disservice to poverty-related issues by promoting a policy agenda that focuses on

treating the symptoms of income inequality rather than curing the underlying disease.

For example, Democratsboth nationally and on the state levelhave recently

promoted ideas including raising the minimum wage,1increasing taxes on the rich,2

resisting free trade,3andmost recentlyan effort by California Democrats through

SCA 5 to allow state-sponsored discrimination in Californias higher education system4.

1Zachary Goldfarb, Obama ToRaise Minimum Wage For Government Contract Workers,The Washington Post,01/27/14.2Mike Rosenberg, Proposition 30 Wins,The San Jose Mercury News,11/06/12.3Anne Lowrey, Obama And G.O.P. Facing Opposition To Trade Pacts,The New York Times,01/30/14.4Melanie Mason, Affirmative Action Non-Action Still Causing Waves In Sacramento,The Los Angeles Times,03/30/14.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-raise-minimum-wage-for-government-contract-workers/2014/01/27/f7994b34-87cd-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-raise-minimum-wage-for-government-contract-workers/2014/01/27/f7994b34-87cd-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-raise-minimum-wage-for-government-contract-workers/2014/01/27/f7994b34-87cd-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.htmlhttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21943732/california-proposition-30-voters-split-tax-that-wouldhttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21943732/california-proposition-30-voters-split-tax-that-wouldhttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21943732/california-proposition-30-voters-split-tax-that-wouldhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/business/reid-pushes-back-on-fast-track-trade-authority.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/business/reid-pushes-back-on-fast-track-trade-authority.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/business/reid-pushes-back-on-fast-track-trade-authority.htmlhttp://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/30/local/la-me-affirmative-action-20140331http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/30/local/la-me-affirmative-action-20140331http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/30/local/la-me-affirmative-action-20140331http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/30/local/la-me-affirmative-action-20140331http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/business/reid-pushes-back-on-fast-track-trade-authority.htmlhttp://www.mercurynews.com/ci_21943732/california-proposition-30-voters-split-tax-that-wouldhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-raise-minimum-wage-for-government-contract-workers/2014/01/27/f7994b34-87cd-11e3-916e-e01534b1e132_story.html


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The above misguided policy prescriptions, however, only create the illusion of action

and distract from the real work of addressing income inequality. Academic literature

indicates that raising the minimum wage is largely ineffective at alleviating poverty, as

few beneficiaries of a higher minimum wage are actually members of low-income

households, and due to the economic truth that making something more expensive in

this case laborreduces demand because fewer firms can afford to absorb the higher

cost.5 Thus, an increased minimum wage is good for workers who are able to keep

their jobs, but it is devastating for those who lose their jobs.

Meanwhile, Californias long tradition of high individual income tax rates, including its

current perch of having the nations highest marginal income tax rate,6has not helped

reduce poverty. In fact, in the last 30 years, Californias poverty rate has increased from

26th in 1980 to its current spot as 1st in the nation. Clearly, increased taxes are not the

solution. In terms of international trade, Democratic calls for economic isolation will

close off new markets to domestic goods, thereby excluding American workers from the

fruits of engaging in the global economy and precluding the nations continued

leadership in helping to shape the world market.

The most recent Democratic idea of re-introducing state-sponsored discrimination intohigher education is dangerous because it not only tries to convince Californians that

inequality is being addressed, but the policy actually works to make the system more

unequal. Allowing quotas, including those based on race, back into higher education

will only mask and perpetuate existing inequality. Thus, evaluated as a package,

Democratic policies aimed at addressing inequality are not only ineffective, they also act

as a tool of divisionpitting Californians against one another and enshrining

discrimination as state-sponsored policy. Lets be clear, discrimination in any and all

formsis unacceptable and must be forcefully rejected.

5Ramesh Ponnuru, Raising The Minimum Wage Is Still A Bad Idea,American Enterprise Institute,02/18/14.6Dan Walters, California Was No. 4 In Tax Burden Before Proposition 30 Passed,The Sacramento Bees Capitol Alert Blog,03/20/13.
http://www.aei.org/article/politics-and-public-opinion/raising-the-minimum-wage-is-still-a-bad-idea/http://www.aei.org/article/politics-and-public-opinion/raising-the-minimum-wage-is-still-a-bad-idea/http://www.aei.org/article/politics-and-public-opinion/raising-the-minimum-wage-is-still-a-bad-idea/http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/03/california-was-no-4-in-tax-burden-before-proposition-30-passed.htmlhttp://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/03/california-was-no-4-in-tax-burden-before-proposition-30-passed.htmlhttp://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/03/california-was-no-4-in-tax-burden-before-proposition-30-passed.htmlhttp://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/03/california-was-no-4-in-tax-burden-before-proposition-30-passed.htmlhttp://www.aei.org/article/politics-and-public-opinion/raising-the-minimum-wage-is-still-a-bad-idea/


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Whether Governor Brown acknowledges it or not, California cities are on the front line of

income inequality. While much public focus has centered on the impact that the

flourishing tech community has had on Bay Area cities like San Francisco with growing

tension between long-time residents and new workers attracted by well-paid tech jobs,

the experience of San Francisco is not isolated. According to the Brookings Institution,

three of the nations top 10 cities with the highest income inequality are in California:

San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles.7 But while the growing income gap in San

Francisco is explained by the increasing fortune of upper-income households, the

widening income disparity in cities like Sacramento and Fresno is attributable to low-

income households continuing to suffer under a weak economic recovery and reduced

work opportunities.8

In the midst of this national and local dialogue over income inequality, Democrats are

conducting a quiet war against minority children largely from low-income households. In

New York City, for example, newly elected Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned against

charter schools, saying that they had a destructive impact on traditional schools.9

After facing a firestorm of opposition that included distressed parents, fellow Democrat

Governor Andrew Cuomo, and leaders from the business world, Mayor de Blasio has

struck a more conciliatory tone.

10

On the national stage, U.S. Attorney General EricHolder attempted to block the Louisiana Scholarship Programa voucher program that

awards financial assistance to low-income families who want to transfer their children

out of failing schools.11 Of the 5,000 vouchers recently distributed in 2012, 91% went to

minority students. Yet under the guise of desegregation, the U.S. Justice Department

claimed that students should not be allowed to leave failing schools in order to maintain

racial balance.12

7Alan Berube, All Cities Are Not Created Unequal,Brookings Institution,02/20/14.8id.9Al Baker And Javier Hernandez, De Blasio And Operator Of Charter School Empire Do Battle,The New York Times,03/04/14.10Javier Hernandez, Gentler Words About Charter Schools From De Blasio,The New York Times,03/23/14.11Allie Bidwell, Justice Department Attempts To Block Louisiana School Voucher Program,US News & World Report,08/26/13.12

id.
http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/02/cities-unequal-berubehttp://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/02/cities-unequal-berubehttp://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/02/cities-unequal-berubehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/nyregion/de-blasio-and-builder-of-charter-school-empire-do-battle.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/nyregion/de-blasio-and-builder-of-charter-school-empire-do-battle.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/nyregion/de-blasio-and-builder-of-charter-school-empire-do-battle.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/de-blasio-strikes-conciliatory-tone-on-charter-schools.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/de-blasio-strikes-conciliatory-tone-on-charter-schools.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/de-blasio-strikes-conciliatory-tone-on-charter-schools.htmlhttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/26/justice-department-attempts-to-block-louisiana-school-voucher-programhttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/26/justice-department-attempts-to-block-louisiana-school-voucher-programhttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/26/justice-department-attempts-to-block-louisiana-school-voucher-programhttp://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/08/26/justice-department-attempts-to-block-louisiana-school-voucher-programhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/de-blasio-strikes-conciliatory-tone-on-charter-schools.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/05/nyregion/de-blasio-and-builder-of-charter-school-empire-do-battle.htmlhttp://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/02/cities-unequal-berube


