News
Rex: It's time for a turnaround governor
September 15, 2009
South Carolina needs a new direction. Our current leadership has failed, and the petty bickering, extreme partisanship and seemingly endless distractions have crippled our state government, which right now delivers way too little for what it spends.
I have decided to run for governor because South Carolina needs a turnaround governor. My turnaround mission will be to create jobs and a growing economy, a government committed to accountability and living within its means, a state committed to improving schools, and leadership that accurately reflects our values. For too long, our government has been distracted and defined by narrow special interests, and it's time to put our people first.
I know we can turn our state around, but to do that we have to change the leaders who have failed, and we must abandon tired, old ideas that haven't worked. When I look around at the others running for this office -- in both parties -- I see too many lobbyists and career politicians. I am neither of those, nor am I a political insider.
More than two and a half years ago, I became South Carolina's superintendent of education. After a long and fulfilling career in education that included being a high school teacher, a football coach and a college president, I ran for my first public office because I saw an opportunity to help improve our state's public school system.
When I became state superintendent, I saw dedicated teachers and administrators frustrated and held back by politics as usual. I heard from parents who wanted more choices for their children. And I saw kids -- good, smart kids -- missing the opportunity to succeed, because our state has not made public education a top priority.
Today, much has changed. Last year, more than 60,000 public school students were taking advantage of new choices within the public school system -- most of which didn't exist three years ago. Over the past three years, we have doubled the number of students enrolled in public charter schools and nearly tripled the number of magnet programs, as well as become a national leader in single-gender education.
It's clear that this new focus on innovation and choice is driving improvement. Last month, the annual Diplomas Count report rated South Carolina No. 1 in the nation on improvement in “on time” graduation rates, and we remain No. 1 in improvement on SAT performance for states where more than 50 percent of students participate.
We've taken our lowest performing schools and put them into the new Palmetto Priority Schools collaborative where half are showing improvement, and we have begun a turnaround initiative for the other half that includes redesigning schools from the ground up and, if necessary, firing administrators and teachers who aren't getting the job done.
So why not run again for superintendent of education? Because I have learned that we cannot have a 21st century school system, or a 21st century competitive economy, within a state whose leadership is stuck in the past.
I have seen nearly half a billion dollars cut from our state's education budget in the past year, while our state's leadership has been focused elsewhere. I have been in the middle of an unnecessary battle to secure stimulus dollars to save hundreds of jobs that every other state had already accepted. And I have watched constant bickering, delays and partisan posturing get in the way of a desperately needed focus on jobs, economic development and education reform.
It's time for a turnaround.
In the coming weeks and months, I will be putting forth comprehensive plans for creating jobs and improving our economy; taking the next steps to move our schools forward; and addressing the need to improve the overall quality of life for our people. I will share with you my plans to rebuild a government that answers to people, not the special interests. And I will work every day on re-creating South Carolina's image to ensure that we become the go-to state, once again, for tourism, job creation and quality of life. It's time to turn our state around.
Op-Ed from TheState.com
By JIM REX
Guest Columnist
Mr. Rex, a Democrat, is the State Superintendent of Education.
