Lynch at Large

An interested reader sent me a lengthy response to my column in today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. It is posted over at NWAnews.com. Part of my argument is that Mike Beebe turned to mush on the school standards. My reader takes a different approach and started by transcribing the Beebe opening statement that got me in such a tizzy.

Beebe Opening Statement: "Thank you, Bob. Thank all of you for being here and thank the U of A Clinton School for actually hosting this debate.

First thing I want to do is thank my wife Ginger who’s been on the campaign trail and has actually been going places that I haven’t been, and the response has been for me not to come back, just send Ginger.

I’d also like to compliment Mr. Hutchinson on his public service. Public service is not easy. People sacrifice. They give up certain things when they engage in public service. It’s appropriate I think to be here at the Clinton school because education is a foremost topic of what state government is all about. It’s a foremost topic of what we are as Arkansans.

So let me get right to it. There’s been a lot said about education. Let me be clear. Let the listening audience hear it. Let everyone know. From this point forward, I don’t want any more consolidation. I’ve said it over and over. We’re not going to have any more consolidation. We’ve had enough consolidation, but what we will do is have those standards. We’re not going to retreat from the standards. We’re not gonna back up from the standards. We’re not going to lessen education in Arkansas. We’re actually going to help rural schools meet those standards. That’s why I proposed the Traveling Teacher program so that we can actually share to get those teachers in different places. We already do it now with speech pathologists. There’s no reason why we can’t."

Yeah, right. Sorry, Mike, I ain't buying it. Nobody WANTS consolidation, but very small districts will have problems meeting the standards which assure that taxpayers are getting value for the education dollar. My reader also points out the "political reality" that the 350 minimum will not be revised and I agree. The legislature will not touch it. There is political pressure not to mess with that number, and the same pressure can also be used to relax the standards.

The reason school standards matter so much is, for once in my 23 years in Arkansas, we are making REAL progress. Let's not throw that away! My reader crawled all over me for not giving the AG his props too.

But while you criticize Beebe for not falling on the sword for a higher district minimum size, where's your praise for a guy who has stood tall on standards? The legislature may indeed be able to deploy cost-efficient ways to better deliver educational opportunity to rural Arkansas, but if not, if a district fails in delivering the appropriate educational opportunity to its students, whether it's simply too small to use limited resources efficiently, or whether it's just poorly led by its administrators, Beebe is defending the very standards and accountability laws that would lead to further consolidation - not based on miminim size, but based on adherence to standards. I expect numerous efforts to dilute our standards next session. Beebe is on record in opposing any dilution. With Asa as governor, they'd be administration bills.

OK. Beebe is posturing. That is the best read I can put on his opening statement. My reader is very astute. There will be many attempts to cut into the standards and those should be resisted. Mr. Beebe's own words seem to argue against the proposition that he would allow the standards to naturally cause some very small districts to be consolidated. I think I recall that Asa called him on just that point, and I am certain that Beebe insisted that he did not want any more consolidation.

To me, this is a discouraging state of affairs and i wish it were not so.