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For all their talk about income inequality, the Democratic Party is unwilling to cure the

underlying disease. Income inequality is the product of a growing economy and a failed

education system. People who receive a good education are able to benefit from

economic growth. People stuck in a failed education system are left behind. Solving

income inequality requires transformational education reform to ensure that every child

gets a good education. Efforts to tackle income inequality that do not include bold

education reforms are merely window dressing.

The attacks on education reform in New York City and Louisiana served as urgent

rallying cries, mobilizing parents, elected officials, and the business community to

protect students and hard-fought educational progress. In California, however, the

danger is even greater. Without a similar siren, students face complacency with a

status quo that ranks California 46th in both math and reading. The good news is that

we know what the problem is and how to fix it. Republican governors like Jeb Bush in

Florida achieved stunning results lifting the achievement of low-income, inner-city, and

minority students.13 Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal continues his fight for low-income

children against the Obama Administration that uses desegregation as a shield to trap

disadvantaged children in underperforming schools. Every child deserves a good

education and states demand a better workforce, yet Democrats refuse to prioritizechildren over the interests that fund their political machines. We must reject the status

quo. We must raise our expectations. We can absolutely transform Californias

education system into a force that not only lifts student achievement, but ultimately

addresses income inequality and eradicates poverty from our communities.

* * *

13Matthew Ladner And Vicki E. Murray, Demography Is Not Destiny,Pacific Research Institute,August 2008.
http://www.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20080811_080708_Demography_Destiny.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20080811_080708_Demography_Destiny.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20080811_080708_Demography_Destiny.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/docLib/20080811_080708_Demography_Destiny.pdf


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K-12 EDUCATION

EMPOWERING PARENTS & TEACHERS SO EVERY CHILD CAN SUCCEED

Over the past few decades, an education revolution has swept through America and

has brought innovation, competition, and accountability into schools and classrooms.

One important driver of this revolution is the emergence of charter schools a limited

experiment that began in the 1990s but which has become one of the most important

proof-points of how particular reforms can directly impact student achievement, even for

the most disadvantaged students.

One of the key features of charter schools is that they are largely free from the endlessrules and restrictions that micromanage traditional public schools. Instead of suffering

under the weight of thousands of pages of the California Education Code, teachers,

principals, and parents in charter schools are empowered to decide for themselves how

best to educate kids. With this freedom, some charter schools have transformed the

way kids are learning, often with remarkable results.

Another key feature of charter schools is that the school itself has control over how its

funds are utilized. Statewide, only about 60% of education money makes it into the

classroom.14 Among individual school districts, there is a much wider range of funding

that actually makes it into the classroomanywhere from 50% to 70%.15 And even with

the money that is received, school leaders at traditional public schools have almost no

discretion on how to invest educational resources. Some principals at traditional

schools have indicated they have control over approximately 5% of their budget, with

the other 95% dictated by the district, Sacramento or Washington, DC.

It is imperative that educators have the discretion to prioritize their schools funding

needs. Charter schools already have this advantage, with school leaders deciding

14Figure K12-04, Where Schools Spend Their Money,Governors Budget Summary 2014-15,01/10/14.15Steven Frates, Michael Shires, And Ian Rudge, An Analysis Of K -12 Education Expenditures In California: FY 2003-04 To FY2008-09,Pepperdine University School Of Public Policy,June 2010.
http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.calchamber.com/pressreleases/documents/pepperdine_education_study.pdfhttp://www.calchamber.com/pressreleases/documents/pepperdine_education_study.pdfhttp://www.calchamber.com/pressreleases/documents/pepperdine_education_study.pdfhttp://www.calchamber.com/pressreleases/documents/pepperdine_education_study.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdf


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whether to spend their budget on longer school days, more days of instruction,

technology, or other instructional needs. Traditional schools deserve this discretion,

too, and should have the freedom of working with their school district to take advantage

of economies of scale, or to purchase goods and services on their ownwhatever

arrangement makes the most sense for an individual school and its students.

Charter schools demonstrate that empowering teachers, principals, and parents with the

authority to make instructional decisions can produce phenomenal results and provide

opportunity for every child. But why should only charter schools enjoy these

advantages? Every school should have the freedom to innovate and raise student

achievement. And by eliminating the current culture of rigid micromanagement, the

state will embrace a new structure whereby instructional decisions are delegated, and

school leaders are empowered and held accountable for results.

In addition to transforming traditional public schools, investment into charter schools

must continue so that parents have choices on where to send their kids either a great

traditional public school or a great charter school. To achieve this goal of providing a

quality education to every child, Neels education plan will:

Reroute state K-12 funding directly to school sites, so that teachers,

principals, and parents can decide how the funding is spent

Eliminate the vast majority of the California Education Code, providing all

schools with the flexibility that charters enjoy and transforming how kids

are educated

With this new flexibility and control, schools will be encouraged to:

o Bring vocational training back to schools (Career Technical

Education)


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o Implement longer school days and school years

o Reward great teachers and hire more teachers (where appropriate)

o Flip the classroom to maximize student-teacher engagement

Support the innovation of charter schools by ensuring resource and facility

parity, and eliminating the statutory cap

* * *


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JERRY BROWNS K-12 LEGACY

TIMID EFFORT THAT FAILS TO BREAK THE STATUS QUO

California schools have declined for decades. In 1980, California ranked 11th for

highest rate of high school graduates. Over the last three decades, the state has

slipped to a devastating 48th. Our 4th graders currently rank 46th in the nation for both

math and reading. And as an indicator that our education systems most precious

resourcegood teachersis at severe risk, enrollment in California teacher

preparation programs has fallen 24%the largest decline over the past decade.16

As recently as his State of the State address in January 2014, Governor Jerry Brown

touted his fondness for the principle of subsidiarity and cited the Oxford English

Dictionary definition to assert that central authorities should only perform those tasks

which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level.17 In plain

English: local control is usually the best public policy.18 In the face of the current

education crisis, however, Governor Brown and Sacramento bureaucrats are content to

pour more money into a broken system and claim reform victory. Recent legislation in

the form of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) has made slight progress in

instituting a form of weighted student funding and doing away with some of the states

restrictive categorical funding system.19 Yet while LCFF helps to move power away

from Sacramento, it fails to empower those best equipped to improve student

achievementteachers, principals, and parents at the school level.

