“Incremental improvements will not get us where we need to be”
October 24, 2006: Larry Tarleton introduced Jim Rex as a lifelong leader in education reform who started out as a High School English teacher and football coach and also served as the Dean of Education for Coastal Carolina University and Winthrop University; the Vice-President of the University of South Carolina and the President of Columbia College. Mr. Rex responded to the introduction as a man who’s never run for office before and “who’s wife is sitting in the parking lot at this moment waiting for AAA to come change our flat left front tire.” After a round of empathetic applause from 110 Rotarians and their guests he added, “if you see a short brunette with grease on her hands come in, please give a hearty welcome for allowing me the privilege to speak with you today while she took care of the dirty work.” Mr. Rex continued to warm the audience with a story about his Winthrop University interview in 1981…for those not in attendance, please ask a Rotarian who listened to Mr. Rex’s anecdote; ask where the phrase “don’t worry, his battery is dead” came from…it’s worth your time to listen to the story.
Mr. Rex moved on to more serious topics discussing his beliefs that motivated him to run for the Secretary of Education: “there needs to be an educator in the job” and “the stakes are the highest seen for the SC public education system in a life time.” He continued to espouse “our schools are getting better but incremental improvements will not get the State where it wants to be.” “Legislators tinker with piecemeal reform that yields unintended, negative consequences.” This led to a campaign theme: “I propose a comprehensive plan that reforms, improves, and supports public education.” He went on to elaborate that his twelve-month strategy is composed of five major themes…but Jim couldn’t move forward on the serious topics without relaying a story that his stint as a High School coach and English teacher was a “juxtaposition” which means: he was, as one of his players relayed, “the only coach who yelled in complete sentences.” This comment segued smoothly into his first theme:
Innovation: Things are happening “in spite of, not because, of the state of SC…it’s time for us to do some wheel inventing.”
Choice & Flexibility: “Americans demand choice. I’m against vouchers: Parents should have the right to choose a private school but they should pay for that. They shouldn’t ask us to subsidize that choice.”
Adjust & Revise: “We need revisions in accountability; tests are tools. We’re de-emphasizing curriculum if it’s not part of the test and this is not helping our students prepare for the future. Within every pill there is a piece of poison (when you ask the Rotarian about the ‘battery story’…ask about this also).
Rejuvenate & Educate: “We’re getting close to a demoralized and compromised teaching force. They are a critical employee group. There are ominous clouds on the horizon….over the last 6-7 years we’ve hired more foreign teachers than U.S. in the Math and Science areas. Over the next 4-5 years we’re losing an extremely high percentage of teachers.”
“Minimally Adequate” is Not Where We Want to Be: We need to put in place a way to more fairly and evenly fund all school districts. Our Legislators spend millions defending our policies in order to keep “minimally adequate” as our standard. That’s like an invitation for all of us to get on the ground and stay there together. “We need to set a new standard that translates to a new Goal.”
In summary, Mr. Rex said we need to put all five themes into a comprehensive plan we all can embrace. He ended with a very unique political thought: “Make this position [Secretary of Education] a non-partisan position…there are six states that have done this already and their education systems are in the top of the Nation’s.
Reported by Bill Crowe, Keyway Committee