Tuesday, March 09, 1999
Ohio's new schools boss sees role as peacemaker
She must form funding plan
BY MICHAEL HAWTHORNE
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — Ohio's new superintendent of public instruction vowed Monday to be a peacemaker in the simmering battle over school funding.
Susan Tave Zelman's first day on the job came 10 days after a trial judge struck down legislation intended to narrow the gap between rich and poor schools and fix the state's crumbling school buildings.
She won't have much time to adjust to her new surroundings. Judge Linton D. Lewis Jr. of Perry County Common Pleas Court ordered the new superintendent to craft a new plan along with the state school board.
Mindful that fallout from the last round of school funding debate forced her predecessor in to retirement, Dr. Zelman brings the fresh perspective of an outsider. She comes to Ohio from Missouri, where she was deputy state commissioner of elementary and secondary education for five years.
“Ohio has a reputation for being a difficult state,” she said. “My job is to create an environment where all the parties come to the table and work together on a solution.”
It's unclear how successful she will be in breaking up educational turf battles.
The Ohio Department of Education, which she will oversee, has become a lightning rod of criticism from the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
After complaining the department is wasteful and inefficient, lawmakers in recent years have stripped it of several duties, including control of programs that pay for classroom computers and school construction.
In turn, some members of the state school board com plained that John Goff, Dr. Zelman's predecessor, failed to defend their interests before the General Assembly. The 19-member board oversees the education department and hires the state superintendent.
Some legislators also felt Dr. Goff undermined their defense of the latest school funding system during a trial before Judge Lewis last summer. The changes were intended to comply with an Ohio Supreme Court decision that declared the old system inadequate and unconstitutional.
While Dr. Goff was supposed to be one of the state's star witnesses, his testimony ended up bolstering the coalition of school districts that successfully sued the state.
The coalition contends the new financing scheme widens the gap between rich and poor districts and fails to provide enough money to fix school buildings, labeled the worst in the 50 states by a federal study.
“To me, the issue is not only about money,” said Dr. Zelman, who will earn $135,000 a year and qualify for up to $15,000 in bonuses. “We need to focus on continuous improvement in our schools and on holding us all accountable for results.”
She said she is impressed with the state's efforts to boost student achievement with proficiency tests and “report cards” that detail the performance of individual schools.
Legislators say Dr. Zelman will enjoy a political honeymoon much like Gov. Bob Taft, who also has pledged to make the next round of school funding debate less combative and more collaborative.
“I think she has real potential, not only to build better relationships with legislators but also to focus on achievement and what counts in the classroom,” said Rep. Randy Gardner of Bowling Green, the No. 2 Republican in the Ohio House.
“This is a tremendous opportunity,” said Sen. Mike Shoemaker of Bourneville, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Education Committee. “The new superintendent and the state board should really step out in front this time around.”
One role Dr. Zelman has steered clear of is co-chairing a group of education, business and community leaders called Ohio's BEST.
BEST played a key role in trying to fashion the last attempt to fix the school funding system, but lawmakers and board members complained Dr. Goff's involvement as the group's co-chair conflicted with their interests.
Dr. Zelman will limit her role to serving on the group's board of directors.
“We want to be very supportive of her,” said Robert Wehling, senior vice president at Procter & Gamble Co. and BEST's co-chair. “She will have a period to change people and build trust. And believe me, we have a lot of work to do.”
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