Under the LCFF, funds are largely aimed at the district level. Wresting control away

from Sacramento and placing it at the district level is an incremental improvement, but

this reform effort represents a missed opportunity. California cannot jump from 46th in

the nation to the top five through timid reform. Bold transformation is required to break

16Louis Freedberg, Enrollment In Teacher Preparation Programs Plummets,EdSource,09/24/13.

17Gov. Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Governor Brown Delivers 2014 State Of The State Address,Press Release,01/22/14.

18Dan Walters, Jerry Browns Allegiance To Subsidiarity Will Be Tested,The Sacramento Bee,06/09/13.

19Mac Taylor, Updated: An Overview Of The Local Control Funding Formula,Legislative Analysts Office,December 2013.
http://edsource.org/today/2013/enrollment-in-teacher-preparation-programs-plummets/39380#.Ut1w7hDTldghttp://edsource.org/today/2013/enrollment-in-teacher-preparation-programs-plummets/39380#.Ut1w7hDTldghttp://edsource.org/today/2013/enrollment-in-teacher-preparation-programs-plummets/39380#.Ut1w7hDTldghttp://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18373http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18373http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18373http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/09/5482605/dan-walters-jerry-browns-allegiance.htmlhttp://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/09/5482605/dan-walters-jerry-browns-allegiance.htmlhttp://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/09/5482605/dan-walters-jerry-browns-allegiance.htmlhttp://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.pdfhttp://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.pdfhttp://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.pdfhttp://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.pdfhttp://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/09/5482605/dan-walters-jerry-browns-allegiance.htmlhttp://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18373http://edsource.org/today/2013/enrollment-in-teacher-preparation-programs-plummets/39380#.Ut1w7hDTldg


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the status quo and to provide children, parents, and teachers with the power to change

lives and build strong futures. Without transforming education by placing power at the

school site where students actually engage with teachers and learn, education reform

efforts will never achieve their full potential.

* * *


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NEEL KASHKARIS K-12 PLAN

EXPAND FREEDOM, INNOVATION & ACCOUNTABILITY TO ALL SCHOOLS

California has been on the front line of the charter movement, leading the nation by

opening 104 schools in 2013-14. In total, the state has 1,130 charter schools serving

519,000 students, about a fifth of the 2.5 million charter school students enrolled across

the nation.20 Within California, the charter movement has found fertile soil in Los

Angeles, where more charter schools are open than anywhere else in the country. In

total, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has 248 charter schools and

serves more than 136,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.21

While LAUSDs 136,000 charter students only represent a fraction of the Districts

650,000 total students, this large presence indicates a strong desire among parents to

place their children in an alternative to the Districts traditional public schools. Part of

this strong demand for charter schools can be explained by LAUSDs lagging

graduation rate. When comparing the graduation rate between students in traditional

LAUSD schools and those in LAUSD charter schools, the gap is significant. The

traditional graduation rate for the 2011-2012 school year was 66%, far below the charterschool graduation rate of 79%.22 And to refute any notion that charter schools cherry-

pick students, LAUSD charter schools that serve a majority of socioeconomically

disadvantaged students still reached a graduation rate of 76%.23 These disparate

graduation rates illustrate that even in a district as challenged and bureaucratic as

LAUSD, where more than half of its employees are not even teachers, 24charter schools

can break through and deliver superior results.

20Theresa Harrington, Charter Schools: California Leads Nation In School Openings, Students,The San Jose Mercury News,02/13/14.21Kristen Muller, Study: Los Angeles Charter Students Learn More Than In Traditional Public Schools,SCPR,03/15/14.22A Promise Fulfilled,California Charter Schools Association,January 2014.23id.24Fingertip Facts 2013-2014,Los Angeles Unified School District,Accessed 04/17/14.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/03/15/16099/study-los-angeles-charter-schools-outperform-tradi/http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/03/15/16099/study-los-angeles-charter-schools-outperform-tradi/http://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/03/15/16099/study-los-angeles-charter-schools-outperform-tradi/http://www.calcharters.org/APF_High_Res_For_Web.pdfhttp://www.calcharters.org/APF_High_Res_For_Web.pdfhttp://www.calcharters.org/APF_High_Res_For_Web.pdfhttp://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2011/12/22/46088560/Fingertip%20Facts%2013-14-100913.pdfhttp://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2011/12/22/46088560/Fingertip%20Facts%2013-14-100913.pdfhttp://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2011/12/22/46088560/Fingertip%20Facts%2013-14-100913.pdfhttp://home.lausd.net/ourpages/auto/2011/12/22/46088560/Fingertip%20Facts%2013-14-100913.pdfhttp://www.calcharters.org/APF_High_Res_For_Web.pdfhttp://www.scpr.org/blogs/education/2014/03/15/16099/study-los-angeles-charter-schools-outperform-tradi/http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-students


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The success of charter schools in a district as unwieldy as LAUSD illustrates the

potential that they have to unleash a tide of learning and achievement. A recent study

by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University

found that the typical student in a Los Angeles charter school gains more learning in a

year than his or her LAUSD peer, amounting to about 50 more days of learning in

reading and an additional 79 days of learning in math.25 Among Hispanic students in

poverty, the results were even more staggeringgains that amounted to 58 additional

days of learning in reading and 115 more days in math compared to district school

peers.26

Not all charter schools achieve similar success, but through innovation, continual

refinement, and built-in accountability that allows failing schools to close, charter

operators have learned to replicate success and are doubling down on the best models.

In California, this accountability has led to the recent closure of 39 charter schools. 27

The closure of these schools should not, however, be viewed as failure. The lessons

learned from these closures are valuable in continuing to inform best practices and

allowing an ongoing evolution in education to ensure that student interests remain

paramount. Through this process of innovation, evidence has emerged of successful

models sharing many of the same distinctive features, including longer school days andlonger academic years, more innovation in curriculum, and rigorous testing. 28

While charter schools have been a great evolution in public education, they do present

certain limitations. In particular, charter school enrollment is wholly voluntary, meaning

that virtually every student enrolled in a charter school has an engaged parent who did

the research and determined that a charter school was a better choice for their child.

The reality, however, is that not every child has a parent with easy access to education

information or the ability to navigate the process of enrolling in a charter school. Yet

25Center For Research On Education Outcomes At Stanford University, Study Finds Los Angeles Charter Schools OutperformDistrict School Peers,Press Release,03/15/14.26id.27Theresa Harrington, Charter Schools: California Leads Nation In School Openings, Students,The San Jose Mercury News,02/13/1428Karl Zinsmeister, Op-Ed, The Charter School Performance Breakout,The Wall Street Journal,03/28/14.
http://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/LA2014ReleaseFinal.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/LA2014ReleaseFinal.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/LA2014ReleaseFinal.pdfhttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303725404579461121157868830http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303725404579461121157868830http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303725404579461121157868830http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303725404579461121157868830http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/LA2014ReleaseFinal.pdf


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every child matters, and we must work to improve all schools to meet children wherever

they arein traditional public schools or in charters.

