Testing standards and school funding were the two main topics discussed this past week as the candidates for Office of Superintendent of Public sat down at Kent-Meridian High School to make a final pitch to voters.

Incumbent Terry Bergeson and challenger Randy Dorn have been debating the issues all over the state, including Monday in Pullman, before finishing their runs in King County.

The forum, sponsored by the Equitable Opportunity Caucus and the Minority Executive Directors Coalition, was attended by about 15 voters, many of whom were connected in some way to the education field.

During the nearly two hour forum, the candidates took turns answering questions from voters which ranged from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to closing the achievement gap for minority students to special education and state funding.

Both Bergeson and Dorn were polite and respectful to each other, often agreeing on larger issues, such as the need to change the federal No Child Left Behind law and the need to adjust the state funding formula.

The pair, however, highlighted the differences in their backgrounds and emphasized the different ways they approach the job.

Bergeson, seeking her fourth term in the state’s top education office, said she is running to continue to reform education laws, including the WASL exams.

Dorn, a former teacher, principal and legislator, said he was complimentary to Bergeson for the work she has done, but said it was time for a change and that he would best be able to work with the Legislature, often stating that 54 state legislators back his candidacy.

From the start, WASL dominated discussion. Both candidates said the state-mandated tests need to be reformed.

Bergeson highlighted her work to shorten the exams and though she said WASL was a “very good measure” of basic educational requirements, it was burdening teachers by putting too much emphasis on the test.

“The goal has never been to pass the WASL,” Bergeson said. “The goal is to have the skills.”

Dorn agreed that too much emphasis was being put on the test and said the state was “narrowing our curriculum too much” in an attempt to simply get kids to pass the test.

Dorn also was more forceful in his critique of the exams, saying “we’ve gone off track.” The candidate said he was especially concerned about the math exam and added he would like to remove some of the writing requirements and refocus the math test on computational skills.

He also said he would rather the tests be more diagnostic instead of assessment, stating that the current exam simply says whether or not a student is at grade level and does not indicate what changes may need to be made or how better to help a student.

“I believe you can have a test system that is diagnostic,” Dorn said, a concept with which Bergeson disagreed.

The two next addressed the achievement gap and ways to adjust the WASL to be more conducive to minorities – an issue of special importance in a district as diverse as Kent.

Both candidates agreed the roots of the gap are continuing racism in the system and the need to make sure minority and foreign students are treated with respect and given additional resources to make sure they have the supplies they need.

Both also spoke of the need to remove students with special needs from the aggregate scores of the tests, to get a more accurate representation of student achievement.

Dorn also cited the need to remove the writing portions of the math exam because it was unfair to non-English speaking students who may have the math skills, but who don’t understand the writing.

Both candidates also agreed on the need to change the state funding formula that doles out money to individual districts.

“We have to change our funding structure,” Bergeson said. “I will fight like a dog for that.”

Dorn agreed, saying he believes the state is not living up to the promises and responsibilities of the state constitution, which states it is the “paramount duty” of the state to educate children, adding that in recent years, Washington has gone from 25th in per-pupil spending to 42nd.

Both candidates said it was necessary to re-prioritize in the state to put education back at the top.

For funding to districts, Bergeson said it was necessary to adjust formulas so that districts were not trapped tapping levy dollars to pay for cost-of-living increases to teachers hired from funds outside of the state formula.

Dorn agreed, but said he was the better choice because of his time in the Legislature.

After the debate, voters in attendance said they were pleased to see the candidates were so civil, but several said they had still not made up their mind, though the forum helped.

“I have a better understanding of what I should be considering when I vote,” said Mandelin Carlson.

Parent and para-educator Linda Novak said she was intrigued by Dorn, especially his stance on making sure funds flow to where they are most needed instead of evenly throughout schools.

Novak also said the candidates’ stands on changing the funding formula were important to Kent as well as the rest of the state.

“We don’t fund real basic education anymore,” she said. “We fund a portion of it.”

Voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide.

LEARN MORE:

Terry Bergeson

http://terrybergeson2008.com

Randy Dorn

http://www.randydorn2008.com

Brian Beckley can be reached at 253-437-6012 or bbeckley@kentreporter.com