Education Proposals Filled Governor?s Plate During ?03

Education reform was Arkansas’ top statewide news story of 2003.

All last year, Gov. Mike Huckabee promoted progressive plans — some of them counter to his personal inclinations — to fix a public school system that the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in November 2002.

“I would hate for it to be said of me by future historians that I simply played politics with the law and with the children of Arkansas,” he said during a recent interview.

In January 2003, before the regular session of the Arkansas General Assembly began, Huckabee was optimistic that legislators would do the right thing.

The high court had given the governor and the Legislature until Jan. 1, 2004, to come up with a plan to make all public schools adequate and equitable.

The governor gave one of those rare, eloquent speeches that was a call to arms for the legislators to transform education in the state and wipe away decades of ranking at or near the bottom nationally.

But the legislators did not heed the call — and nearing the deadline the state still didn’t have an education reform package.

“I knew it would be difficult,” the governor said at the state Capitol while legislators were meeting in special session down the hall.

Huckabee said he was disappointed that some of the highly vocal opponents of his education proposals are people who should know better.

“They should know that this is a court issue, not a policy issue,” he said.

The uproar stems from a lawsuit that began in 1992, when the small, all-black Lake View School District in east Arkansas challenged the way the state funds its public schools.

The case wound through courts for a decade before the Supreme Court ruled, as Lake View charged, that the state not only doesn’t spend enough money on education, but what it does spend was not divided fairly among rich and poor school districts.

The governor quickly realized the impact of the ruling — that it’s the responsibility of state government, not local school districts, to provide an equal educational opportunity to all students. The state could no longer use local control of school districts as an excuse for the wide differences in funding and courses offered among school districts.

If no reform was actually put in place by Jan. 1, the state can and likely will be sued again — even if legislators can agree on a plan.

 

Call for Consolidation

Widespread consolidation of small school districts and high schools wasn’t mentioned in the court’s Lake View ruling, but the governor — and many others — think it’s the only way the state can afford to comply with the decision.

“I didn’t take my position on consolidation to make people angry,” said Huckabee, who opposed forced consolidation until he received the Lake View ruling from the state Supreme Court.

Huckabee embraced consolidation in order to make the most efficient use of state funds. Larger schools could offer the 38 high school courses required by the state, while many of the state’s small high schools simply cannot afford to hire enough qualified teachers to offer all of those courses every year.

Those opposed to consolidation based on a particular number of students are seeking what they call a “standards-based” remedy that would allow smaller districts to remain intact if they meet state standards. They argue that the court ruling mandates only that all schools are funded adequately and equally, regardless of the number of districts.

The governor said the state has, in effect, had a standards-based system for years, but it hasn’t worked.

Huckabee said any measure the legislators draft needs to include accountability, raising the standards and a way to restructure the system that the state can afford. Although he didn’t say he would veto a plan that failed to meet that criteria, he said it’s always an option.

In January 2003, Huckabee boldly advocated consolidating school districts that had fewer than 1,500 students. But after months of one-sided concession, his current plan calls for consolidating districts of fewer than 500 students into districts of at least 700 students, effective with the 2004-2005 school year. The 500 minimum would consolidate 99 of the state’s 308 school districts.

The plan does allow for some “isolated” schools to continue as they are. The measure also would set a minimum teacher salary of $27,891 a year in 2004-2005 and establish an Office of Public School Accountability under the state Board of Education.

Despite Huckabee’s best efforts at a compromise, consolidation divided the state’s legislators and pushed education reform right up to the Supreme Court’s deadline.

“The jury is still out if (a reform package and a plan to pay for it) can be completed by Christmas,” Huckabee said. “I hope so.”

It didn’t happen.

Huckabee said he has no regrets, but if he had it to do over again, “I wouldn’t have given up some things in trying to reach a compromise.”

Those concessions haven’t helped with House members who continue to insist that there be no minimum enrollment size for independent school districts.

He compared it to a football game in which his opponents moved the goal post every time he moved the ball into scoring position. He finally came to the conclusion that he was negotiating with people who were not acting in good faith, he said.

Although the governor has received the backing of business leaders and most editorial pages, “a loud minority voice that is treated as an equal voice in terms of numbers” has caused the stalemate of any compromise plan, particularly in the House of Representatives.

“Most Arkansans believe we must make major changes” in the state’s education system, Huckabee said.

“It’s not a fight against rural Arkansas,” the governor said, “but a fight for rural Arkansas. I want to see that they receive just as powerful an education as those in the city or in private schools. Fighting this battle is worth it. Jobs are tied to the education they have.”

The divisive battle over his tough stand on education reform hasn’t shaken his faith in Arkansans.

“I received far more letters and calls and e-mails who support me in my efforts than from those opposed to me.”

 

Other Issues

• During the busy year, Huckabee made a decision not to run, as some expected, for the Senate seat held by Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

The term-limited governor said, “Right now I plan to step away from politics for a while” when he completes his time as governor. He added, however, that he’s keeping his options open.

“I don’t want to become what I ran against in the first place,” he said, referring to those who become entrenched in power.

A former Baptist minister, Huckabee still preaches on occasion but has no plans to return to the pulpit. “I don’t know if any church would have me now,” he said.

• While the Republican Party has the top two political offices in the state and has made solid inroads into Democrat-dominated Legislature, the state GOP has found itself in financial trouble because of Federal Election Commission fines in connection with campaign finance reporting. The party is negotiating with the FEC.

Marty Ryall was the party’s executive director through the period in question. When he stepped down in October, the party owed more than $300,000.

Gunner Delay became acting party chairman until December when the way was cleared for Huckabee’s choice, Lt. Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, to take over leadership.

“The election of Rockefeller is a positive step,” Huckabee said. “He brings a stable and mature leadership to the post. No one will accuse him of running off with the money.

“The party’s problems are serious,” the governor said, “but they don’t affect most Arkansans.”

Most of the state GOP’s problems stemmed from how spending was reported. An audit found that the party exceeded legal spending limits in the unsuccessful reelection bid of Rep. Jay Dickey and kept inadequate and inaccurate records on what was raised and spent.

• With an economy that seems to be picking up speed, a rebounding stock market and the capture of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, President Bush appears to be as much of a lock for reelection as is possible, regardless of which Democrats choose to run.

As always, people vote their pocketbook. Most economic forecasters are calling for strong growth and moderate inflation, which can be translated as four more years for Bush.

The governor believes Bush’s policies have impacted the country and Arkansas in positive ways.

“The tax cuts restored confidence in the economy, got goods moving again, which brought investors back, which allowed companies to expand,” the governor said. “It’s interesting that the month the income tax refunds went out that retail stores reported record sales.”

• Huckabee was also busy during the year losing weight, a challenge that faces 24 percent of Arkansans. The death of former Gov. Frank White was a wake-up call for the governor, who has trimmed off 85 pounds since June.

“The state is in a serious health crisis that will lead to a financial crisis,” the governor said. “The cost of health problems will stagger the state” unless we can get people to make some positive changes in lifestyles. “I felt that I had to set the right example.”

Last week, the governor issued a directive for the state Health Department to come up with a plan to address the state’s looming health care crisis by promoting prevention rather than treatment and developing an insurance plan that would provide incentives for healthy living — a cash benefit for lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels, losing weight and quitting smoking.

Huckabee believes that by improving Arkansans’ health, the state could save money on health care costs.

 

Click Here To See Other Issues That Faced Huckabee in 2003