One thing not unique to charter schools is the presence of dedicated teachers well-

trained professionals who are committed to developing students into contributing

members of society. The system, however, does not treat teachers as professionals. In

New Orleans, the Recovery School District created after Hurricane Katrina devastated

the city operated by decentralizing power from the school board to the school site.

Bureaucracy was replaced with autonomy and accountability, which had the effect of

attracting educators who were drawn to the freedom to innovate. The results were

stunning: the percentage of students meeting state standards in New Orleans doubled

in four years, and the high school dropout rate dropped from 11.4% in 2005 to 4% in

2011.29

We know how important freedom and accountability are to enable success, yet we

currently expect traditional schools to excel without them. We must take what we have

learned during the last two decades of charter school innovation and offer traditional

schools the same flexibilityand importantlyenforce a similar level of accountability.

The state should not be in the practice of micromanaging schools, teachers, andprincipals. Rather, the appropriate state role should be marked by the setting and

enforcement of achievement standards. Teaching methods, classroom structure,

school calendar, and other elements of curriculum should be left to school-site

education professionals in consultation with parents, in order to meet the local needs of

students and the surrounding community.

* * *

29Wendy Kopp, Op-Ed, How Micromanaging Educators Stifles Reform,The Atlantic,04/10/12.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-micromanaging-educators-stifles-reform/255543/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-micromanaging-educators-stifles-reform/255543/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-micromanaging-educators-stifles-reform/255543/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/how-micromanaging-educators-stifles-reform/255543/


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Reroute state K-12 funding directly to school sites, so that teachers, principals,

and parents can decide how the funding is spent. Under the 2013-14 state budget,

Californias K-12 system spends $40 billion in General Fund dollars to educate more

than 6 million students spread over more than a thousand school districts. 30 These

districts run the gamut, from small elementary school districts serving less than 20

students31to mega-districts like the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)the

biggest in the state and the second largest public district in the nation.32

While Governor Browns Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) is intended to help

push money and power closer to students, the wide disparity in district sizes within the

state means that for many students concentrated in larger districts, the LCFF does not

properly address their unique needs. For example, LAUSD enrolls more than 650,000

studentsabout 10 percent of the states entire K-12 population.33 None of the states

other school districts come close to the size of LAUSD, but San Diego Unified has

130,000 students and Fresno Unified has 74,000 students illustrating that many urban

districts have large enrollments that serve diverse student needs. The scale of these

districts reveals that to truly give every child true opportunity, funding and instructional

decisions must be executed at the school level where principals and teachers can

shape instructional programs that take into account factors like local economicconditions and parental involvement.

The core of a school-centered approach is strong cooperation between teachers,

parents, and principals. While studies have shown that teachers are the single most

important factor in academic performance,34principals are critical to turning around

failing schools.35 As a part of Neels plan, principals will be empowered with greater

financial decision-making authority, finally aligning school-site priorities with funding

resources. Principals, however, will not act alone. Giving a voice to all stakeholders,

30K-12 Education, California State Budget 2013-14,California Department Of Finance,Accessed 04/17/14.31

Largest & Smallest Public School Districts,California Department Of Education,Accessed 01/22/14.32

District Information,Los Angeles Unified School District,Accessed 01/22/14.33Largest & Smallest Public School Districts,California Department Of Education,Accessed 01/22/14.34

Teachers Matter,RAND Education,2012.35

Samantha Cleaver, The Principal Pipeline, Ed. Magazine, Summer 2010.
http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2013-14/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2013-14/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2013-14/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://home.lausd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=178745&type=dhttp://home.lausd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=178745&type=dhttp://home.lausd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=178745&type=dhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/corporate_pubs/2012/RAND_CP693z1-2012-09.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/corporate_pubs/2012/RAND_CP693z1-2012-09.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/corporate_pubs/2012/RAND_CP693z1-2012-09.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/corporate_pubs/2012/RAND_CP693z1-2012-09.pdfhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://home.lausd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=178745&type=dhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/ceflargesmalldist.asphttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2013-14/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdf


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principals will lead a school-site committee that solicits input, builds consensus, and

puts forth an action plan. In this role, principals will help engage the entire school

community and create an environment where student interests are prioritized, teachers

are supported, and parents are consulted.

As previously discussed, only 60% of education funding makes it into the classroom.36

Neels direct funding model, however, will maximize the sum of public dollars that

makes it into the classroom and supports learning. The precise percentage of funding

that reaches any individual classroom will vary due to the diverse needs and

circumstances of each school, but this funding model will create the ability to maximize

classroom funding without micromanaging it or dictating any specific formula.

Students deserve a funding system where money used on their behalf is allocated in the

most efficient and deliberate manner possible. Teachers and principals are

undoubtedly best positioned to make these decisions, rather than the current approach

where funding decisions are made by bureaucrats who, though perhaps well-

intentioned, are far removed from the classroom and where funding trickles down to the

classroom after travelling through layers of bureaucracy. Ultimately, this school-

centered approach of education financing will have the ability to fulfill the promise of agood education for every child.

Eliminate the vast majority of the California Education Code, providing all

schools with the flexibility that charters enjoy and transforming how kids are

educated. Innovative schools across the country that started with a clean sheet have

proven time and time again that all students, regardless of the home they come from or

the community they are raised in, have the ability to learn and achieve. Strict rules and

regulations meant to standardize education across California, however, have tied the

hands of principals and teachers, preventing them from creating custom-tailored

instructional programs that account for the unique needs of the local student population.

36Figure K12-04, Where Schools Spend Their Money,Governors Budget Summary 2014-15,01/10/14.
http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdfhttp://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/Kthru12Education.pdf


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California charter schools enjoy broad freedom through the mega-waiver a statutory

exemption from the vast majority of rules and regulations imposed upon traditional

school districts under the California Education Code.37 Charter schools, however, have

illustrated that strict uniformity in education delivery methods does not equal superior

results. Innovation and personalization are effective, and students would be better off

without the rigid one-size-fits all culture that the state Education Code creates.

Neel strongly believes that education should not be dictated by Washington,

Sacramento, or even by school districts. In exchange for granting schools the authority

they need to make funding and instructional decisions, and eliminating constraining

sections of the state Education Code, they will be held to strict accountability standards.

By freeing teachers, parents, and principals to innovate (and giving them control over

their education dollars), Neel will encourage schools to choose among these and other

priorities to meet their students needs:

Bring vocational training back to schools (Career Technical Education).

High schools and community colleges should help prepare all of our students for

productive and satisfying careers. While the route for many students will be four-

year institutions, many good jobs in the modern economy are best pursuedthrough Career Technical Education (CTE), formerly known as vocational

training, that does not require the time or financial commitment associated with a

four-year degree.

In July 2013, California passed AB 86 to create the California Career Pathways

Trust (CCPT). Similar to the federal Race To The Top competitive grant

program, the CCPT will award $250 million in one-time competitive grants to

providers of K-14 education, including districts, county superintendents, charter

schools, and community college districts.38 Applicants competing for grants

37Cal. Educ. Code Sec. 4761038

California Careers Pathway Trust,California Department Of Education,Accessed 01/23/14.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47610-47615http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47610-47615http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47610-47615http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/gi/ccptinfo.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/gi/ccptinfo.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/gi/ccptinfo.asphttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/gi/ccptinfo.asphttp://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47610-47615


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worth up to $15 million will propose programs designed to provide a clear path

from school to specific jobs in high-growth industries.39

Two-hundred and fifty million is a large sum of state money, but funding a one-

time contest is not enough to represent what should be the states long -term

commitment to CTE. As governor, Neel will embrace CTE and provide the

flexibility for schools and districts to operate programs that create good

partnerships between student skills and local industries. By directing education

funding directly to school sites, school leaders will have the flexibility to fund CTE

on an on-going basis, if they determine these programs are important for their

studentsneeds.

Implement longer school days and school years. The number of days

California students spend in school has not been spared from budget cuts.

Adjusting to low state revenue during the economic crisis, the state legislature

reduced the minimum number of instructional days from the state standard of

180 days to 175.40 While a reduction of five days may not seem significant,

California graduates have to compete in a global jobs market, and when

compared to international competitors, 175 days of school instruction simply fallsshort. For example, other industrialized countries like Australia, Netherlands,

and Singapore offer a school year of 200 days. Koreas school year is even

higher at 220 days, and Switzerland offers 225 days of instruction.41

Complementary to the issue of the number of days students spend in school is

the distribution of those days over a calendar year. The current academic

calendar that stretches from Fall to early Summer is a relic of our nations

agrarian heritage where children were subject to the demands of the harvest

season. While most children no longer work in the fields, summer vacation

39Patrick McGreevy, State To Award Grants For Schools Providing Career Pathways,Los Angeles Times,01/21/14.

40Louis Freedberg, Budget Shortfall Heightens Threat Of Shorter School Year,EdSource,11/16/11.

41id.
http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/21/local/la-me-pc-state-to-award-grants-for-schools-providing-career-pathways-20140121http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/21/local/la-me-pc-state-to-award-grants-for-schools-providing-career-pathways-20140121http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/21/local/la-me-pc-state-to-award-grants-for-schools-providing-career-pathways-20140121http://edsource.org/today/2011/budget-shortfall-heightens-threat-of-shorter-school-year/3262#.UuRBuBDTldghttp://edsource.org/today/2011/budget-shortfall-heightens-threat-of-shorter-school-year/3262#.UuRBuBDTldghttp://edsource.org/today/2011/budget-shortfall-heightens-threat-of-shorter-school-year/3262#.UuRBuBDTldghttp://edsource.org/today/2011/budget-shortfall-heightens-threat-of-shorter-school-year/3262#.UuRBuBDTldghttp://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/21/local/la-me-pc-state-to-award-grants-for-schools-providing-career-pathways-20140121


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endures as an American tradition that unfortunately contributes to a

disproportionate and cumulative achievement gap among low-income students.42

As governor, Neel will embrace all programs that work to address the

achievement gapincluding lengthening the school year, lengthening the school

day, and allowing year-round schooling. Different schools will benefit from a

different combination of these policies, but allowing schools to find the formula

that works for them and their students will give students the best chance at

success.

Reward great teachers and hire more teachers (where appropriate).

Often times, a one-size-fits-all approach fails to reward excellence, encourages

mediocrity, and operates to protect the few who strongly underperform. In the

school setting, teacher compensation structures do not recognize the hard work

of the many dedicated teachers who go above and beyond to lift up their

students.

Through Neelsschool-centered approach, principals will not only have greater

discretion in determining instructional program budgets, but staff compensation,as well. Principals, however, will not be the sole determiner. Similar to the

inclusive approach of crafting a schools instructional priorities, Neel will also

support an evaluation process for school personnel that takes into account

factors including student performance, peer and parent evaluations, professional

observation, and community contribution. This type of comprehensive review

system that incorporates feedback from a variety of groups has a greater ability

of recognizing excellence and identifying personnel that might need more

professional support. Under this system, pay guidelines will serve more as a

minimum, rather than a lock-step ladder, thereby allowing staff, including

teachers, to earn more with positive evaluations.

42Jennifer Sloan McCombs, Making Summer Count,RAND Corporation,2011.
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1120.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1120.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1120.pdfhttp://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1120.pdf


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Another benefit of placing budgetary authority at the school level is the ability for

principals and teachers to work together to provide the appropriate classroom

structure for their specific student population. By being able to determine their

own school budgets, principals may prioritize the need for another librarian or the

hiring of more teachers, for examplewhatever combination of staff and

resources will help maximize achievement. To meet this school-centric vision as

governor, Neel will empower schools and principals with the professional

judgment necessary to make schools the most effective learning environment

possible for children and their communities.

Flip the classroom to maximize student-teacher engagement. While there

have been many advances in education, one model has endured: school-day

lectures reinforced by after-hours homework. One program piloted by the Los

Altos school district in 2010 turned this approach on its head by implementing a

flipped classroom in a number of 5th and 7th grade classes. In these flipped

classrooms, students would view lecture videos at home and then practice

techniques and apply principles during the school day by working on

assignments with teachers and other students. This allowed students the

opportunity to get the support they neededeither from fellow students or theirteacherwhile they were working through problems in real-time, instead of

working on an assignment at home and then waiting until the next school day to

ask questions. Teachers also benefitted from real-time feedback on student

comprehension and could immediately identify areas where students needed

additional instructional support. The result was a classroom that turned from a

forum for passive lectures to a lively and interactive learning environment.43

This Los Altos pilot only included a small student sample, but it provides another

proof-point of a teaching method that holds potential for improved student

outcomes. The 7th graders included in the pilot program were diverse, with

many students coming from low-income backgrounds. Yet relative to the year

43Lance T. Izumi And Elliott Parisi, One World School House Vs. Old World Statehouse,Pacific Research Institute,January 2013.
http://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdf


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before, the achievement of these students on the grade level exam improved by

106 percent, resulting in twice as many students performing at grade level.44

And while the flipped classroom is new to the K-12 environment, it has been

used for more than a decade at dozens of colleges in areas as diverse as math,

science, English, and other disciplines, with positive results.45 As governor, Neel

will promote the expansion of flipped classrooms by eliminating seat time rules

that impose a minimum number of classroom-based minutes per school day and

assumes subject mastery once a number of classroom minutes has been met.

Support the innovation of charter schools by ensuring resource and facility

parity, and eliminating the statutory cap. Despite contributing to Californias

education landscape for two decades and producing some phenomenal examples of

student achievement, charter schools have struggled to win even footing with traditional

public schools. High among its issues includes the lack of resource and facility parity in

comparison with traditional schools. As recently as the 2011-12 academic year, charter

schools received an average of $301 less in per pupil general purpose funding than

their traditional school district peers.46 Adding further stress on limited charter school

budgets is the fact that they must pay their rent or mortgage costs directly out of their

operating budgets, unlike traditional district schools that do not bear these costs out oftheir general funds.47

Another issue related to charter schools is the statutory charter school cap which, under

the California Education Code, is limited to increasing by 100 schools per year.48 While

the state has not yet bumped up against the cap, California has consistently opened

44Lance T. Izumi And Elliott Parisi, One World School House Vs. Old World Statehouse,Pacific Research Institute,January 2013.45id.46Mac Taylor, Comparing Funding For Charter Schools And Their School District Peers,Legislative Analysts Office,01/26/12.47Facilities Equity Overview,California Charter Schools Association,Accessed 04/19/14.48Cal. Educ. Code Sec. 47602(a)(1).
http://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdfhttp://lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/charter-schools/charter-schools-012612.pdfhttp://lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/charter-schools/charter-schools-012612.pdfhttp://lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/charter-schools/charter-schools-012612.pdfhttp://www.calcharters.org/advocacy/facilities-adv/http://www.calcharters.org/advocacy/facilities-adv/http://www.calcharters.org/advocacy/facilities-adv/http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47600-47604.5http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47600-47604.5http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47600-47604.5http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=47001-48000&file=47600-47604.5http://www.calcharters.org/advocacy/facilities-adv/http://lao.ca.gov/reports/2012/edu/charter-schools/charter-schools-012612.pdfhttp://www.pacificresearch.org/fileadmin/templates/pri/images/Studies/PDFs/2013-2015/KhanStudy_web.pdf


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between 80 and 100 new charter schools since 1999.49 Last year, the state opened 104

new charter schools.50

When the charter school cap was first implemented for the 1998-99 school year,

charters were still relatively new to California and there was good reason to pace the

growth of what was still largely an experimental endeavor. With charter schools now a

known and proven model, there is no longer a compelling reason to impose an arbitrary

cap on charter school growth. Patterns of success have been identified and good

charters can scale their success quickly and responsibly.

The education reform movement has not concluded. While many lessons can be

learned and replicated from successful charter schools, a strong element of competition

and innovation must continue to exist in order to avoid stagnation. The needs of

students will continually evolve and charters must remain a positive force to push

boundaries and reveal new discoveries. As governor, Neel will be a strong advocate for

charter schools, ensuring that they operate on equal footing with traditional schools

both in funding and facilitiesand will repeal the states charter school cap, ensuring

that the law never impedes broader educational progress or excludes any child from the

opportunity that an excellent school provides.

* * *

49Figure 2: Opened And Closed Charter Campuses, 1991-2011, Charter School Performance In California,Center For ResearchOn Education Outcomes At Stanford University, 02/27/14.50Theresa Harrington, Charter Schools: California Leads Nation In School Openings, Students,San Jose Mercury News,02/13/14.
http://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_25127211/california-leads-nation-new-charter-schools-and-studentshttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdfhttp://credo.stanford.edu/pdfs/ca_report_FINAL.pdf


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HIGHER EDUCATION

DRIVING SOCIAL MOBILITY AND BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS

The advantages of a good higher education system are clear and compelling, but tuition

increases and limited course offerings are diminishing access and opportunity.

Education is the primary driver of social mobilitythe key to building a strong middle

class and allowing people to lift themselves out of poverty. Yet Californias higher

education system traps students and essentially hoards them, eager to cash their tuition

checks financed with their mounting debt. Instead of a clear four-year path to

graduation, students are forced to borrow more money to pay for a fifth or sixth year of

college. And under Governor Jerry Brown, cash-strapped University of Californiacampuses have aggressively recruited non-Californians for the extra $23,000 they pay

in annual tuition. The acceptance rate for in-state students at UCs has reached the

lowest level in decades.51 Meanwhile, 13% of all UC freshman will be from outside of

California this Fall, up from 12% this year, and just 5% four years ago.52

Neel wants every California high school graduate to have access to an affordable higher

education, be it through Career Technical Education programs, at a community college,

or through a traditional four-year college. To reach that goal, Neel proposes four bold

ideas that will transform the way that California colleges are funded, improve access,

increase graduation and certificate rates, and make higher education more affordable,

while ensuring high quality:

Incentivize student achievement and clear the path to graduation by linking

campus performance to state funding

o Establishing different goals for the three higher education segments

so that they can thrive within their respective missions

51Larry Gordon, UC Accepts Fewer Californians, More Students From Out-Of-State,The Los Angeles Times,04/18/13.52Larry Gordon And Carla Rivera, California Students Feels UC Admission Squeeze,The Los Angeles Times,04/18/14.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/18/local/la-me-ln-uc-admissions-20130417http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/18/local/la-me-ln-uc-admissions-20130417http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/18/local/la-me-ln-uc-admissions-20130417http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-admit-20140419,0,3471945.story#axzz2zMfVE6rHhttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-admit-20140419,0,3471945.story#axzz2zMfVE6rHhttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-admit-20140419,0,3471945.story#axzz2zMfVE6rHhttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-admit-20140419,0,3471945.story#axzz2zMfVE6rHhttp://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/18/local/la-me-ln-uc-admissions-20130417


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o Rewarding progress to maintain the integrity of the overall goal of

degree/certificate completion

o Keeping the funding formula and corresponding reward targets

simple

Promote affordability and fewer course bottlenecks by mandating all UCs

and CSUs place 20% of their courses online within four years

Break down barriers by allowing students across the UC, CSU, and CCC

systems to take for-credit courses from world-class UC and CSU

professors

Pioneer a new financing program for STEM students where free tuition is

provided in exchange for a small interest in their future earnings

* * *


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JERRY BROWNS

HIGHER EDUCATION LEGACY

MIDDLE CLASS TUITION SHOCK

The recent recession crushed the middle class, and nowhere is that more evident than

in the struggles of families trying to pay for college tuition. To compensate for

diminished state funding, the California State University (CSU) and the University of

California (UC) systems subjected families to sharp tuition and fee increases since the

recession hit in 2008, as much as 28% in a single year by the CSU and 23% by the

UC.

53

Tuition at CSU and UC campuses has basically doubled since 2007.

54

Tuition rates, however, are not the only factor in determining the cost of college. The

total cost of higher education is a function of both the cost of tuition and the length of

time it takes to complete a degree. In California, the average time it takes a full-time

student to complete a four-year degree is 5.2 years, while part-time students need an

additional five months.55 Only 14% of Californias full-time students graduate from a

four-year public university on time.56

The practical result of tuition increases under Governor Jerry Brown and the low rate of

on-time graduates is that higher education becomes less affordable, less accessible,

and simply out of reach for many families. The CSU and the UC turned down record

numbers of qualified students and raised tuition during the recession, causing tuition

shock for middle-class families who bore a larger share of education costs, but did not

qualify for financial aid targeted at low-income students.57 As a result, the average CSU

53A New Plan For A New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education,The Little Hoover Commission,10/14/13.

54Lisa Pickoff-White, The Cost Of Tuition At UC, CSU Over The Years, Adjusted For Inflation,KQED,07/18/12.55Samantha Schaefer, 61% Of States Full-Time College Students Graduate,The Orange County Register,09/27/11.56id.57

A New Plan For A New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education,The Little Hoover Commission,10/14/13.
http://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/students-319243-time-percent.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/articles/students-319243-time-percent.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/articles/students-319243-time-percent.htmlhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.ocregister.com/articles/students-319243-time-percent.htmlhttp://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdf


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student leaves school with $14,744 of debt, while UC students accumulate a higher

average obligation of $17,300.58

Until now, the dance between lower state funding and higher tuition rates has been

tolerated, but there will be a breaking point at which it is no longer tenable. At that

point, students will not be the only ones harmed; the state of California will ultimately

suffer with an unprepared workforce that will fail to compete globally. And as in other

areas, what happens in California has wide-ranging effects outside of its borders. With

the distinction of attracting a tenth of the nations public four-year college students, the

health and quality of Californias higher education institutions will have a large

reverberating effect on the greater national economy.59

California does not have the luxury of weathering the effects of a smaller and less

competitive workforce. As it currently stands, the state is already projected to suffer a

large college graduate deficit. According to The Little Hoover Commission, California

needs 2.3 million more graduates than it is currently projected to produce just to

maintain a healthy modern economy in 2025. This equates to a 40% increase from the

number of students currently graduating from all California institutionsboth public and

private.

60

Additionally, experts at the Center on Education and the Workforce atGeorgetown University project that 61% of all California jobs will require postsecondary

education by 2018highlighting the need for not only a robust workforce, but a well-

trained workforce, as well.61

* * *

58Lisa Pickoff-White, Chart: The Cost Of Tuition At UC, CSU Over The Years, Adjusted For /Inflation,KQEDs News Fix Blog,

07/18/12.59

Larry Gordon, California Leads Nation In Escalation Of College Costs,The Los Angeles Times,10/26/11.60

A New Plan For A New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education,The Little Hoover Commission,10/14/13.61

Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl, Help Wanted: Projections Of Jobs And Education Requirements Through2018,Georgetown UniversityCenter On Education And The Workforce, June 2010.
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/26/local/la-me-college-costs-20111026http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/26/local/la-me-college-costs-20111026http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/26/local/la-me-college-costs-20111026http://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/state-levelanalysis-web.pdfhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/state-levelanalysis-web.pdfhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/state-levelanalysis-web.pdfhttp://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/state-levelanalysis-web.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/26/local/la-me-college-costs-20111026http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2012/07/18/csu-and-uc-tuition-hikes-over-time/


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NEEL KASHKARIS

HIGHER EDUCATION PLAN

TRANSFORM FUNDING TO EXPAND ACCESS & IMPROVE AFFORDABILITY

Incentivize student achievement and clear the path to graduation by linking

campus performance to state funding. Californias higher education funding system

is generally based upon an antiquated system of inputs. Depending on the size of an

institutions enrollment, the state will provide a corresponding level of funding. The

problem with this funding model, however, is that it does not place proper value onoutputthe return on the states investment into higher education through a system that

properly prepares graduates with certificates, four-year degrees, and advanced

degrees. The current model actually incentivizes colleges to hoard students rather than

graduate them. The more enrollees an institution has, the more funding it receives from

the state. The incentives must change to focus on student achievement.

Recent legislative attempts have been made to better align state funding with goals, but

even a trailer bill passed with last years state budget only requires annual reporting on

performance measures, failing to actually link progress with state funding.62 As

governor, Neel will make performance funding a priority, linking between 25% to 50% of

a campus state funding with a schools measureable achievements to foster a culture of

accountability.

The goal of linking funding with outcomes has evaded education policy experts for

decades. A variety of states have tried to craft different variations of performance-

based funding models to fit their own unique needs and student populations, but

enthusiasm and commitment to revisions waned due to impatience with the process of

fine-tuning policies into well-tailored programs. During the recent recession, however, a

62A New Plan For A New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education,The Little Hoover Commission,10/14/13.
http://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdf


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resurgence of interest by states to better align precious funds with greater access and

improved outcomes has resulted in 12 states adopting some form of performance

funding and another 23 states that are either transitioning to it or have initiated formal

discussions about adopting performance funding.63

In FY 2013-14, California is scheduled to spend more than $9 billion funding 145

university and community college campuses serving more than 3 million students.64

This large level of funding provides the state with a considerable amount of purchasing

power that can be leveraged to influence how institutions can adapt to better serve

students and reach goals. Building upon the lessons learned by other states through

their experiences with performance-based funding, California has a strong template on

which to tailor its own design. As governor, Neel will lead a process to redesign the way

California higher education institutions are funded, including the following elements:

Establishing different goals for the three higher education segments so

that they can thrive within their respective missions.A one-size-fits-all

approach to performance-based funding will not work with Californias three-

segment system that was created to serve distinct student populations. For

example, to encourage institutions to best serve their respective missions,incentive formulas will be tailored to incorporate research and development

achievements at UCs, the conferral of four-year degrees at CSUs, and the

number of associate degrees awarded or the number of transfers to four-year

institutions from Community Colleges.

Rewarding progress to maintain the integrity of the overall goal of

degree/certificate completion. While the ultimate goal remains the conferral of

certificates and diplomas, the achievement of intermediate progress will also be

recognized. Without placing value on the milestone steps that mark the path of

completion, there is a danger that institutions may lower academic standards and

63A New Plan For A New Economy: Reimagining Higher Education,The Little Hoover Commission,10/14/13.64id.
http://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdfhttp://www.lhc.ca.gov/studies/218/Report%20218.pdf


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devolve into diploma mills to inflate achievement metrics. Examples of progress

milestones include:

o Enrollment in remedial programs

o Credit accumulation

o Retention rates

o Course completion

Keeping the funding formula and corresponding reward targets simple.

The higher education system is already complicated. With so many moving

parts, developing a simple funding formula based upon clear goals will not only

provide clear targets for institutions, it will also create a high level of public

transparency to track and monitor institutional performance.

o Degrees awarded

o Graduation rates

o Transfer rates65

Promote affordability and fewer course bottlenecks by mandating all UCs and

CSUs place 20% of their courses online within four years. With the ability to

democratize information, the Internet has the potential to be a powerful transformationalforce for higher education. One large driver of the cost of education is the length of time

it takes for a student to finish his or her course of study and the limited space for

students in a given classroom. Using the CSU as an example, a shortage of veteran

professors and high enrollment demand led to 1,294 identified bottleneck courses

stretching across the 23-campus system during the 2012-13 year.66

There are a variety of factors that contribute to bottleneck courses, including a lack of

tenured professors, shortage of lab space, students taking the same courses multiple

times, and the need of some students to take whatever courses they can to maintain the

minimum course-load required to preserve financial aid eligibility.67 With finite budget

65Performance-Based Funding For Higher Education,National Conference Of State Legislatures,03/05/14.66

Josh Dulaney, Bottleneck Courses Resulting In Students Struggling To Graduate,The Los Angeles Daily News,10/12/13.67id.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/performance-funding.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/education/performance-funding.aspxhttp://www.ncsl.org/research/education/performance-funding.aspxhttp://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131012/bottleneck-courses-resulting-in-students-struggling-to-graduatehttp://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131012/bottleneck-courses-resulting-in-students-struggling-to-graduatehttp://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131012/bottleneck-courses-resulting-in-students-struggling-to-graduatehttp://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20131012/bottleneck-courses-resulting-in-students-struggling-to-graduatehttp://www.ncsl.org/research/education/performance-funding.aspx


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resources, however, it is unlikely that institutions will have the luxury of hiring enough

professors to keep up with demand. Instead, it is incumbent upon the UCs, CSUs, and

California Community Colleges (CCCs) to deploy current resources in a manner that

can reach more students, move them along, and help them finish more quickly and

affordably while maintaining high quality standards.

Due to the variety of factors contributing to bottleneck courses, there is no silver bullet

to solve the challenge they pose to students and institutions. Lecture courses, for

example, are more easily scaled through online access than lab courses. But just

because there is no single or easy answer does not mean that steps should not be

taken.

Recognizing the current vacuum in online course offerings available across campuses,

the UC has recently piloted the Cross-Campus Enrollment System. Individual UC

campuses have already offered some online classes, but prior to the new System,

students often faced bureaucratic and technological hassles that discouraged cross-

campus enrollment. The program just started in January 2014 during Winter Quarter

with 11 pre-existing courses offered at four UC campuses. And because the classes

are offered for-credit, academic integrity is maintained by requiring a weekly real-timeonline discussion session with a teaching assistant or professor, and final exams that

are proctored in real classrooms.68

The Cross-Campus Enrollment System is the type of pilot program that should be

scaled as quickly as possible to better serve students. As governor, Neel will mandate

that all UCs and CSUs place 20% of their courseswith priority on bottleneck courses

online within four years. This will not only help address the bottleneck problem that

limits the ability of students to graduate on-time, but will also provide students with

greater flexibility in completing their necessary courses.

68Larry Gordon, UC Forging Ahead With Cross-System Online Courses,The Los Angeles Times,12/24/13.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story#axzz2z4FRos1ihttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story#axzz2z4FRos1ihttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story#axzz2z4FRos1ihttp://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-uc-online-20131222,0,6798231.story#axzz2z4FRos1i


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Break down barriers by allowing students across the UC, CSU, and CCC systems

to take for-credit courses from world-class UC and CSU professors. With some of

the best professors in the world, the California higher education system has a

tremendous intellectual resource. The traditional model of in-person lectures, however,

does not distribute instruction in a way that maximizes this valuable resource. UC

students are already accustomed to lecture halls filled with hundreds of undergraduate

students. And new lecture halls continue to be constructed to accommodate increasing

class sizes and the upsizing of impacted courses.69 When scaling classes, online

resources should be harnessed to provide greater access to critical courses taught by

world-class professors.

Appetite for online course offerings has increased with the creation of consortiums that

partner several institutions together and pool their collective resources and expertise.

As with any emerging technology, refinements and improvements are a part of the

process of creating better offerings. Any growing pains associated with growing the

field of online courses, however, should not be interpreted as reasons to resist the

enormous potential of this new technology.

As governor, Neel will promote the cross-pollination of professors between highereducation segments so that more students have access to excellent professors, the

impact of bottleneck courses is reduced, the total length of study is shortened, and the

ultimate cost of education is lowered. To achieve this, Neel will break down the barriers

of higher education by providing every student with the ability to learn from a great

university professor. Specifically, with 20% of courses made available online,

students from all three segments will be allowed to receive instruction, for credit,

from UC professors, and CSU courses will also be made available to CCC

students. Thus, while preserving the distinct educational missions of the three

segments, greater cooperation between the systems will accelerate the path to course

completion while maintaining academic integrity.

69Laura Fitzgerald And Jordyn May, California Lecture Hall To Be Constructed,The California Aggie,11/21/13.
http://www.theaggie.org/2013/11/21/california-lecture-hall-to-be-constructed/http://www.theaggie.org/2013/11/21/california-lecture-hall-to-be-constructed/http://www.theaggie.org/2013/11/21/california-lecture-hall-to-be-constructed/http://www.theaggie.org/2013/11/21/california-lecture-hall-to-be-constructed/


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Pioneer a new financing program for STEM students where free tuition is

provided in exchange for a small interest in their future earnings. Shortening the

length of time it takes to earn a certificate or degree is just one way of decreasing the

financial burden associated with pursuing a higher education. As is the case with other

policy breakthroughs, states are taking the lead by acting as laboratories of ideas

testing new models and pushing the boundaries of reform. In the context of higher

education, Oregon is helping to pioneer a new higher education funding model that

allows students to attend college with no upfront cost or loans in return for paying the

state a small share of their future earnings. Through initial program estimates for the

state of Oregon, students would agree to pay 3% of their annual salaries for 24 years. 70

If a student earns a high salary as a doctor, they pay back 3%. If a student enters a

non-profit field at a more modest salary, they also pay back 3%. This innovative

program avoids saddling students with enormous debt, and does so without increasing

costs for taxpayers.

Oregon is not the only state to apply creative thinking to the persistent problem of

student debt. New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have all introduced some type of

similar legislation and 19 states sent representatives to a recent conference discussing

how this new financing model might work.

71

This wide-spread interest illustrates astrong desire to provide a state-level policy solution for families struggling to send their

kids to college. One potential weakness of such models, however, is adverse selection:

if only students who plan to pursue careers with more modest salary expectations utilize

the program, the program may not be self-sustaining.

In order to align a new higher education financing model with the workforce needs of the

state, and to address the potential adverse selection problem , Neel proposes a

scholarship program that provides four-year college students majoring in a STEM

(science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) field free tuition in exchange

for a small interest in their future earnings. This funding model is voluntary, so

70Douglas Belkin, Oregon Explores Novel Way To Fund College,The Wall Street Journal,07/03/13.

71Libby A. Nelson, Can Pay It Forward Pay For College?,Politico,11/12/13.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324251504578582101593420808http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324251504578582101593420808http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324251504578582101593420808http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/pay-it-forward-oregon-college-tuition-99695.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/pay-it-forward-oregon-college-tuition-99695.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/pay-it-forward-oregon-college-tuition-99695.htmlhttp://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/pay-it-forward-oregon-college-tuition-99695.htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324251504578582101593420808


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students could opt to participate in the traditional loan model of college financing, but

this is just one way to help lower- and middle-class families afford the costs of education

and to provide the opportunity of upward mobility to all hard-working students.

Additionally, the state would benefit from a higher supply of STEM graduates that would

preserve Californias leading role as an innovation pioneer.

* * *

Neel firmly believes that, as former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has put it:

Education is the civil rights struggle of our day.72 Raised in a middle-class immigrant

family, Neel has seen first-hand how a good education can secure a students future.

While Governor Brown fails to institute the necessary reforms to provide opportunity for

every child and to make higher education more affordable, Neel will transform K-12

education by empowering schools, principals, teachers, and parents with the voice and

authority they need to serve our children while instituting bold funding reform in higher

education to increase access and affordability for all.

California already has the natural advantage of being a place where students want to

study and then stay to work and raise a

neel kashkari's education plan

Documents

schools2a neel kashkari

schools3a neel kashkari

povertya neel kashkari

bywidening income inequality

symptoms of income inequality

governor white paperapril

governor brown

lift achievement